Sergio Martino is one of my favourite directors, and the reason for that is mostly down to his excellent Giallo films. While Martino did a lot of work in other genres, he was not especially well known for his westerns despite making a handful of them. A Man Called Blade is the last western that Martino made and also the only one I've seen. However, on the evidence of this film; I have to say that he makes a fine western! The film did come rather late on in the Spaghetti Western cycle and as such won't be remembered for it's originality, but A Man Called Blade is entertaining throughout and that's the main thing. The film takes up the common basic western plot of a nameless man drifting into town and causing a stir. The man is named Blade, called such because his choice of basic weapon is a hatchet instead of a revolver. He arrives in town looking to claim the bounty for an outlaw but winds up getting involved with the town's wheelchair bound mayor and his corrupt associates. Naturally, the outlaw ends up causing a disagreement and fighting ensues!
I didn't know a lot about this film going into it, but was very pleased when I discovered that Maurizio Merli was the leading man. He's an actor I know best for his roles in crime films, and although a lot of his stuff is quite similar; I have noticed over the more recent Merli films that I've seen that the actor does actually have quite a good range, and he fits into the gritty western star mould very well indeed here. Westerns are often best remembered for their scores, and indeed the music here is very memorable, although more because it's so unusual compared to what I'm used to from westerns! Action is a very important element of a successful western and this film doesn't let its audience down on that front as we get a constant stream of it which entertains throughout. Martino delivers fistfights and gun fights in droves. The locations used are excellent and the film does have a rather dirty feel, despite the cinematography being crisp and clear. The biggest flaw of the film as far as I'm concerned is the fact that there isn't all that much to separate it from the rest of the genre; but if you're just looking for an entertaining western, you can't go far wrong with this one!
I didn't know a lot about this film going into it, but was very pleased when I discovered that Maurizio Merli was the leading man. He's an actor I know best for his roles in crime films, and although a lot of his stuff is quite similar; I have noticed over the more recent Merli films that I've seen that the actor does actually have quite a good range, and he fits into the gritty western star mould very well indeed here. Westerns are often best remembered for their scores, and indeed the music here is very memorable, although more because it's so unusual compared to what I'm used to from westerns! Action is a very important element of a successful western and this film doesn't let its audience down on that front as we get a constant stream of it which entertains throughout. Martino delivers fistfights and gun fights in droves. The locations used are excellent and the film does have a rather dirty feel, despite the cinematography being crisp and clear. The biggest flaw of the film as far as I'm concerned is the fact that there isn't all that much to separate it from the rest of the genre; but if you're just looking for an entertaining western, you can't go far wrong with this one!