Django (1966)

Movie Info

Maybe wheels would have been a good idea for this thing

A prostitute named Maria (Loredana Nusciak) finds herself rescued from bandits by a man named Django (Franco Nero) who pulls around a coffin.  When Franco takes the woman back to her border town, he learns that both the Mexicans led by Hugo Rodriguez (José Bódalo) and the bandits led by Major Jackson (Eduardo Fajardo) are battling over the town.  Django reveals Jackson is responsible for his wife’s death and that the coffin contains a machine gun.  When Django plots with the Mexicans to steal Jackson’s gold, Django plots his own robbery.

Directed by Sergio Corbucci, Django was considered one of the most violent movies ever made.  The movie faced a lot of criticism at its release and was banned in many countries.  It started a trend among Spaghetti Westerns and the name Django was used in multiple “sequels” that really had no connection to do with the original creators.  The only true sequel to Django was Django 2:  Il Grande Ritomo (Django Strikes Again) which came out in 1987.

Hey remember when I told you I loved you? That’s right, I didn’t…now back off lady!

The movie had a lot of influence on movies that followed it.  It has a high death count and it obviously influenced directors like Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez (whose El Mariachi and Desperado both contain many Django elements).  It has a very gritty and dirty feel to the movie and the story isn’t afraid to get muddy.  With the warring sides it has a bit of Yojimbo (or its remake A Fistful of Dollars) story, but its Django’s actions that change how the story unfolds.

Who needs hands?

Django is kind of a jerk.  Until the end of the movie he doesn’t really show any redeeming qualities.  He’s bitter and out for only his own good.  He saves Maria at the beginning of the film, but due to his past and losing his wife, he treats her coldly through most of the film.  He kills the bandits but then sides with the murderous Mexicans.  It isn’t until he’s actually in trouble that he agrees to switch sides and “do the right thing” by saving Maria and trying to end the war.

While Sergio Leone’s Spaghetti Westerns are violent, Django seems to go its own way.  With the gritty (but low budget) realism and unlikeable characters, you’d think it would be a hard movie to enjoy, but it does fly by quickly.  The Django legacy continues in 2012 with the release of Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained which offers another Django (this time played by Jamie Foxx).