Released in 1971 and directed by Juan Bosch (as John Wood), "Dig Your Grave Friend... Sabata's Coming" stars Richard Harrison as a Confederate soldier who returns home from the Civil War where he discovers his father murdered by a greedy mogul (Alejandro Ulloa). Seeking vengeance, the soldier becomes a fugitive, teaming up with a likable Mexican (Fernando Sancho), while the mogul enlists the notorious gunfighter Sabata (Raf Baldassarre) to hunt down the fugitives. Meanwhile, the shady landowner's fiancée hooks up with the lovable rogues (Tania Alvarado).
This is a Sabata-in-name-only flick, as it's not part of the original trilogy and Sabata is a secondary character; the villain, in fact. The print I saw was a crappy pan and scan, which is probably the only version widely available in English. In any case, the quality of the DVD tends to bring down my grade, but it's hard to determine if the lousy editing & sound is a problem with this particular print or if it's intrinsic to the original film.
In any case, if you can roll with the palpable flaws this is an entertaining Italo Western, hopelessly dated music and all (e.g. bad dubbing and sound effects). The protagonists are amusing and likable, and they develop a good camaraderie with the dark-haired hottie that hooks up with 'em. Production-wise, this is nowhere near the quality of Leone's Dollars trilogy, but story-wise I find it superior. The movie leaves you with a good feeling.
The film runs 88 minutes and was shot in Barcelona & Fraga, Spain, with interiors done in Rome.
GRADE: C+
This is a Sabata-in-name-only flick, as it's not part of the original trilogy and Sabata is a secondary character; the villain, in fact. The print I saw was a crappy pan and scan, which is probably the only version widely available in English. In any case, the quality of the DVD tends to bring down my grade, but it's hard to determine if the lousy editing & sound is a problem with this particular print or if it's intrinsic to the original film.
In any case, if you can roll with the palpable flaws this is an entertaining Italo Western, hopelessly dated music and all (e.g. bad dubbing and sound effects). The protagonists are amusing and likable, and they develop a good camaraderie with the dark-haired hottie that hooks up with 'em. Production-wise, this is nowhere near the quality of Leone's Dollars trilogy, but story-wise I find it superior. The movie leaves you with a good feeling.
The film runs 88 minutes and was shot in Barcelona & Fraga, Spain, with interiors done in Rome.
GRADE: C+