SABATA

(1969, Gianfranco Parolini) After a $100K bank robbery featuring acrobats, the gang runs into... Lee Van Cleef’s Sabata. Gag, gimmick, and gymnastics Western that cemented Van Cleef as a top star, with terrific Marcello Giombini score. Produced by Leone’s company.

REVIEWS

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"MIND MELTING!"
– Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out New York

“Parolini’s rhetorical orchestrating of the elements at hand represents the mainstream Italian Western at its best.”
– Phil Hardy

“First of a successful series of Spaghetti Westerns involving a black-caped gunfighter, initially portrayed by Lee Van Cleef. In it, Parolini was able to pursue the Spaghetti Western’s acrobatic tendency – like a Hong Kong kung-fu auteur – blowing up countless stuntmen with dynamite, and seeding gymnastic stunts into every action scene… The best of the circus Westerns, a sub-genre which Parolini either invented or enthusiastically made his own. It succeeds thanks to the high skill levels of all concerned, a great art department and soundtrack, and the presence of Franco Resel as the principal bad guy, Strengel… Marcello Giombini’s score is very good; funny, big, and lively, self-reflexive like the film itself.”
– Alex Cox