Navajo Joe (1966) and The Mercenary (1968) are each Italian Westerns directed by Sergio Corbucci and scored by Ennio Morricone.
Sergio Corbucci is often referred to as “the other Sergio” when movie folk discuss Italian Westerns. He is certainly less famous and commercially, his movies can’t rival Sergio Leone in terms of revenue and prestige.
However, while Leone makes epics – Corbucci makes unique, stylized, enjoyable Westerns – several of which are likely unappreciated. While Django and The Great Silence have recently earned a reputation for their gritty, dark quality, Navajo Joe and The Mercenary are two of his best – or at least, most entertaining movies.
Besides Corbucci’s direction, the common link between the two movies are the outstanding scores created by Ennio Morricone.
If you enjoyed Kill Bill, Volume 2, you’re in for a treat.
The Mercenary tells the story of Sergei “Polack” Kowalski, a hired gun whose robberies lead to a revolution against Mexican authorities. Kowalski makes a series of deals with Paco, a silver mine worker, and the pair steal money and weapons from the Mexican Army. Throughout their adventures, they are tracked by Curly, an American mercenary. In the process, Paco becomes a famed revolutionary.
Franco Nero stars as Kowalski and he makes a leap from his lead role in Django. Nero is suave, precise and charismatic – the role is a welcome departure from the strong, silent Eastwood stereotype he previously assumes. He possesses a tangible movie star quality – presenting an effortless, cool performance. In a sense, Nero is Corbucci’s version of Eastwood: he’s Blondie with a personality.
Nero does well balancing Corbucci’s vicious gun battles with touches of ironic humor. His Kowalski is basically a selfish mercenary whose moral compass is centered on acquiring more money. However, his easy demeanor allows you to root for him – particularly during encounters with Jack Palance’s ignoble Curly.
The supporting cast is strong. Tony Musante steals scenes as Paco Roman, the would-be revolutionary. We first encounter Paco as he is about to be hung. He’s saved by his brothers in crime and later secures Kowalski’s help in securing a machine gun to fight the Mexican Army. Paco’s legend grows and he finds himself turning into a revolutionary leader. He is joined by Giovanna Ralli’s Columba, a peasant freed by the rebels. She becomes a vital piece of the revolutionary movement and serves as a rare example of female empowerment in a genre known for classifying women in weak, stock roles.
Jack Palance is Curly, a debonair American mercenary who is tracking Kowalski and Paco’s financial gains. Palance sends up the character with an airy, genteel facade that masks his cold-blooded motives. He’s an odd blend of styles and Palance seems to delight in playing such an unusual character. The character is pivotal as his actions help to soften Kowalski’s moral ambiguity.
The Mercenary is a classic Italian Western but veers into the political realm as Paco is elevated to revolutionary hero. Corbucci, known for his leftist political leanings, offers the contrast between Kowalski and Paco’s motives. While Kowalski plays the game for money, Paco begins to believe his own hype. Deft political commentary arises when Kowalski warns Paco that armies routinely destroy movements – it’s almost an endorsement of capitalism or at least a reminder of the folly of emotion.
The movie’s climatic scene is among Corbucci’s best. In a spinning of Leone’s finale from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, Curly tracks down Paco – who has dropped his revolutionary garb for the guise of a rodeo clown. Kowalski returns to set up a final showdown in a bull ring. The pacing and tension doesn’t reach the epic heights of Leone’s work, but is still tightly shot and imaginative: a clown and an effeminate murderer square off.
Here, Morricone’s score elevates the scene. L’Arena is simply one of the greatest movie themes ever produced.
The BEST – “There are two kinds of people in this world….”
If this is Corbucci’s best attempt at making a Leone movie, he has some fun with it. The exchanges between Kowalski and Paco are entertaining and more light-hearted than his contemporary. Kowalski needles Paco throughout and his final message is hilarious: “Good luck, Paco! Keep dreaming….but with your eyes open!”
The BEST Part 2 – Franco Nero Lighting Matches on Random Things
FOX FORCE FIVE RATING – 4/5
Django and The Great Silence probably receive more acclaim and each are heavier, darker movies. Yet, The Mercenary could be Corbucci’s most seamless, enjoyable Western. Nero presents himself as a movie star and the supporting cast is excellent. Morricone’s score elevates the movie.
Burt Reynolds plays the starring role in Navajo Joe as a half breed Navajo out for vengeance against the outlaw gang that butchered his village. The movie is perhaps Corbucci’s most action packed Western, as the star power Reynolds would show in his later work is apparent here.
The most striking feature of the movie is Reynolds’ presence. He’s either wildly miscast playing a native or Corbucci is trying to make an interesting statement regarding cultural appropriation.
Reynolds is bronzed and essentially painted to play the role of Navajo Joe – his hair is flattened almost to comic effect. The actor is truly wearing a costume and the odd juxtaposition fits the production’s legend: Reynolds thought he was going to work in a Sergio Leone production rather than a Sergio Corbucci one. The curious casting is even joked about during the movie, as Joe’s love interest Estella comments that she’s “never known an Indian named Joe” and “never seen a Navajo so far south.”
However, Reynolds makes the story work. He’s clearly a dynamic presence and his skillful stunt work is the highlight of the movie. You can see the origins of his later career success in Navajo Joe – particularly during the train shootout scene, where he leaps and ducks under moving cars, attacking outlaws with his trusty knife.
He’s presented as the type of extraordinary hero found in Leone’s Clint Eastwood trilogy – which appears to be a common pursuit found throughout Italian Westerns. Like Eastwood, Reynolds is a man of few words, although his Navajo Joe is built to heroic proportions thanks to continual introductions of a dynamic Ennio Morricone theme song.
The character of Navajo Joe assumes the physical prowess and copies the look of a native, but doesn’t emulate much of the spirit or knowledge of the original. It’s clear Reynolds isn’t fully invested in the role and is doing an imitation by taking the best parts and lumping them into sequences of cool stunts, including a finale where he buries a hatchet into the skull of his enemy.
Corbucci is playing along, his game is to create a truly iconic figure – the American playing the Native in the Italian Western.
The BEST – That’s Navajo Joe’s Music!
The WORST – Reynolds Going Through the Motions
There are many moments when it’s apparent Reynolds realizes he likely made a mistake. Perhaps the award winner is when he lazily offers an apple to his forced love interest.
FOX FORCE FIVE RATING – Navajo Joe 3.5/5
Navajo Joe is a cleanly shot, well-paced Italian Western that features a dynamic leading actor and is packed with well-choreographed action sequences. If you can get past Burt Reynolds in bronzer, it’s a really fun watch.
