Product Description

The `Spaghetti Western' Masterpiece From The Producer Of DJANGO

Franco Nero (DJANGO, THE FIFTH CORD) is KEOMA, a half-breed gunfighter weary of killing as a way of life. But when he returns to his troubled childhood home, Keoma is caught in a savage battle between innocent settlers, sadistic bandits and his vengeful half-brothers. In a wasteland gone mad with rage and pain, can one man massacre his way to redemption?

KEOMA is an extraordinary combination of potent symbolism, powerful performances and relentless violence, brilliantly directed by Enzo G. Castellari (STREET LAW, THE BIG RACKET). Woody Strode (ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST), William Berger (DJANGO STRIKES AGAIN) and Olga Karlatos (ZOMBIE) co-star in this one-of-a-kind classic that fans and critics consider to be one of the greatest `Spaghetti Westerns' of all time.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #41855 in DVD
• Brand: RYKODISC
• Released on: 2007-03-27
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Color, Dolby, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 101 minutes

Features

• Franco Nero (Django, The Fifth Cord) is Keoma, a half-breed gunfighter weary of killing as a way of life. But when he returns to his troubled childhood home, Keoma is caught in a savage battle between innocent settlers, sadistic bandits and his vengeful half-brothers. In a wasteland gone mad with rage and pain, can one man massacre his way to redemption? Keoma is an extraordinary combination of

Western All' Italiana
"A REAL WESTERN MASTERPIECE!"

Customer Reviews

One of Spaghetti's last gasps prove there was still life in the genre
The mystical, eerie and rather sombre opening of this late (1976) entry into the Italian western cycle, with its at first somewhat confusing flashback structure and alternation of bright, colorful daylight and gloomy, dusty apocalyptic destruction, all dominated by the fierce old witch-woman who will keep reappearing in the film, might lead you to think you are in for a deep, metaphysical and narratively challenging experiment.

But hold on, pardner! "Keoma" soon settles down into a fairly typical narrative: Civil War vet comes back to his hometown to find it taken over by bad guys; vet has to save the town all by his lonesome. And Keoma bears more than a little resemblance in attitude and wild appearance to plenty of cowboy antiheroes in the past (i.e., The Man With No Name). That's not to say it's boring or formulaic, because over that basic storyline there's plenty to marvel at: gorgeous photography, particularly in the bright daylight scenes, a terrific folk-rock score highlighted by a Leonard Cohen-type male vocalist, a typically solid performance by Franco Nero, and some interesting story touches like a plague that ravages the town (plague? yes) -- a town that seems ready to fall apart, more dreary and decayed even than the one Django rides through in the film of the same name. It's probably no coincidence that a couple of the titles the film has been known by had "Django" in them; then again, so did about a third of all the Italian westerns made after the original DJANGO.

Keoma not only has to confront the evil gunslinger who has taken over the town, but his henchmen turn out to be Keoma's three half-brothers, and oh -- Keoma is a halfbreed Indian (yes, despite being blonde, blue-eyed and hairy-chested) and his best friend is a black man (the great Woody Strode, looking pretty good at the age of 62). The film doesn't really dig much into the racial aspects of the story, though it doesn't ignore them either. But it all really boils down to a couple of really terrific gunfights at the end, lots of slow-mo Sam Peckinpah-type action (but without much blood), a Christ-on-the-cross image, and a hero riding off into...bleakness? Death? Given the apocalyptic visions throughout the film, I was reminded more than once of Jodorowsky's EL TOPO, which makes such visions come true.

Director Enzo G. Castellari made a few other westerns in the earlier part of his career, which dates back a decade before this one; none are remotely as well known as KEOMA but I'd still like to see some of them. And as one of the few Italian genre directors from the golden age of the 60s and 70s to still be making films, let's hope he's got another western in him, somewhere. Whether he does or not, this seems in any case like perfect coda to the spaghetti.

last of the good spaghetti westerns
I will attempt to avoid any spoilers.
A lot of the lesser known spaghetti westerns have fair to poor quality for their dvd transfers, this one has very good quality.
The film itself is surprisingly good. Nero's thick accent is a strength here, portraying an outcast half-breed. The improvisational aspect of the script (the director supposedly did not like the script and they apparently would sit around the evening after filming and write the next day's lines) shows a bit, creating a couple slightly 'off' scenes here and there which do not really affect the film overall, but I will say the final line is horrible, in my opinion.
The weakest aspect of the film is the soundtrack. This movie could be over the top good with a Morricone soundtrack. The ballads are supposed to be narrative, but they are......highly irritating. There are those people that like the soundtrack, more power to those who don't wince when the songs start. Fortunately when they do start singing, it's almost always a long, dialogue free section that can easily be fast-forwarded through.
The cast is strong, and the cinematography excellent. There are some very unique visuals, solid editing, and some nice sound-work. A gem of a movie to find for under $10.

One of the last spaghetti westerns
Made in 1976, Keoma was released at the tail end of the spaghetti western craze, but it's one of the best either way. Following the Civil War, half-breed gunman Keoma returns home to find the town taken over by an ex-Confederate soldier, Caldwell, and his gang and the townspeople suffering from a form of the plague. Caldwell isn't letting in help or medicine of any kind. Keoma saves a young pregnant woman and immediately comes under the thumb of Caldwell and his gang. Another surprise is in store when Keoma's three half brothers are in the gang, the brothers who hated him and beat him growing up and would like nothing more than to get revenge. This is a pretty dark film, almost apocalyptic in some ways, and is really a blend of 70s westerns made in the US and everything that made spaghetti westerns so great. Keoma has a folksy theme song that's a little overused but very haunting at times, lots of flashbacks, and stylized, slow-motion violence right out of a Sam Peckinpah movie. It's not your typical spaghetti western, but it's still one of the best.

In maybe his best role in a spaghetti western, Franco Nero plays Keoma, the half-breed gunman trying to clean up his hometown after the Civil War. With long hair, scruffy beard, and torn clothes, Keoma looks like an extra out of the Mad Max movies! The humor so typical from Nero's parts aren't there, but it's a great performance. William Berger matches Nero as Will Shannon, Keoma's father who has seen his family torn apart since the war. One scene with Keoma and Will talking about how things have changed is worth the price of the DVD alone. So often given physical roles with little story importance, Woody Strode gets a great part as George, an old man who's known Keoma for years and sides with him upon his return. Don't worry though, Strode gets some very cool scenes with a bow and arrow. Donald O'Brien is good in a smaller part as Caldwell, the ruthless leader of a murderous gang. Olga Karlatos plays Lisa, the pregnant woman Keoma saves, with Orso Maria Guerrini, Antonio Marsina, and Joshua Sinclair playing Butch, Lenny, and Sam, Keona's vengeful brothers.

The Blue Underground DVD is a must-have for fans of the genre with a beautiful widescreen presentation. Special features include "Keoma: Legends Never Die," an informative 10-minute interview with Nero about the movie, a commentary with director Enzo Castellari, talent bios, and a trailer. So for a trippy, but highly enjoyable spaghetti western with great parts for Nero, Berger, and Strode, check out Keoma!