Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Bandidos Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman July 14, 2021

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.

There are a number of "firsts" lurking in the background of some of the films included in Vengeance Trails, with, for example, Massacre Time being Lucio Fulci's first western, and the film currently under review being the first directorial effort from Massimo Dallamano, who was then probably best known for having lensed A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More for Sergio Leone. Perhaps unsurprisingly, then, one of the undeniable strengths of Bandidos is its visual flair, though its plot dynamics which involves playing a "long game" in order to exact revenge also has some power.

The film opens with a well staged and especially well filmed sequence documenting an ultimately horrifying train robbery which leaves a number of innocent passengers slaughtered and onetime sharpshooter Richard Martin (Enrico Maria Salerno) disfigured by having been shot through his hands. The fact that the shooter was a former protege of Martin's named Billy Kane (Venantino Venantini) may suggest where the revenge angle plays into things, but there are some detours along the way before Martin finally enlists the aid of a guy with a probably too on the nose name, Ricky Shot (Terry Jenkins), to finally attempt a bit of comeuppance.

While probably best appreciated as a rather interesting character study, Bandidos has a bit of structural artifice up its sleeve as it works in a bit of "pretzel logic" to offer some denouements that cast Martin's shooting in a new light. This is a well wrought piece that offers both style and substance and in its own way can stand alongside Dallamano's well remembered work on the first two Man With No Name films.

Bandidos Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary by Kat Ellinger


• A Man in the Saloon (HD; 18:51) is a new interview with assistant director Luigi Perelli. In Italian with English subtitles.


• They Called Him Simon (HD; 11:40) is a new interview with actor Gino Barbacane. In Italian with English subtitles.


• Western Bandits (HD; 11:27) is this disc's offering with film historian Fabio Melelli. In Italian with English subtitles.


• Alternate End Title Sequence (HD; 1:18)


• German Promotional Gallery (HD) features images courtesy of Christian Ostermeier.

Note: Both English and Italian versions of the film are offered, each with appropriate front and end titles.

Bandidos Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

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.