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Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

Purely Joyful Movie!

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

RELEASED IN 1970 and directed by Sergio Corbucci, "Companeros" chronicles events during the Mexican Revolution in the 1910s when a Swedish arms supplier (Franco Nero) and a Mexican radical (Tomas Milian) agree to an uneasy alliance in order to rescue the highbrow leader of the counter-revolution, Prof. Xandos (Fernando Rey), who's a prisoner in Texas. Unfortunately for them, a former business partner of the Swede puts a wrench in their plans (Jack Palance). Jose Bodalo plays revolutionary leader General Mongo while Iris Berben is on hand as the babe of the counter-revolution. Karin Schubert has a support role as a sultry prostitute. In the wake of the surprising success of Sergio Leone's "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" (1966) filmmakers in Europe and elsewhere tried to repeat the success using the same playbook. As such, "Companeros" is similar to "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" with Nero basically in the Eastwood role, Milian in the Wallach part and Palance in the Van Cleef role (generally speaking). Add a catchy score by Ennio Morricone and - voila - you have a new version of that classic Italian Western.These types of Spaghetti Westerns melded the hysterically overdone Italo grand opera with Spanish picaresque convention. A Spanish term, 'picaro' means "rogue" or "rascal", and the picaresque yarn is usually sardonic, featuring the misadventures of roguish protagonists of low stature who live by their wits in a crooked world; and told with realistic and humorous detail. Here Yodlaf Peterson (Nero) and Vasco (Milian) are the two picaros with Palance as the wooden-handed foil.While you can't beat Morricone's iconic score to "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly," I actually prefer this Western because it has better characters, a better story, WOMEN and superior mindfood. Concerning the latter, "The Good..." had no depth or moral, unless you count "lucre is the all and end all of life." Here there are serious deliberations on the rationalization for revolution and the justification (or not) of its proper or improper execution.Those who favor picaresque Westerns (or stories in general) will appreciate "Companeros" more than me. I mostly don't like the occasional goofiness, but I can roll with it if I have to, which I did. Thankfully, the movie's mostly quasi-realistic, akin to "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly." It is well done for what it is with several highlights and novelties, including Marsha the hawk and some little turtles (you'll see what I mean).THE MOVIE RUNS 118 minutes and was shot in Almera & Madrid, Spain, and (studio) Rome. WRITER: Too many to cite. GRADE: B/B- (6.5/10)

In 1968, Sergio Carbucci directed "The Mercenary" (also called "A Hired Gun"). It starred Franco Nero and one of the baddies was played by Jack Palance. And, the story was about an amoral European who comes to Mexico during the civil war to make his fortune--regardless of who he helps. Now, Carbucci does something radically different! Instead, it stars Franco Nero as an amoral European trying to sell arms to folks during the Mexican civil war--and one of the baddies trying to stop him is, gasp, Jack Palance!! Huh?! In other words, Crabucci pretty much made the same film all over again--with a few minor cast changes (such as Tomas Milian cast instead of Tony Musante) and the addition of the Professor character (Fernando Rey). And, like the other film, the plot has a bit of comedy, there's TONS of killing and the film has a decidedly populist bent. Because the film is essentially a re-tread and the music is a bit too repetitive and annoying, I really can't recommend this film unless you are such a huge fan of Italian westerns that you must catch 'em all (sort of like Pokemon, huh?). As for me, I wish I hadn't bothered. I probably should have just watched "The Mercenary" twice...as it was a bit better and more original.

A whimsically breezy surface makes way for a bang-up, ball-breaking and noisy spaghetti western by the talented Sergio Corbucci (the man also behind "The Great Silence" and "The Mercenary"). Actually I might still put those two films ahead of this one. Hell, there was an explosion of excitement ringing from this this highly competent and vivid outing. The cheeky style dripping from the fascinating material was well placed and delivered. Even from the action, the grand state of it feels like something out of a comic strip and how can't you love the flat-out, bloodthirsty machine gun activity towards the finale. What a sensational climax it builds up to! The trio of Franco Nero, Tomas Milian and Jack Palance were nothing but marvellous, and the chemistry between the former two was a blast. But Palance's sophisticatedly leering menace was the real draw-card. Fernando Rey makes for a solid turn too. Ennio Morricone plucks in with a gleefully passionate and killer music score, which is one of his best and the rugged location was captured by Alejandro Ulloa's free-flowing and expressive cinematography that had plenty of poignant scope and detail. Corbucci stews up some inventive directorial flushes amongst the grit, chaos and exuberance. The atmospheric setting hit's the spot and sets up many potboiler and comedic scenes. It can lull at times, and might feel somewhat overlong.The hard-boiled story sticks to something rather stable and less than flashy, but can be thoughtful in its wide arrange of antics and tactics. It's gusty political sub-text (on the treatment of the poor and use of violence to get your point across) can get a bit wishy-washy and preachy, however it definitely makes up for it in other areas like the chewy script with its constant wit and surprises.Over-the-top entertainment equals a totally baroque and enjoyable Corbucci spaghetti western.

I had been disappointed by this tongue-in-cheek Spaghetti Western and a second look has only re-inforced that opinion! By this time, the genre was well on its way out and had started to lampoon itself; as such, it's enjoyable if needlessly inflated and given that it's also one of the most political examples of the genre, the two styles don't sit very well together! Besides, the three stars seem to be attempting to outdo each other with their hammy portrayals: Franco Nero is even further away here from the stoic gunslinger of DJANGO (1966) than he was in A PROFESSIONAL GUN (1968), of which film COMPANEROS is a semi-remake!; it was interesting to watch the evolution of Tomas Milian's acting style through the course of five Spaghetti Westerns I watched this past week, but his performance here is certainly the least convincing (even if his foul-mouthed peasant/revolutionary is still a pleasant characterization); however, it's Jack Palance (in a relatively brief role) who steals the show with his dope-smoking and revenge-seeking mercenary, fitted with a wooden hand and having as his constant companion a hawk (which meets with a sticky end at the hands of our antagonistic heroes!).The cast also features Fernando Rey as an old peace-loving Professor and a prospective political candidate, with a group of naïve students (led by the lovely Iris Berben) as followers; Eduardo Fajardo appears briefly at the beginning as a ruthless Colonel dispatched by Milian, turning the latter from an unassuming shoe-shine boy to a lieutenant of the bandit horde led by 'General' Mongo (Jose' Bodalo); and Karin Schubert as a lisping and bespectacled madam who helps Nero and Milian liberate Rey from the Army fort where he's being kept prisoner. The action set-pieces deliver the goods and, as ever, Ennio Morricone's rousing score is tops; it's only that the film pales in comparison to Corbucci's earlier work and, as I said, the stars are merely content to send-up their respective image...