Get Mean (1976)

Director: Ferdinando Baldi

Starring: Tony Anthony, Lloyd Battista, Diana Lorys

More info: IMDB

Tagline: Hung by his heels...Barbecued...Shot with a cannon. Now it's his turn to get mean!

Plot: Tony Anthony returns as the Stranger and this time he's on a quest to Spain to escort a princess for money, amidst the battling Vikings and Moors.

My rating: 5.5/10

Will I watch it again? Only, and I mean ONLY if a widescreen print surfaces.


I've seen this twice now and I think I'm done. The first time I was struck by how unusual it is for a spaghetti western. It came at the tail end of the spag run which lasted a stunning 14 years from '63 to '77 with more than 550 films made. What makes this one strange is that our Western hero, The Stranger (Anthony), travels to Spain and gets mixed up with kingdoms of Vikings and Moors. There he gets mixed up with a princess, sacred treasure and so on. It's really out there and there's a goofy vibe that just screams Sam Raimi taking inspiration from this for ARMY OF DARKNESS (1992).






Tony Anthony makes a likable lead. He doesn't say an awful lot but it's not like Clint Eastwood's Man with No Name. The Stranger doesn't say much because he's selfish and lazy. He's the kind of hero that seems inconvenienced all the time. I dig this cat. He's a cool dude.


The problem the film has, and the fullscreen VHS print that's been floating out there for years does not help at all, is the pacing. It's just plain slow and it drags as much as The Stranger's lazy disposition. All that's left is a likable lead with some fun bits from time to time and some action but not enough to keep you from falling asleep.

You Maniacs! You blew it up! Ah, damn you!
God damn you all to hell!

GET MEAN is screaming for a good widescreen release. If it happens, I'm all over it and I would welcome another viewing to see if that would make a difference. I really want to like this film but it puts roofies in my drink and I wake up alone on the floor when I'm done watching it and that's not a good sign.