Review of A Town Called Bastard (1971) by Daniel A — 23 Nov 2009

Primitive, and beautiful. A movie so gritty that you will be spitting the taste of dirt out of your mouth for hours afterwards with a strange and uncontrollable hankering for a stogy and a bourbon.So Telly Savalas was pretty much the perfect actor for these type of films.

C-rated 70's westerns. Of all of his roles, the most memorable for me is where he portrays Pancho Villa.Interesting Telly Savalas fact: Savalas started out as an executive director and then senior director of the news special events at ABC.

He then became an executive producer for the Gillette Cavalcade of Sports where he gave Howard Cosell his first job. Verrrrry interesting. Would we not have been delivered Howard Cosell if it had not been for Savalas?? sidenote: (He also portrayed Pontus Pilote in "The Greatest Story Ever Told")Alright, here is a fair warning for anyone getting ready to delve into this realm of Western cinema.

This filmwork is so primitive, you might find yourself ready to freak out, and gouge your eardrums out of your skull on account of the incredibly shoddy camerawork along with unbelievably terrible sound.

Now that all of the negatives are out in the open, let's explore what is to love about this film. Again, the grit, and grime is something to really appreciate. Clearly, a lot of alcohol was consumed in the making of this film.

Also, the location of the filming is amazing. An old Mexican village, out in the desert. A story of revenge, and deceit, and a gang of ruthless murderers and criminals. Dig your spurs in, and let the dust settle into your boots.

Let your esophagus fill with dirt. Light up a cigar, and pour another whiskey. Piano man, play me a waltz... and find me a decent wench!