Django Strikes Again (1987)

Original title: Django 2 - Il Grande Ritorno

Director: Nello Rossati

Writers: Franco Reggiani, Nello Rossati

Composer: Gianfranco Plenizio

Starring: Franco Nero, Christopher Connelly, Licinia Lentini, William Berger, Roberto Posse, Alessandro Di Chino, Rodrigo Obregon, Micky, Bill Moore, Consuelo Reina, Donald Pleasence

More info: IMDb

Plot: Former gunfighter Django has become a monk and abandoned his violent former ways. His daughter is kidnapped by rogue Hungarian soldiers using slave labor to run a silver mine. Django casts off his habit and digs up his machine gun to practise a little liberation theology.

My rating:  6/10

Will I watch it again?  Maybe.

You know I loves me some Spaghetti Westerns and they don't get much better than the ones that Franco Nero in them.  This guy's great.  Really.  While there were many films in the late 60s and early 70s that had Django in the title (and many of those didn't even have a character named Django!), they were all in name only and had no relation to the Nero's breakout hit DJANGO (1966).  This film is the only true sequel and it's great having Nero back for more killin'.  And the best parts of the movie are when he's off the chain killin' folks left and right using everything at his disposal.  The story is fine.  The acting is fine.  The music is largely unmemorable and doesn't have that classic Spaghetti Western feel.  The biggest drawback is look of the picture.  None of the exterior shots look like they had clear skies.  It's either cloudy with a strong chance of rain or it's hazy.  Part of that has to do with the lenses.  Regardless, it looks dreary and that brings the picture down a lot and it softens the edges far too much.  I don't like being mired in dreary for 90 minutes.  The Anchor Bay DVD (that comes with DJANGO (1966)) is in anamorphic widescreen with the trailer and a 3 minute interview with Nero.  I don't know how they couldn't spend more than 3 minutes with the guy talking about his movie.  It takes a hell of a lot more time just to set up the camera and light the room.  Ask a shitload of questions and keep him talking for a good 20 minutes.  Geez.  Still, thank you AB for giving us what you did.  Maybe Nero pulled a gun on the camera guy and told them all to get the hell out of his house, he's got a gaggle of bitches in the next room waiting to usurp his essence.  They should have had a title card explaining that.