Keoma
Director– Enzo G. Castellari
Starring – Franco Nero, William Berger
Country of Origin – Italy
Distributor - Arrow Video
Number of discs – 1
Reviewed by - Scott MacDonald
Date- 05/12/2019
It has only been within the last 10 or so years I've gotten into westerns at all. In a way they were the final frontier of my cinematic fandom, and while I do have memories of watching dusty old American westerns on TV with my Grandfather as a kid the genre never clicked until I found a $5 DVD of Leone's Once Upon a Time in the West in a Walmart bin, and immediately had my head blown off by the film.
Keoma stars the legendary Franco Nero as the title character, much like his turn as Django, Keoma returns from the Civil War to find his hometown not like the one he left behind. The town is now under the strict control of Caldwell, and his gang, which includes Keoma's 3 stepbrothers who make it known he is not wanted back. The town is also suffering from a plague and no citizens are allowed out or in to deal with it.
Keoma was made in 1976 after the hey day of the genre, and though the film comes late in the cycle (or when the cycle was non-existent) director Enzo G. Castellari creates a film that is truly fantastic, and is definitely in the pantheon of great spaghetti westerns, or westerns in general. The film does have similarities to the Nero starring Django, but the film here is given a more effective story, by tying it directly into Keoma's hometown and family making the situation more disparate and bleak.
The performances across the board are excellent with Franco Nero doing what Franco Nero does best, and the remaining cast serve the film similarly well, but not to the same Nero level. There is also a small, but effective turn by Zombie's Olga Karlatos which Italian splatter fans should keep an eye out for. Castellari keeps the film well paced, and infused with a bleak atmosphere that really makes the film special. The score, especially theme, seem ill-fitting to the mood of the film, though I quickly filed it away and just let myself become absorbed in what could effectively be considered a mash up of horror atmosphere in the realm of the western.
Keoma is presented by Arrow Video in a splendid 2:35:1 1080p transfer taken from a 2k scan of the original negative. Everything here looks excellent. Keoma on Blu-ray looks well detailed, with deep blacks, and excellent color reproduction. Audio is handled by a DTS-HD mono track in English, that brings the score and dialogue to solid HD life both in Italian and English. Extras include a new commentary track by C. Courtney Joyner and Henry C. Parke. there is an interview with Nero, and another with Castellari. There is also an interview with screenwriter Luigi Montefiori, among additional members of the cast and crew as well. There is also a video appreciation of the film, and a piece featuring Alex Cox, among so much more. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
