Navajo Joe

Plot synopsis:
Having massacred an Indian village, outlaw Duncan finds his men falling victim to a solitary rider, Navajo Joe. Joe saves three prostitutes who have overheard Duncan plot with Lynne, the town doctor, to steal a train full of money belonging to the bank. Joe steals the train back from Duncan's gang. He asks the townspeople of Esperanza to pay him to protect them from Duncan, making an offer of "I want a dollar a head from every man in this town for every bandit I kill." The townspeople reject him, as they "don't make bargains with Indians." Lynne's wife Hannah persuades them otherwise. Joe sets a trap for Duncan, but is caught and tortured; Lynne and Hannah are killed. Rescued by an old man from the saloon, Joe again steals the train and eradicates Duncan's gang. There is then a showdown in an Indian cemetery, where Joe reclaims the pendant that Duncan stole from his wife when he murdered her. As Joe turns, Duncan shoots Joe with a hidden gun. Injured, Joe grabs a tomahawk and throws it, hitting Duncan square in the forehead. With Duncan dead, Joe sends his horse back to town, carrying the bank's money.

Tags: western, violence, tragedy

Review:
The sole survivor , named Navajo Joe (Burt Reynolds who wore a black toupe hairpiece), of a slaughter and atrocity executes a single-handedly revenge , as he slashes, burn , ravages and kills each person involved in the massacre .
Reynolds told this one is his worst film but I think it turned out to be a good Spaghetti Western .
Instead of slapping you in the face for not seeing Navajo Joe, Burt Reynolds is more likely to slap you in the face if you have seen Navajo Joe!I saw a television interview once where Reynolds spoke very flippantly about it, basically saying that he was trying to imitate Clint Eastwood's (whom he replaced on the TV series "Rawhide") path to success by going to Europe and starring in a western.
He went on to say that unlike Eastwood who got Sergio Leone, he was stuck with Sergio Corbucci.While I understand Burt's disappointment that this didn't become a hit movie or do much to advance his career, I don't understand his embarrassment as this is actually a pretty decent picture and he did get to star in a movie, which most people don't get a chance to.Sergio Corbucci is named by many as the next best thing to Leone, whose films are being rediscovered and re-appraised as classics of the genre.
(and this couldn't possibly be worse than Driven!)The plot involves a brutal band of cutthroats led by menacing Spanish actor Aldo Sambrell, who go from killing Indians for profit to an attempt at robbing a train, thwarted by Navajo Joe who takes the train (and the loot) to it's intended destination and agrees to save the town from the now angry rampaging outlaws.As far as Italian westerns and Sergio Corbucci films go, this is neither the best nor worst of either.
To a significant degree, NAVAJO JOE makes up for its farcical plot with its great style.First, Sergio Corbucci knew how to make good-looking movies.
It is amazing to consider that Morricone did four better themes for Leone alone, while for most film composers this theme would be a career best.Fourth, the movie exposes some of the injustices that European settlers did to American Indians without ever giving in to the modern assumption that the Indian victims of these evils must themselves have been saints.As you can see, the elements of a classic western were there.
It goes without saying that the characters are paper-thin, and the one who is most humanized is not Joe but Aldo Sambrell's villainous Mervyn (who has a funny scene where he tears down the `Wanted' sign for his brother and crumples it up, but carefully removes his own and puts it away for safekeeping).Furthermore, NAVAJO JOE is a textbook example of what Ebert called the Idiot Plot; that is, a movie whose plot can only proceed if everyone involved is an idiot.
"Navajo Joe" is certainly not be as great as Sergio Corbucci's masterpieces "Django" and "The Great Silence", but it is still a highly entertaining, if cheesy, Spaghetti Western.
Like most Westerns by Corbucci, Navajo Joe has a sociocritical message, as it portrays racism and the genocide of the Native American population.
Predominantely, however, Navajo Joe is a very entertaining Spaghetti Western with an excellent score by Ennio Morricone.A gang of unscrupulous bandits led by Duncan (Aldo Sambrell) ride through the American Southwest and kill every Indian they can find for the one-dollar reward on an Indian scalp.
Navajo Joe is not quite as brilliant as his masterpieces "Django" and "The Great Silence", but it is without doubt a more than worthwhile Spaghetti Western and recommended to every fan of the genre..
