This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

A Major Disappointment

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

A spagwest classic and a combination of a LOT of talent both in front of and behind the camera, KEOMA stands true as one of the best spaghettis made in the 1970s and another feather in the hat of stylish director Enzo G. Castellari. Aside from the spectacular action which one comes to expect from a pro like Castellari, KEOMA offers an intelligent script, strongly-drawn characters and an intriguing story. Physically, the film is shot magnificently, mixing in sweeping vistas of lush plains with horses crossing them to painting a picture of a decayed and ruined town, full of fear, dirt and disease. Seeing this film in its original widescreen format is necessary to realise just how beautifully shot it is throughout. The dialogue is often snappy, with memorable one-liners and interesting character traits. Castellari takes us through the low points of pathos and tragedy to the high points of blazing justice and companionship and somehow keeps his film gripping throughout, even when nothing much is happening. This is all the more surprising when one knows of the pre-production chaos which resulted in a story being made up as it went along, with plentiful contributions from cast and crew members.Castellari regular Franco Nero is the bewigged Keoma, a supposed Indian half-breed. Nero puts in a typically strong performance, and is allowed to use his own voice to add to his portrayal of his layered character. Supporting cast members include old-timer William Berger, playing Nero's heroic dad, and Woody Strode in one of his finest parts as an alcoholic banjo-player subject to racism and hatred until Nero's presence returns him to his former fighting state. Olga Karlatos is the pregnant woman whom Nero rescues from certain death, whilst Donald O'Brien enjoys himself as the conniving chief villain. Genre vets like Giovanni Cianfriglia fill out the rest of the cast, and mention must go to the actors playing the three ambiguous half-brothers who are excellent.The film's only real flaw is with the wailing folk music, employing both shrill female vocals and Nero himself singing out-of-tune on the soundtrack! Sadly the music is far from the quality work of an Ennio Morricone score and extraordinarily irritating and/or grating in parts - the only detraction. Thankfully Castellari contributes some of his finest action ever directed, with plenty of slow motion deaths to behold, all amazingly crafted, and an extended fight sequence near the end of the film in which Nero, Berger, and Strode take on O'Brien's entire gang and very nearly beat the lot of them. This action features about a hundred bad guys getting wasted, including extra-cool points for Strode shooting men dead with his bow and arrow! Keep an eye out for the super-stylish auteur shots that Castellari includes, like the point-of-view shooting target and the four-finger victim count. With better music, this would have been a masterpiece; as it stands its only very good indeed.

"Any Gun Can Play" director Enzo G. Castellari surpassed himself with his contemplative but entertaining Spaghetti western "Keoma" with Franco Nero, William Berger, Donald O'Brien, Olga Karlatos, and Woody Strode. Although Castellari stages several body-twirling shootouts, this oater differs considerably from most European westerns because it explores meaningful questions that we all have considered about life. Essentially, this exercise in existentialism follows the eponymous hero, Keoma (Franco Nero of "Django"), as he struggles to learn who he is and where wants to go in his life. Few Spaghetti westerns aspire to venture into such uncharacteristic territory, but Castellari does so without turning his horse opera into a painfully obvious psychological journey of hardship. Our protagonist is a half-breed Indian who was adopted as a stepchild and spent his entire childhood contending with his jealous brothers for the approval of their father, William Shannon (William Berger of "Sabata"), who lavished love and attention on Keoma. Eventually, Keoma grew up and went off to fight in the American Civil War. Castellari doesn't recreate the war, but it figures prominently in the plot, especially where an African-American role model, George (Woody Strode of "Boot Hill"), is concerned. When Keoma returns from the war to his hometown, he finds things have undergone drastic changes. His father is no longer the high honcho, and his three jealous stepbrothers have hired their guns out to a former Confederate soldier, Caldwell (Donald O'Brien of "Grand Prix"), who has taken over the town, operated the mine in it, and runs it now with an iron hand. Moreover, a mysterious plague has infected the town. Occasionally, Caldwell's vicious gunslingers send citizens into exile whether or not they suffer from the disease to live with others in a forted up compound guarded by his men. When the action unfolds, a group of plague-ridden men try to escape from these gunslingers but they are mowed down with ruthless abandon. Castellari shoots these killings like Sam Peckinpah might have with the dying men leaping and lunging in slow motion. One of the escapees who dies futilely in his bid for for freedom arranged this distraction so his pregnant wife, Liza Farrow (Olga Karlatos of "Zombie") could escape. Later, Keoma stumbles onto this unfortunate lady and takes her into town where he secures a room for her. Liza lugs around her child during the film and gives birth in the final five minutes when Keoma settles accounts with his rival stepbrothers. One of the narrative effects that you rarely see in Spaghetti westerns is Keoma's flashbacks to his youth when his stepbrothers picked on him. The adult Keoma watches these former exploits as if he as an adult were there when they occurred. In the middle of an otherwise traditional western, we are treated to something that is clearly postmodern. Typically, this would have occurred in a separate flashback without the adult Keoma observing it. Similarly, the deployment of the pregnant woman represents another attempt at symbolism that seems out of place for a Spaghetti western bloodbath. Fans of the genre need not despair about this offbeat symbolism. An elderly witch who trundles a cart filled with garbage appears now and again and offers comments about Keoma and his past. Her presence seems heavily symbolic, like something you would expect from an Ingmar Bergman movie. Meantime, Keoma displays his impeccable marksmanship, dispatching Caldwell's odious henchmen without a qualm. Keoma, his father, and George form an alliance to combat the evil Caldwell who refuses to let the local physician distribute medicine to deal with the plague outbreak. Aiace Parolin's widescreen cinematography looks fantastic from the very first image that isolates Keoma in the doorway of a darkened house to the fluid camera movements that recur throughout the action. Carlo Simi's art direction and production designs contribute to the beauty and atmosphere of "Keoma." Like most westerns where the hero constitutes a kind of messiah, Keoma is strung up on the giant wheel of mining machinery for all of the town citizens to see. Ultimately, "Keoma" isn't a run-of-the-mill Spaghetti western and Castellari's horse opera came out during the twilight period when foreign westerns were gradually disappearing. Although Nero is part Indian and part white, he looks more like a hippie with his long hair and Native America outfit. He carries a sawed off double-barreled shotgun like he did in his "Django" sequel. This is an above-average, pretentious, but interesting Castellari western with strong performances, especially by Strode.

