Sabata (film)

Sabata (, lit. "Hey buddy ... that's Sabata. You're finished!"), is a 1969 Italian Spaghetti Western directed by Gianfranco Parolini. It is the first film in The Sabata Trilogy by Parolini, and stars Lee Van Cleef as the title character. Parolini had previously had a major success with the first Sartana spaghetti western If You Meet Sartana Pray for Your Death (1968), but the sequels were given to other directors, such as Giuliano Carnimeo. Producer Alberto Grimaldi contacted Parolini for a similar series of Sabata.

Synopsis
Sabata, a man of few words, arrives in a small Texas town to foil a bank robbery, and discovers that it was a plot by the town's leaders, who want to sell the town to the railroad. Sabata blackmails the leader, Stengel, who then sends various thugs to try and kill him, among them a conflicted killer named Banjo, so named for the musical instrument he carries that conceals a rifle.

Cast
 Lee Van Cleef as Sabata, A gunman of almost superhuman accuracy and questionable morals, he solves the majority of his problems with a combination of superior firepower and accuracy. His weapon of choice is a peculiar four-barreled derringer, alongside a rifle with an extended barrel.
 William Berger as Banjo. the only man in the film who is almost on par with Sabata gunfighting-wise. Hiding out in the town after some unnamed trouble in Denver, he seems to know everything that is going on in the town, and tries to make money off both Sabata and Stengel. He carries a banjo everywhere.
 Ignazio Spalla (as Pedro Sanchez) as Carrincha, a fat alcoholic Civil War veteran who hurls knives at people between rants about the dullness of civilian life and the worthlessness of medals. The majority of his sentences end in insane laughter.
 Aldo Canti (as Nick Jordan) as Indio/Alley Cat, Carrincha's only "friend", Alley Cat is a silent Indian who performs amazing acrobatics and can escape any pursuer.
 Linda Veras as Jane, a saloon girl who is attracted to Banjo.
 Franco Ressel as Stengel, the effeminate villain of the story, he engineered the robbery that set the whole plot in motion. Very smug in the belief that he is superior to the rest of humanity, he kills people with a dart gun concealed in a cane.
 Antonio Gradoli (as Anthony Gradwell) as Ferguson, Stengel's increasingly reluctant partners in crime.
 Claudio Undari (as Robert Hundar) as Oswald
 Gianni Rizzo as Judge O'Hara, another of stengel's increasingly reluctant partners in crime.

Release
Sabata was released in Italy in September 1969.

References

Footnotes

Sources

External links
 

Sabata at Shobary's Spaghetti Westerns

Category:1969 films
Category:1960s Western (genre) films
Category:Italian films
Category:Italian-language films
Category:English-language films
Category:Spaghetti Western films
Category:Films set in Texas
Category:United Artists films
Category:Films directed by Gianfranco Parolini
Category:Films produced by Alberto Grimaldi
Category:Bank robbery in fiction
Category:Films shot in Almería
Category:Films scored by Marcello Giombini