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Django Shoots First (1966)

At the beginning of the film, “Django” (Glenn Saxson) meets up with a bounty hunter called Ringo (Jose Luis Martin) who happens to be taking the body of Django’s dead father to town for a $5000 bounty . Django murders Ringo and then decides to bury the bounty hunter instead of his father , as he then takes his dad’s body into town for the money. Django inherits his fathers part of the business and a score to settle with Cluster (Gazzolo). A local character named Gordon (Fernando Sancho) tells Django that he actually owns half the town since his daddy was colleague with Cluster . A bar room brawl ensues with Django getting help from a mysterious doctor (Albert Lupo) who is staying in town . Django , the Doctor and Gordon join forces and reckoning to banker Cluster and his wife (Evelyn Stewart or Ida Galli as Femme Fatal) .

This above-average Ravioli Western packs thrills , action , brawls in Terence Hill-Spencer style , crossfire and drags at times , balancing in ups and downs ; resulting to be pretty entertaining . The movie has the typical Spaghetti characters , as the violent facing , greedy antiheroes, bloody and spectacular showdowns, quick zooms , extreme baddies and being well directed . This fun story also has touches of humor as when the starring speaks with his deceased daddy and at the ending when appears a gunfighter played by George Eastman reclaiming his inherited rights . The picture is a tale of justice and revenge , as a gunfighter looks for a man in a little town and seeks vendetta against the father’s killer . The basic plot is typical spaghetti western fare , but what makes this movie stand out is its style . The starring called Django , though some countries was called Trinity or Glenn Garvin , is stunningly played by the Dutch Glenn Saxson . Glenn is very fine , he ravages the screen , he jumps , bounds and leaps , hit and run . Glenn as a brave and two-fisted gunslinger is terrific , subsequently the would play similar roles in other Spaghettis ; as also starred “Il Magnifico Texano” and ¨Vete con Dios , Gringo¨ . Music original by Bruno Nicolai composes a nice Spaghetti soundtrack and well conducted and splendid leitmotif ; it’s full of enjoyable sounds and emotive score , including attractive songs at the beginning and the end . There are many fine technicians and nice assistant direction , excellent production design , and atmospheric cinematography by Riccardo Pallottini , he creates a colorful scenario on the interior ranch and barren outdoors , dirty landscapes under a glimmer sun , and being shot in Elios studios (Rome) and Spain : Manzanares Del Real , La Pedriza and of course , Almeria .

The flick was professionally directed by Alberto De Martino or Herbert Martin . This Italian writer / filmmaker so consistently mixed the good with the mediocre that it became quite impossible to know what to expect from him next . He wrote/directed several Western , action and intriguing films . He is an expert director/writer of Giallo , Western , wartime , horror and all kind of genres . As he directed horror : ¨The tempter¨ . ¨Blood link¨, ¨Miami Golem¨ , ¨Holocaust 2000¨ ; Warlike : “Dirty Heroes” , Peplum : ¨Invincible gladiator , La Rivolta Dei Sette , Il Triunfo di Ercole , ¨Los Invencibles¨ and Spaghetti : ¨Sangre Sobre Texas¨, ¨Sheriff terrible¨ “Here We Go Again, Eh Providence?” . Rating : 7. Good Western that will appeal to Spaghetti fans because being filled with action , thrills , intrigue and shootouts .

This funny film belongs to ¨Django¨series , after successful original ¨Django¨ by Sergio Corbucci with Franco Nero , it was followed by several imitations , rip offs and cheesy copies , such as : ¨Pochi dollar per Django¨ or ¨Alambradas De Violencia¨ (1966) by Leon Klimowsky starred by Anthony Steffen , Gloria Osuna , Frank Wolff ; ¨El Mio Nome e Django¨ (1969) by Ferdinando Baldi with Terence Hill , Horst Frank , George Eastman ; ¨Django Le Bastard¨(1969) by Sergio Garrone with Anthony Steffen , Paolo Gozlino ; ¨¨Django defies Sartana¨(1969) by Pasquale Squitieri with George Ardisson and Tony Kendall ; ¨Ein Pressen Fur Django¨ or ¨Barro en Ojos¨(1971) by Edoardo Mulargia with Anthony Steffen ; and the official sequel titled ¨Il Grande Ritorno¨(1987) by Nello Rossati with Franco Nero , Christopher Connolly and Donald Pleasence .