The spaghetti western sub-genre is not one without merit. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly is an obvious notable mention. As well as several others from the 1960s. Yet, there is a film from 1981 that is possibly one of the most interesting interpretations that never gets talked about. Not just due to the fact that Quentin Tarantino completely gutted this film in order to craft two of his own projects, but that is a conversation for another day. Today I will stick to a more positive tone to introduce y’all to my favorite western film of all time, Comin’ At Ya.
Mood
This film oozes a very distinct mood before you even leave the DVD menu. Contrary to the one created by the marketing team. Both the poster and DVD cover convey a more light-hearted and comedic tone. Even the name itself seems to ensure an outrageous, over the top, romp of a film is about to take place. The Tagline reads “It’s Back, It’s Bigger, It’s Better, And it’s Comin’ At Ya.” Along with silly quotes near the bottom of the cover by fictitious audience members complaining that characters are literally jumping out of the screen at them, groping their legs, trampling their popcorn, and even shooting bullets at them. That all ends once you pop in the DVD and are immediately accompanied by a very eerie vocal musical score. The mood change doesn’t stop there. The entire film is filled with scenes that contain very little dialogue, gorgeous cinematography, and inspiring music. It is an Italian western in every way possible.
Story
The film starts off with a very imaginative opening credit sequence where everything that is kept in a barn flies at the screen. Including; beans, bacon, and a vicious snake hanging down from the ceiling. After that bit of shinanigans, the real movie begins. The opening scene takes place in black and white when the rest of the film takes place in color. A young, eager, couple is in the middle of their wedding ceremony when their small chapel gets bum rushed by a couple of bandit brothers. The two brothers gun down the groom and kidnap the bride with little resistance from her badly wounded spouse. For our main character, the groom, it is unknown where his bride to be has been taken and who these men happen to be. After he is healed and well armed, our hero finds an eccentric old man that will aid him in his journey to locate his true love. It turns out that she is being held in a large compound with dozens of other women that are waiting to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. Can our hero and his new friend get there in time to save her?
The story is kind of thin and a bit cliched by the time this film was released, but the beauty is not in the originality of the story. The execution has a lot to do with the enjoyment of this film. You can easily say this film is an exercise in the style of substance, especially when you factor in the 3-D gimmick this film uses, but the style is so well done that you can’t help going gaga for a film like this. A film that oozes mood and style. One that is never afraid to lean into the tropes of 3-D films as well as the Spaghetti Western sub-genre. It is completely unapologetic in what it is and I love it all the more for that.
Cinematography
The cinematography in this film is absolutely breathtaking to say the very least. I would understand that to many, a 3-D film like this would sound very exhausting and unappealing with the abundant use of the gimmick, but that is simply not the case. There are so many shots in this film that are truly a beauty to look at with every single viewing. The copy that I own is a DVD with the only option to view the film only being 2-D, but that doesn’t stop me from appreciating the look of this film. The use of black and white, slow motion, and gorgeous colors contribute to the eye candy that is this film. Even the 3-D shots shown in a 2-D format have value in them. There is a sequence involving about a half a dozen rubber bats that is to die for. Which is only topped by another where our hero has to avert the path of spears and flaming arrows. Not to mention an exquisite shot of a farmer emptying a basket of grapes while positioned up high on a tree branch. This list could truly go on of the amazing eye candy one gets to digest during the runtime of this film.
Final Thoughts
With every single viewing of this film, I scratch my head in amazement that this is not a coveted classic among the film community. Comin’ At Ya has just as much style and craft put into it as any other spaghetti western. I hope people can see it as something more than an old cowboy movie with goofy 3-D effects. It truly is more than that and I can assure you that it is a piece of art that deserves to take up room on your DVD shelf. Though it won’t have time to collect dust there. It is most definitely a movie earns a yearly rewatch, if not more often.