7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Renowned gunman Richard Martin is traveling on a train, held up by Billy Kane, a former student of Martin's. Kane spares Martin, but only after shooting his hands. Years later, Martin meets an escaped convict, wrongly convicted for the train robbery. Martin trains his new student and both men seek out Billy Kane. (IMDB)
Starring: Enrico Maria Salerno, Terry Jenkins, María Martín (I), Venantino Venantini, Marco GuglielmiForeign | 100% |
Western | 25% |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
Italian: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of Vengeance Trails: Four Classic Westerns.
There may be a popular category of film described by the unwashed masses with the term "Spaghetti Westerns", but some of the
supplements included in this new Arrow collection prefer the more geographically (and/or gastronomically) diverse "Euro Westerns" as a rubric. The
four films aggregated in this collection probably could easily fit into the "Spaghetti Western" mold, since there are in fact Italians by the
bucket load involved in the productions, and as is discussed in some of those aforementioned supplements, there's little doubt that the huge success
of Sergio Leone's films helped to spark the international craze for such efforts, whatever you want to call them. The films offer production dates
ranging from 1966 to 1970 and feature several iconic names associated with the genre, including Franco Nero, George Hilton and Klaus Kinski, and as
the back cover of the slipbox mentions, all four have at least a subtext involving revenge to help catapult the dramatic momentum.
Bandidos is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. Arrow's insert booklet aggregates three of the four films together in their informational verbiage, as follows:
Massacre Time, Bandidos and My Name is Pecos are presented in their original aspect ratios of 2.35:1 with Italian and English mono audio. Scanning and restoration work was completed at L'Immagine Ritrovata, Bologna. The original 35mm camera negatives were scanned in 2K resolution. The mono Italian and English lanugage tracks were remastered from the optical sound negatives. The audio sunch will appear slightly loose against the picture, due to the fact that the dialogue was recorded entire in post-production, as per the production standards of the period. The films were graded at R3Store Studios, London.While this is another impressive looking transfer, to my eyes it's slightly less pleasing overall than either Massacre Time or My Name is Pecos, with a grittier, even slightly crosshatched, looking grain field that can at least occasionally tend to mask fine detail levels, especially in some dimly lit interior scenes. That said, this still offers generally great looking detail levels and a nicely saturated palette which actually doesn't seem to skew toward brown the same way that Massacre Time and My Name is Pecos may (however slightly). While the grain is heavy, and slightly pixellated looking at times, I didn't note any huge issues with resolution. My score is 4.25.
Bandidos features DTS-HD Master Audio Mono tracks in either English or Italian. Once again, not only is one track louder, in this case the Italian, it also has noticeably more low end, something that actually almost push the Italian track toward the edge of distortion in moments like the main theme under the credits. Otherwise, though, both tracks offer nicely full bodied accountings of dialogue, effects and score. Interestingly, occasionally the Italian track can have a word or two (like "whiskey!") in English. Optional English subtitles are available.
Bandidos is a kind of "slow burn" revenge thriller, and it takes a while to build up a head of steam, though the opening sequence is absolutely riveting and ultimately kind of horrifying. There are some visceral performances in the film, and Dallamano directs with considerable flair. Technical merits are generally solid, and the supplementary package very enjoyable. Recommended.
(Still not reliable for this title)
E Dio disse a Caino...
1970
Due once di piombo
1966
Le colt cantarono la morte e fu... tempo di massacro / The Brute and the Beast
1966
Una nuvola di polvere... un grido di morte... arriva Sartana / Gunman in Town
1970
C'è Sartana... vendi la pistola e comprati la bara! / A Fistful of Lead
1970
¡Mátalo!
1970
Per 100.000 dollari t'ammazzo
1967
10,000 Dollars for a Massacre / 10.000 dollari per un massacro
1967
Se incontri Sartana prega per la tua morte / Gunfighters Die Harder
1968
Buon funerale amigos!... paga Sartana / Gunslinger
1970
The Reward's Yours... The Man's Mine
1969
Lo voglio morto
1968
Joe... cercati un posto per morire!
1968
Special Edition
1966
Goodbye Texas
1966
I quattro dell'apocalisse
1975
La resa dei conti
1966
Ballad of Death Valley / The Angry Gun / Ringo the Killer / Una Pistola per Ringo
1965
Blood at Sundown / Il ritorno di Ringo
1965
Django, prepare ton cercueil / Preparati la bara!
1968