Review of Compañeros (1970) by Jesse — 24 Apr 2008

When I first started watching this western, I was expecting a comedy along the lines of the Trinity movies, and I was disappointed. The second time I decided to start watching the movie, I watched it without that misconception, thinking of it as an adventure film instead, and it was much better than I thought before. There is a fair amount of huimor here, but it comes from the movie's light tone and the way the lines are delivered, and occasionally from the witty script, rather than the all-out slapstick comedy of They Call Me Trinity or the Three Stooges.

Companeros is a fun, exciting movie, and it has one of my favorite soundtracks by Ennio Morricone. I don't think it's as good as For a Few Dollars More, or The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, but it's not far down from them. It emphasizes fun and action over the style and beauty of Leone's movies. One of the best Italian westerns I've seen.