Get Mean

source: Get Mean

Get Mean

The following review is an extract from the book "Italo-Western and more...: A filmic guide", which is now available on Amazon. "An unusual and unclassifiable product, which in the context of western film combines genres such as sword and sorcery with horror - all full of anachronisms and with touches of surrealist comedy in the style of Monty Python. Although the theme is not very original (the main character's mission is to protect a princess and find a treasure), the approach and context in which the story takes place is very original indeed: From the Wild West we go to (medieval?) Spain; in the same film we have a gunman who, armed with his colt, has to face a horde of barbarian warriors with huge swords and horned helmets; likewise, María's companions seem to have come out of a chapter of "Curro Jiménez" (Spanish TV series from the late ´70s, about a Robin-Hood-like bandit), dressed in the style of the Andalusian bandits of the early 19th century."

Seemingly has potential with great sets and costumes, but it's totally uninteresting with a plot that makes little sense. The hero is also pretty ineffective, getting captured numerous times and getting rescued or released, wash, rinse, repeat. There are better type of this genre, skip it.

Once again, Tony Anthony (one of the least charismatic spaghetti western cowboys of the genre) rides the range.... though this time in Spain... and encountering Vikings (!) and Moors(!) It's played somewhat straight, though there are some broad attempts at humor (such as a embarrassingly unfunny gay character.) There are some impressive visuals, clearly showing this movie wasn't cheap - kind of surprising when you consider the spaghetti western was considered all but dead by European producers at the time. But despite the money spent, and the absolute goofiness of the premise, it's just as dull as Anthony's other spaghetti westerns. It's just another part of the mystery as to why Anthony managed to be so popular in Europe.

This is an extremely bizarre movie that is still a great deal of fun. A cowboy delivers a beautiful princess to Spain for $1,000 and the promise of more. However, it is a strange Spain full of medieval Vandals and Moors fighting with swords, muskets and cannons. There are magical elements to the story that makes things even more outlandish. At one point the cowboy starts howling like a wolf. Later on, he turns black. It is still great fun to watch. Tony Anthony, once again, takes on incredible odds, and still wins!

I think this one is rated too low at 5.1. It's not nearly that bad. I agree with the comments that say that a lot comes down to what you expect from it. It's got enough SW chops to be called one of the genre. As to what it is best described as... It struck me that it's basically a Spaghetti Western version of a Shakespearean comedy. Yeah, that's hard to explain without spoilers, so, I say, watch it! There is a new release in 2016 on DVD that is dubbed and has Italian subs. I'd prefer it the other way around, but this is odd enough that it might be better to not be reading the subtitles. The minimum line requirement on these reviews is VERY tedious. Ever heard that brevity is the soul of wit? Guess not.

Now this one really is an oddity! The Spaghetti Western did throw up a few odd films (think Django Kill and its homosexual bandits, Blindman with its 50 wives and nudity, the circus troupes of Sabata, and Providence with its Chaplin-esq antics). But, my, if you thought they were weird, wait until you get a load of "Get Mean". Tony Anthony returns as the Stranger, but rather than being a parody/rehash (depends on how you view it) of A Fistful of Dollars, this film involves our hero on a quest to Spain to escort a princess for money, amidst the battling Vikings and Moors. Proof if any that the Spaghetti boom was on its last legs, desperately seeking new ways to be innovative. Anthony is very ham-fisted throughout, but I guess that is part of his charm in this genre. The rest of the cast are, in truth, fairly forgettable. However strange this film may be (and believe me, it is strange), it remains watchable. Not as a western, but as an oddball art-flick.