By claiming that Navajo Joe was only shown in prisons and aeroplanes because nobody could leave, it is fair to assume that Burt Reynolds was not too impressed by his Spaghetti Western experience!
Navajo Joe is a very fine Spaghetti Western indeed.Corbucci's direction is fantastic, right from the off - a powerful scene where Duncan (played by Spaghetti stalwart Aldo Sanbrell) spies on a young Indian girl.
It becomes apparent from this moment on that Duncan is a callous and psychopathic killer - just what every good Spaghetti Western needs.Reynolds dialogue is brief, which is very fitting for his character.
The story powers on at great tempo and contains all the trademarks of a Corbucci movie - lots of deaths, a spoonful of unjust and some great camera work - all to the soundtrack of a powerful Morricone score.Life in that Prison seems quite comfortable to me, Burt!.
It stars Burt Reynolds, Aldo Sambrell, Nicoletta Machiavelli, Tanya Lopert and Fernando Rey. Music is by Ennico Morricone and cinematography by Silvano Ippolitti.Though Reynolds would say it's the worst film he ever made, anyone who has followed his career will know that simply isn't the case!
It's an odd Spaghetti Western that sees Reynolds play the title character, who strides out for revenge against the ragamuffin varmints who slaughtered his woman and tribe.
Somewhere in my top 20's more like it.It's certainly one of the least 'cartoonish' SW...the themes touched on in the movie are well chosen & well done....the score is soooooooo good............Reynolds is good in the part (he's half Cherokee Indian, by the way)........Joe is not your run of the mill SW character--> it's refreshing to have a hero (as opposed to hero/anti-hero) for a change...he's an 'assassin', & a good one...wiping out 40+ guys is no small feat.The ending was handled well..& slightly ambiguously...there is room for speculation as to Joe's ultimate fate in the movie....although w/ a little thought...it's pretty clear...& adds to the film's quality & richness.
Burt Reynolds plays the title character Navajo Joe, who hunts down the men responsible for the death of his wife.
Great job by Burt Reynolds as Navajo Joe; great soundtrack by Morricone (recently sampled as the "shock music" in the movie Election)..
The very fine supporting cast also includes Nicoletta Machiavelli, Fernando Rey, Tanya Lopert, Pierre Cressoy, Nino Imparato, and Lucio Rosato.Ennio Morricone (utilizing the pseudonym Leo Nichols) once again proves how valuable he was to this genre, composing a typically atmospheric soundtrack with a fair amount of vocalizations as well as music."Navajo Joe" is not a truly great example of the Spaghetti Western, but it provides an ample amount of diversion.Seven out of 10..
This movie is also one of Quentin Tarantino's Top Twenty favourite spaghetti westerns.Plot In A Paragraph: An Indian warrior called Navajo Joe (Burt Reynolds) seeks revenge on a gang of sadistic outlaws who has massacred the people of his tribe.Aside from Reynolds the acting in this film is pretty mediocre.
When he found out it was Sergio Corbucci he tried to pull out, but the contracts had already been signed and it was too late.As a side note this is the first time Burt wears a wig in a movie, but that's more to do with him playing an Indian than the actual role..
"Navajo Joe" is a spaghetti Western from 1966 starring Burt Reynolds as the titular Native warrior who seeks revenge on a gang of sadistic outlaws who massacred his wife and tribe.They say Italians have been making the worst movies for a hundred years, but "Navajo Joe" is pretty good for a spaghetti oater.
In an interview Reynolds admitted that he took Clint Eastwood's example (whom he replaced on the TV series "Rawhide") by going to Europe and starring in an Italian Western; unlike Eastwood who got Sergio Leone, however, Burt got Sergio Corbucci.Despite this, Reynolds was in his prime and looks robust; being a stuntman, he did all his own stunts, which is impressive when you view the movie.Other highlights include the typically outlandish but memorable score by Ennio Morricone (pseudonymously credited as Leo Nichols), which is reminiscent of his later score for "Burn!" and raven-haired Nicoletta Machiavelli as Estella, a half-breed who takes a liking to Joe. Other than this, the typical revenge plot moves right along for a fairly entertaining 60's European Western where the dubbed voices don't match the lips.
"Navahoe Joe" defends town against a murderous band of Indian scalp hunters who are enlisted by a mysterious man to rob a town of it's money.Nothing surprising here but it's good watching for Italian western fans..
