Review of Keoma (1976) by Tsubaki S — 05 Jul 2010

A western/greek tragedy directed in an almost hallucinatory style by Castellari. With a plague-infected town that gives the film a very apocalyptic atmosphere. Featuring one of the most unique soundtracks for any western, or movie for that matter, that I have ever heard, with a crazy banshee woman and some guy with a weird voice narrating in the songs. Like a greek chorus telling you the story. Is the complete opposite of your usual spaguetti western soundtrack. Make no mistake, it fits the movie perfectly, even if you're not fan of the soundtrack, you won't think of any other music that could suit better this film. I love it, but then again, I have weird taste in music.

Keoma has a truly solid cast that features William Berger, Woody Strode, and Franco Nero sporting on of the most badass beards this side of Kurt Rusell's The Thing. A bunch of italian regulars form a well balanced and colorful cast. While the story goes into some familiar territory it remains always engaging and fascinating. Hard to believe that the whole thing was being improvised, one page per day. That the entire cast and crew collaborated to the story gives this a different vibe, and you can really tell that everyone from Nero to the extras are really into it. Keoma is a fantastic way to close the italo-western era, a movie that deserves a page in movie history.