Johnny Hamlet (1968)
Not the usual crazy spectacle I usually think of with Castellari. Closer to <a href=”https://letterboxd.com/jwldk/film/keoma/1/>Keoma</a> than <a href=”https://letterboxd.com/jwldk/film/kill-them-all-and-come-back-alone/>Kill Them All and Come Back Alone</a>. While the structure is well known revenge story, it is unusual in how it wraps it in very blunt religious imagery and dreamlike sequences. I honestly did find the movie to be a tad slow, but there are several noteworthy elements. Horst Frank is chilling as the main antagonist. There is also some cleverly creative camerawork and ideas that gives reminiscence to the Sartana films. What detracts is sadly Andrea Giordana in the hero role. I don’t see him working in this western setting at all, and there is very little of the charm or coolness I expect from good Italian westerns.
Rating: 3