Though admittedly the film doesn't have much of a reputation within the Spaghetti Western genre (the "Leonard Maltin Film Guide" rates it a mere *1/2), given director Corbucci and co-writer Fernando Di Leo's involvement, this still turned out to be a watchable example of its type  albeit a surprisingly second-rate and rather dreary affair!
Besides, Burt Reynolds is no Clint Eastwood (or Franco Nero, for that matter) and feels positively miscast as the titular redskin  especially decked-out with a hairy wig; this, however, didn't prevent him from appearing in further Westerns on his home turf  by the way, apparently, Reynolds signed on for this project because he was under the impression that Sergio Leone (and not Corbucci, whose equally seminal DJANGO [1966] probably hadn't been released yet Stateside) would be directing!
Even the casting of the other central roles is disappointingly below par: Aldo Sanbrell makes for an uncharismatic chief villain, Fernando Rey is wasted in the role of an ineffectual priest, peplum regular Pierre Cressoy appears as a treacherous doctor, while Nicoletta Macchiavelli (who does well enough by what little she's given to work with!) is the only female character of any consequence as a half-breed naturally sympathetic to "Navajo" Reynolds.
As expected, the various action scenes (including one in which the star makes away with an entire train from under the bad guys's noses!) are the highlights of the show  albeit still insufficiently remarkable to elevate this above mere average (apart, perhaps, from Sanbrell's come-uppance via a hatchet in the face).The real saving grace of the film, then, unsurprisingly emerges to be the score provided by Ennio Morricone (bafflingly credited as Leo Nichols here!)  with a theme tune full of wailing screams, and a memorable five-note riff that was even lifted by Quentin Tarantino for KILL BILL VOL.
Navajo Joe is also known for featuring the up-and-coming Burt Reynolds in one of his earliest roles.Unlike Sergio Leone, Corbucci seems to have had a really passionate agenda for making what he saw as inflammatory anti-westerns.
Joe is an interesting character compared to the usual spaghetti anti-hero though, as his extortion and cynicism are continually influenced by this higher purpose he has of seeking justice.Italian westerns were really becoming big business by this point, and Navajo Joe has somewhat bigger production values than Corbucci's earlier films.
The actual dialogue is terrible too.Corbucci showed promise as a director in Django, but in Navajo Joe the direction is nothing special.
He gives a great rough and ready feel to the action scenes, but overall there are just too many zooms and pointless camera moves.Although he would later become a big star back home, Burt Reynolds isn't particularly good here.
Not good, but not bad either.Burt Reynolds once stated that this was the worst film he ever made.
Corbucci had already made one of the best loved spaghettis (Django) and would go on to make some real classics (The Mercenary, The Great Silence), but Navajo Joe was a real step backwards in his career..
Whatever, Navajo Joe is a worthwhile Euro- western, several degrees darker and brutal than other released during the same year and a much better, more stylish film than Burt's later westerns.
I'd rate Navajo Joe a "must see" movie for Spaghetti-heads, but I wouldn't place it in my top 10 SW.
Navajo Joe was a film he made earlier in his career from the period when the Italian western was in its early years.
In fairness, it pales somewhat in comparison to those other two films and it's a more standard spaghetti western overall.It's probably most famous for starring Burt Reynolds.
In the final analysis, Navajo Joe is a fairly workman-like spaghetti western but will certainly offer something to fans of the sub-genre..
NAVAJO JOE is an extraordinary spaghetti western which deserve to be known by all who want to know the real "lost" cinema.
In effect, the master of Italian western (don't forget Sergio Leone please) have directed a lot of wonderful movies like DJANGO, IL MERCENARIO, IL GRANDE SILENZIO or COMPANEROS...using different composers like Luis Enriquez Bacalov or Ennio Morricone (Leo Nichols in NAVAJO JOE) who are the most known.
One of them is Sergio Corbucci and here with his somewhat obscure action 'drama' Navajo Joe. It stars Burt Reynolds, I think in his first actual theatrical performance, and he acts like the true-blue hero for all even if there's really whacked out judgment going on.
Meanwhile, any significance in plot or character is thrown by the wayside, save for a ridiculous moment where the villain- Aldo Sambrell's Duncan- reveals his motivations for doing what he does right before killing a priest.So don't go into the picture looking for the amazing, stoic art that came out of Leone's films.
