09-09-2020, 04:03 PM
And so continues the saga of Django, that mainstay of '60/'70s Spaghetti Westerns, the ultimate shape-changer, sometimes a dishonorably discharged Civil War soldier, or an ex-gunslinger turned monk, or a poor farmer robbed of what little he has, or a bounty hunter bent on one last payday... Whatever, he's always named Django, though actually not always, as sometimes marketing just inserts it into the title because, as everyone knows, "django" means "ka-ching!" in Swahili (fact-check at your own risk).
Anyway, this time around, Django is a lowly member of an outlaw gang. After they rob a gold shipment, the leader (badly in need of some diversity training) decides not to share with the Mexicans in the gang, and Django, being a half-breed, gets lumped with them, and has to help dig a mass grave, after which they're shot and buried.
The End.
No, wait. Fast forward to two Indians snooping about the site near dusk. Only it's not a fast-forward, more a jump-cut. They hear some groans and lo-and-behold, Django ain't quite dead yet and has dug himself out. These two Indians find gold on him, and of course you know what they do. They shoot him dead and make off with the gold.
The End.
Well, not exactly. These aren't your normal run-of-the-mill(et) Indians. They're odd-duck ones wearing hats and western outfits, sort of, and they've got some deep spirituality going on, like maybe they're shamans. Anyway, soon enough they've patched Django up, and I don't even know if his name really is Django, but we've been through all that. Then these shamans build a campfire and you'd think they'd be fixing some vittles. Instead, they're melting down his gold and then pouring it into bullet molds. Afterwards they present Django with these gold bullets, telling him that they will help him get proper justice.
Those gold bullets do provide a very satisfying pay off, and well before the end, as the movie is full of inventive twists and turns, and is hard to predict. There's even some surprising homo-erotica when the son of a saloon-keeper is kidnapped and held for ransom by a gang. The son, late teens and very pretty, has most of the gang courting and flirting with him before the plot takes another turn. It reminded me of how Gohatto (http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomFor...p?tid=5591) treated homosexuality as an acceptable inclination.
Anyway, this is a very decent entry in the Django saga, whether or not the half-breed is named Django.
Anyway, this time around, Django is a lowly member of an outlaw gang. After they rob a gold shipment, the leader (badly in need of some diversity training) decides not to share with the Mexicans in the gang, and Django, being a half-breed, gets lumped with them, and has to help dig a mass grave, after which they're shot and buried.
The End.
No, wait. Fast forward to two Indians snooping about the site near dusk. Only it's not a fast-forward, more a jump-cut. They hear some groans and lo-and-behold, Django ain't quite dead yet and has dug himself out. These two Indians find gold on him, and of course you know what they do. They shoot him dead and make off with the gold.
The End.
Well, not exactly. These aren't your normal run-of-the-mill(et) Indians. They're odd-duck ones wearing hats and western outfits, sort of, and they've got some deep spirituality going on, like maybe they're shamans. Anyway, soon enough they've patched Django up, and I don't even know if his name really is Django, but we've been through all that. Then these shamans build a campfire and you'd think they'd be fixing some vittles. Instead, they're melting down his gold and then pouring it into bullet molds. Afterwards they present Django with these gold bullets, telling him that they will help him get proper justice.
Those gold bullets do provide a very satisfying pay off, and well before the end, as the movie is full of inventive twists and turns, and is hard to predict. There's even some surprising homo-erotica when the son of a saloon-keeper is kidnapped and held for ransom by a gang. The son, late teens and very pretty, has most of the gang courting and flirting with him before the plot takes another turn. It reminded me of how Gohatto (http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomFor...p?tid=5591) treated homosexuality as an acceptable inclination.
Anyway, this is a very decent entry in the Django saga, whether or not the half-breed is named Django.
I'm nobody's pony.