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Django, Prepare A Coffin, a review by GSyren

Title	Django, Prepare A Coffin (5-027035-010229)
Director	Ferdinando Baldi
Actors
Produced	1968 in Italy
Runtime	92 minutes
Audio	English PCM 2-Channel Stereo, Italian PCM 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles	English
Overview	Django the drifter returns in this classic Sixties Spaghetti Western from Ferdinando Baldi (Texas Addio, Comin At Ya!), starring Terence Hill (They Call Me Trinity) as the wandering gunslinger, hired as executioner to a corrupt local politician who is framing innocent men, sending them to hang in an evil scheme to take hold of their land. But Django has other ideas...
My thoughts	Django, Prepare a Coffin (aka Viva Django) was the sequel to the original Django. Franco Nero couldn't play Django this time, because he was busy in Hollywood doing Camelot. Instead the producers chose a relatively unknown young actor named Mario Girotti, who had just taken the stage name Terence Hill. Two years later Hill would become famous in "My Name is Trinity" (aka "They Call Me Trinity"). In this film, Django works as a hangman, but he saves the lives of innocently convicted men (and a woman) by staging fake hangings. The films doesn't make it clear if he actually hangs any guilty villains. He organizes a gang with these men in order to avenge the killing of his wife, who was shot during the robbery of a gold transport. This is not a comedy western like the many he did together with Bud Spencer. This is quite violent. In fact, when this was first shown in Sweden in 1969, it was with 11 cuts totaling over 7 minutes. Now we can see it uncut, though. And in the aspect ratio in which it was shot, 1.66:1. IMDb claims it was 2.35:1, but that is wrong. It seems, though, that it was shown in several countries matted to 1.85:1. The picture quality of this Blu-Ray disc is good, but not stellar. At times it shows its age. The disc comes with Italian and English audio. As with most spaghetti westerns of this era, both language tracks are dubbed, since they used actors of many different nationalities all speaking their own language. As far as I can determine, the Italian track uses Hill's own voice. The English dub doesn't quite sound like the voice I remember from the Hill/Spencer films, so it seemed a little off to me. The extras consist of a Viva Django trailer and an eight minute interview with Kevin Grant, author of Django Explained. I haven't seen Tarantino's Django Unchained yet. I guess it's time to get that on and see how it compares to this and to the original Django.
My rating	3.5 out of 5

(From Reviews and ramblings by Gunnar on July 1st, 2013)

The Contract, a review by KinkyCyborg

The Contract



Title:The Contract
Year: 2007
Director: Bruce Beresford
Rating: R
Length: 96 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, English: DTS: 5.1, English: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles: English, Spanish

Stars:
Morgan Freeman (1937)
John Cusack
Jamie Anderson
Alice Krige
Megan Dodds

Plot:
While on a hiking trip to reconnect with his son, Ray Keene (John Cusack) stumbles into a nightmare scenario of paid assassins and ex-military guns-for-hire. Frank Cardin (Morgan Freeman) is attempting to fulfill a contract to assassinate a high profile businessman when things go awry and he ends up in the custody of the U.S. Marshalls. After an ill-fated attempt by his compatriots to free him Frank, finds himself in the custody of ex-lawman Ray and his son (Jamie Anderson). As they try to make their way back to civilization they are relentlessly pursued by Frank's friends who are intent on freeing their leader in order to collect on the contract. But one may be more foe than friend.

Extras:
Scene Access
Feature Trailers
Featurettes
Gallery


An ex-cop and his son, while on a hiking trip deep in the woods, apprehend an assassin following a botched rescue attempt from Federal Marshals by his fellow mercenaries. Compelled to do the right thing, he attempts to bring the fugitive to the authorities while trying to preserve the life of his son and his own from the deadly pursuers.

I can't say I've ever watched a Morgan Freeman movie that I disliked and this is no exception. Freeman is stellar as the wily old hitman whom despite having no compunction about killing has moments of conscience towards his erstwhile captors. As strong as his desire to gain his freedom is he hopes to do so without harm coming to a decent man, played by John Cusack, and his bright teenage boy.

Fast paced and suspenseful without an overkill of action, this manages to keep the viewer interested by cat and mouse strategy between the hunters and the hunted. Throw in a betrayal or two to raise the stakes and you have the makings of a very good movie.

Loved it!  

KC


Rating:

(From KinkyCyborg's Random Reviews 2010 on November 22nd, 2010)

"Due South" marathon, a review by Rick

Pizzas And Promises

My least favorite episode so far. Not sure why. It just didn't really grab me. I did like the dilemma Fraser got himself into at the beginning with Diefenbaker, telling him to follow the car, then pointing out he will follow it till he catches it or his dies.

Rating

(From "Due South" marathon on July 6th, 2009)