Actually, the most glaring flaw comes through Corbucci trying to rip-off a lot of Leone's tricks (unless it was just his way of going about the western genre too, I haven't seen enough of his work to comment), and is at best a competent, crazy director of action scenes.
What he does get right is to let the ludicrousness of the situation(s)- of Reynolds playing an Indian named Joe who somehow is like a super-assassin with his knife &/or gun, as we see hilariously when he takes on a train full of bandits- take over completely, and it's always fun in the most guilty pleasure sort of way.
After a savage band of outlaws brutally massacres all of the inhabitants of a peaceful Navajo village, a lone warrior known as "Navajo Joe" (Burt Reynolds) tracks down the murderous thugs responsible with the intention of killing them all.
A Native American warrior called Navajo Joe (Burt Reynolds) seeks revenge on a gang of sadistic outlaws who has massacred the people of his tribe.If this film is known for anything, it is just how much Burt Reynolds hated working on it.
Perhaps it might have been better had the Reynolds hero been as mysterious as Eastwood's.Navajo Joe is a subpar spaghetti western and I'm not a fan of the genre in any case..
Navajo Joe is best known as the only Spaghetti Western Burt Reynolds made and that's too bad.
Regardless of whether Burt is in it or not, it's a solid, early Spaghetti Western from the second best known Sergio  Sergio Corbucci.
I've said it before, but if it weren't for Sergio Leone, Sergio Corbucci would probably be regarded as the best director to have worked in Spaghetti Westerns.
Navajo Joe isn't anywhere close to being as good as some of his other films (Django, The Great Silence, etc.), but it's enjoyable enough and offers one of the few examples where Indian characters play even a small role in a Euro-Western.
First off Burt Reynolds had to leave during filming of Navajo Joe for a commercial, which infuriated Corbucci.
Reynolds thought he was going to become a huge star doing a spaghetti western and believed he was going to work with Leone.
I believe deep down in his little heart he knows this was one of his better roles he has played.The opening scene was great with Aldo Sambrell (Mervyn Duncan)smiling at Joe's wife (Cristina Sani).
plays a small role in this film as a half breed as well but the opposite to Duncan's character.Ennio Morricone uses an unusual alias as Leo Nichols.
This cynical Sergio Corbucci horse opera about the eponymous Native American hero wreaking vengeance on a murderous gang of cutthroat renegades for murdering his woman and massacring his village qualifies as a stalwart, traditional Spaghetti western with nonstop riding, shooting, and killing galore.
Some of Ippoliti's more imaginative images occur when he hides the identity of one of the villains during a saloon conference scene."Navajo Joe" is one of a fistful of westerns where the only good Indian isn't a dead one.
I can help but suspect that the villain, the renegades, were intended as being like the Nazis in that they conquer towns, brutalize and publicly murder the citizens--the sort of atrocities still fresh in the minds of Europeans in 1966Aside from watching a young, very charismatic Burt Reynolds, the music score to this movie is one of its best things.
The only spaghetti Western Burt Reynolds ever starred in -- and it's quite good and violent.
Cunning and resourceful Native American Navajo Joe (ably played with stoic resolve by Burt Reynolds) seeks revenge against a dastardly outlaw gang led by the ruthless Duncan (veteran bad guy thesp Aldo Sambrell in peak scurvy form) after they massacre his tribe by relocating the money that the gang stole from a bank train.
I would have lost a bet on whether Burt Reynolds ever appeared in a spaghetti Western, but you know what, this is actually a fairly entertaining flick once you get past the unbelievable body count by Reynolds' title character, Navajo Joe. My unofficial count was twenty nine by the time the film was over, and when you throw in what had to be a dozen or so by the soldiers defending the money train, bandit leader Duncan (Aldo Sambrell) lost more guys than he started out with.I got a kick out of the scene when the Duncan brothers ride up on a pair of posters showing the reward for their capture, dead or alive.
"Navajo Joe" is an Italian-produced western starring Burt Reynolds.
It was his only appearance in a 'spaghetti western' and, according to Reynolds, it's a terrible film.
While his themes for films like "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" are considered classics, "Navajo Joe" is no classic!
Essentially a blood and guts exploitation movie (Tarantino loves it), it watches as a Navajo Indian, played by Burt Reynolds, wages war on the group of white bandits responsible for massacring his tribe.