Not only does "Gunslinger's Revenge" qualify as a pre-Sergio Leone style western from the 1960s when European filmmakers imitated American westerns before Leone reinvented the genre, but it also emerges as a post-Sergio Leone, neo-spaghetti western in an age when only a handful of horse operas are produced. Clearly, the filmmakers didn't want their movie to resemble a traditional spaghetti western and it doesn't look like a typical European oater. Although "Gunslinger's Revenge" was lensed in Italy, the lush, green surroundings where it was photographed look more in keeping with an American western. There aren't any truly ugly-looking gunmen visible as there would be in a Leone sagebrusher. "Suddenly Paradise" director Giovanni Versonesi and actor/scenarist Leonardo Piersaccioni freely adapted Vincenzo Pardini's novel Jodo Cartamigli for "Gunslinger's Revenge." Since I haven't read the novel, I have no way of verifying whether Versonesi or Piersaccioni remained faithful to the source material. Okay, you can tell that they dubbed some of the actors, simply because their dialogue is far too loud and far too clear. None of the sets had that rickety, about-to-collapse appearance that you'll liable to see in a genuine 1960s/1970s Italian dustraiser. On the whole, despite the oddball casting, Versonesi has fashioned an interesting, above-average western with a surprise ending. "Gunslinger's Revenge" is all about the theme of family. Its' live-by-the-gun or die-by-the-gun theme is the standard stuff of 1950s American westerns.
"Gunslinger's Revenge" opens with the words: "The West is where every child played cowboys and Indians." Indeed, "Gunslinger's Revenge" is a western more in the tradition of "Shane." Like the novel "Shane," "Gunslinger's Revenge" is told from the perspective of a young, cheerful, half-breed, elementary school age boy named Jeremiah (Yudii Mercredi) who would rather play hooky from school than suffer indoors at the mercy of a stern schoolmarm. Notorious gunslinger John Lowen (Harvey Keitel of "Pulp Fiction") returns to his home town of Basin Fields after a lifetime of wandering to hang up his six-shooter. He wants to renew his family ties with his son, Doc Lowen (Leonardo Piersaccioni of "The Prince and the Pirate"), who has never carried a gun but has acquired a reputation for settling fights between the townspeople. Furthermore, he isn't a trained doctor but more of an herbalist. John Lowen discovers that his son has married an Indian squaw and his success at doctoring the locals has allowed his wife and him to live a normal life without prejudice. Initially, Doc isn't overjoyed to see his long lost papa; he doesn't like it that John abandoned his mother and him in his youth to wander in search of adventure. Nevertheless, Doc and his wife Pearl (Sandrine Holt of "Starship Troopers 2") allow him to stay with them in the same house that he grew up in as a youth. John Lowen has such a reputation that a detachment of cavalry shows up in town to observe his behavior. John convinces the captain that he has come back home, never to leave again.
A psychopathic gunslinger, Jack Sikora and his multi-culturally diverse gang of pistoleros show up in Basin Fields after the cavalry leave. Sikora has come to kill John. The unusual casting of British rock star David Bowie as Sikora is hard to swallow at first, but Bowie is appropriately homicidal as Sikora and he is prepared to kill anybodyman or womanwithout a qualm that poses a threat to him. Sikora's gang consists of a white guy, a black guy, and a woman in leather with a six-gun. The girl is in charge of shooting photographs of Sikora. John had buried his shell belt and six-shooter in the graveyard to keep his son happy, but the happiness doesn't last long once Sikora and his gang arrive to terrorize the town. A crazy man named Joshua (Jim van der Woude who looks like long-time Hollywood supporting actor Hank Worden) live with Doc, Pearl, and Jeremiah. Joshua is a rather unorthodox character, and John teaches Joshua about handling firearms in close-quarters combat. Predictably, Sikora tries to prod John into a gunfight, but John will have nothing to do with Sikora.
There is a good scene early in the action after John Lowen comes to town. He is unarmed when he faces down a gunman in the saloon. He scares the villain off when he assures his opponent that he can draw somebody else's gun and shoot him quicker than his opponent can clear leather. Lowen's advice about how to win in a shoot-out is unlike anything you've ever seen in a western, too. Lowen demonstrates his singular technique, explaining that you move to the other side of your opponent's gun hand. Meaning, if your opponent is a right-handed shooter, you jump to the right and shoot because he won't move in the opposite direction.
"Gunslinger's Revenge" is actually pretty good for a foreign western.
"Gunslinger's Revenge" opens with the words: "The West is where every child played cowboys and Indians." Indeed, "Gunslinger's Revenge" is a western more in the tradition of "Shane." Like the novel "Shane," "Gunslinger's Revenge" is told from the perspective of a young, cheerful, half-breed, elementary school age boy named Jeremiah (Yudii Mercredi) who would rather play hooky from school than suffer indoors at the mercy of a stern schoolmarm. Notorious gunslinger John Lowen (Harvey Keitel of "Pulp Fiction") returns to his home town of Basin Fields after a lifetime of wandering to hang up his six-shooter. He wants to renew his family ties with his son, Doc Lowen (Leonardo Piersaccioni of "The Prince and the Pirate"), who has never carried a gun but has acquired a reputation for settling fights between the townspeople. Furthermore, he isn't a trained doctor but more of an herbalist. John Lowen discovers that his son has married an Indian squaw and his success at doctoring the locals has allowed his wife and him to live a normal life without prejudice. Initially, Doc isn't overjoyed to see his long lost papa; he doesn't like it that John abandoned his mother and him in his youth to wander in search of adventure. Nevertheless, Doc and his wife Pearl (Sandrine Holt of "Starship Troopers 2") allow him to stay with them in the same house that he grew up in as a youth. John Lowen has such a reputation that a detachment of cavalry shows up in town to observe his behavior. John convinces the captain that he has come back home, never to leave again.
A psychopathic gunslinger, Jack Sikora and his multi-culturally diverse gang of pistoleros show up in Basin Fields after the cavalry leave. Sikora has come to kill John. The unusual casting of British rock star David Bowie as Sikora is hard to swallow at first, but Bowie is appropriately homicidal as Sikora and he is prepared to kill anybodyman or womanwithout a qualm that poses a threat to him. Sikora's gang consists of a white guy, a black guy, and a woman in leather with a six-gun. The girl is in charge of shooting photographs of Sikora. John had buried his shell belt and six-shooter in the graveyard to keep his son happy, but the happiness doesn't last long once Sikora and his gang arrive to terrorize the town. A crazy man named Joshua (Jim van der Woude who looks like long-time Hollywood supporting actor Hank Worden) live with Doc, Pearl, and Jeremiah. Joshua is a rather unorthodox character, and John teaches Joshua about handling firearms in close-quarters combat. Predictably, Sikora tries to prod John into a gunfight, but John will have nothing to do with Sikora.
There is a good scene early in the action after John Lowen comes to town. He is unarmed when he faces down a gunman in the saloon. He scares the villain off when he assures his opponent that he can draw somebody else's gun and shoot him quicker than his opponent can clear leather. Lowen's advice about how to win in a shoot-out is unlike anything you've ever seen in a western, too. Lowen demonstrates his singular technique, explaining that you move to the other side of your opponent's gun hand. Meaning, if your opponent is a right-handed shooter, you jump to the right and shoot because he won't move in the opposite direction.
"Gunslinger's Revenge" is actually pretty good for a foreign western.