I watched this wondering about Keoma Rises and am a fan of the director's work. I love any Spaghetti Western that is better than mediocre. So, bottom line, it was a disappointment to watch one that I basically just didn't like.I think we all agree the soundtrack is awful. But the awful songs can be muted while they're wailing away (I don't know one can really call it singing). But the big problem for me was that it was obvious that the director had been told it was the last SW the studio was doing and he's WAY too conscious of that fact. Also, we watch SWs for what they are, not for how they inspired other genres, creating some kind of weird cinematic echo chamber. Elements of Peckinpaugh and Hong Kong action flicks- but not integrated in any way. Just kind of, "Let's do some of that..."If you notice the firearms and the year it'll drive you nuts. Obviously supposed to be circa 1870, mostly it's what you'd expect to see immediately after the Civil War. But it's like they ran out of period arms and just grabbed whatever else was around for some scenes. Lots of 1873 Winchester rifles and I thought even saw the odd 1890's model. Ditto the Colt Peacemaker, alongside your standard issue Civil War Colt. I suppose it could be 1874, but were those arms instantly available everywhere??? Given the rest, one thinks they weren't too concerned about it.Bottom line for me, it was a seriously misguided attempt that is waaaay too conscious of its being what it is, the swan song of the classic pasta western.

This is one of the great spaghetti westerns. Franco Nero puts in what is perhaps his best performance ever, and it's great to see that his voice is not dubbed by someone else here. This is an action packed, gut wrenching, on the edge of your seat western from start to finish. It also has all the style, symbolism, and violence one could ask for from a spaghetti western, and then some.This film has been criticized for a few different reasons, and I feel compelled to address a couple of those comments. The number one topic for discussion seems to be the soundtrack. Yes the soundtrack is a bit strange, but so is the movie, so in a way it's fitting. Personally, I think it's kind of hit and miss, but it works for the most part. I really like the female vocals. Her voice has a creepy, melancholy, and otherworldly quality to it that matches the film perfectly. The male vocals, on the other hand, sounded like an Italian muppet to me at first. Perhaps the cookie monster. I do have to say though that I just watched the film for the third time and the guy doesn't sound nearly as bad to me as he did the first time. This is a damn good movie anyway, regardless of whether or not one likes the soundtrack.Another criticism I've heard is that Franco Nero plays an Indian with an Italian accent. First of all, this kind of thing is very common in films. Think of all the Romans, Greeks, Martians, etc. that have had English or American accents in the movies. This is no different except that in this movie it actually adds to the characterization of Keoma. He is an outsider, and the fact that his accent is so unique to the setting just adds to the effect.Keoma's flashbacks to his boyhood are extremely well done, and the children they picked to play him and his half-brothers are very realistically matched to their adult counterparts. There are some cool slow-motion action scenes, and the action scenes in general are top-notch. I also like the character of the old woman who seems to have some kind of supernatural link to Keoma. We're never quite sure what her relationship is to him, or even whether she is real or not. The acting from all of the main players is also very well done, and the cinematography is beautiful.This is one of those spaghetti westerns that stands out from the crowd. It's a must-see if you are at all interested in the genre. I would recommend it to anyone who likes westerns, action flicks, or movies that are not made with a cookie-cutter.