Alright, fellow tapeheads, rewind your minds back to the late 90s. The video store shelves were a glorious battleground of fading action heroes, burgeoning CGI experiments, and rom-coms galore. But sometimes, nestled between the familiar faces, you'd spot a cover that just made you blink. Maybe it featured a couple of Hollywood heavyweights looking slightly out of place, maybe the title promised something… unexpected. That’s precisely the vibe of 1998’s Gunslinger's Revenge (or Il mio West, as it was known in its native Italy), a film that feels like discovering a weirdly charming bootleg cassette recorded off late-night European TV.
Imagine the pitch: "It's a Western! But Italian! And it stars Italy's biggest comedian, Leonardo Pieraccioni! Oh, and let's get Harvey Keitel to play his grizzled gunslinger dad. And you know who'd make a great villain? David Bowie." You can almost hear the studio execs nervously adjusting their ties. Yet, somehow, this bafflingly brilliant concoction actually happened, and tracking down a copy feels like unearthing a strange, delightful artifact from a parallel cinematic universe.
When Worlds Collide in Basin Field
The setup is classic Western, filtered through a distinctly European, comedic lens. We land in the dusty, isolated town of Basin Field, where Doc (Leonardo Pieraccioni) lives a quiet life as the town's pacifist physician, happily married to the beautiful saloon singer Pearl (Sandrine Holt) and doting on his young son, Jeremiah (Yudii Mercredi). Trouble ambles into town in the form of Doc's estranged father, Johnny Lowen (Harvey Keitel), a legendary gunslinger trying to hang up his spurs. But the past, as it often does in these tales, rides in right behind him, personified by the chillingly charismatic Jack Sikora (David Bowie), a ruthless killer with unfinished business concerning Johnny and a stash of stolen gold.
Right off the bat, the film wears its Italian heart on its sleeve. Pieraccioni, a comedic superstar in Italy at the time thanks to massive domestic hits like The Cyclone, brings a gentler, almost naive energy to the reluctant hero role. This isn't your stoic Man With No Name; Doc is openly terrified of violence, relying on wits and circumstance rather than firepower. It creates a fascinating dynamic, especially when paired with Keitel's world-weary gravitas. Keitel, fresh off intense roles in films like Pulp Fiction, dials it back slightly here, finding a nice groove as the ageing legend trying to protect the peaceful life he never had. Their father-son relationship forms the surprisingly warm core of the film.
Bowie Rides Into Town
But let's be honest, the magnetic pull for many retro fans discovering this title today is the sheer, wonderful weirdness of seeing David Bowie as a Western villain. And Bowie doesn't disappoint. As Jack Sikora, he’s less of a snarling brute and more of a precisely tailored, softly spoken menace. Dressed impeccably (even in the dusty West!), Sikora is calculating, intelligent, and utterly unsettling. Bowie leans into his otherworldly persona, making Sikora feel less like a typical outlaw and more like an alien predator dropped into a John Ford landscape. It’s a performance that elevates the material simply by existing.
Interestingly, Bowie reportedly took the role partly because he was intrigued by the script and the chance to finally work with Harvey Keitel. Filming primarily in the stunning Garfagnana region of Tuscany, Italy, and the legendary Spaghetti Western stomping grounds of Almería, Spain, Bowie seemed to relish the opportunity, delivering a performance that’s both memorable and subtly unnerving. It’s one of his last significant feature film roles, making Gunslinger's Revenge a curious but essential entry for Bowie completists.
Comedy, Character, and Italian Charm
Director Giovanni Veronesi, working with co-writers including Vincenzo Cerami (who penned the Oscar-winning Life is Beautiful), isn't aiming for a gritty Peckinpah revision or a Leone epic. This is firmly rooted in the Italian comedy tradition, using the Western setting as a backdrop for character interplay and situational humor. The "action," when it comes, often has a comedic twist or relies more on suspense and cleverness than blistering firepower. Don't expect elaborate, high-octane shootouts reminiscent of 80s blockbusters; the thrills here are more character-driven.
The film's significant budget (around $10 million, hefty for Italy then) is visible in the handsome production design and the sweeping shots of the Italian and Spanish landscapes standing in for the American frontier – a classic trick dating back to the earliest Spaghetti Westerns. The score by Pino Donaggio (a frequent Brian De Palma collaborator) adds a layer of traditional Western sweep, occasionally clashing amusingly with the film's lighter moments. This tonal balancing act is perhaps the film’s most defining feature – sometimes seamless, sometimes endearingly awkward, but always interesting. It didn't quite catch fire internationally, remaining largely a domestic smash for Pieraccioni, but its cult status persists thanks to that incredible casting.
Worth the Rental Fee?
So, popping this hypothetical tape into your VCR today, what’s the verdict? Gunslinger's Revenge is undeniably quirky. It’s a film where broad Italian comedy bumps up against genuine moments of tension and surprisingly effective character work. The pacing can meander, and the blend of tones won’t be for everyone. But there’s an undeniable charm to its earnestness, its beautiful locations, and, of course, that central trio. Watching Keitel play the weary legend and Bowie ooze quiet menace in a Western setting is a cinematic treat you didn't know you needed. It perfectly captures that late-90s feeling of European cinema trying to bridge genres and markets, sometimes resulting in wonderfully oddball productions like this.
VHS Heaven Rating: 7/10
Justification: While it's tonally uneven and the comedy might not land for all international viewers, Gunslinger's Revenge scores high on sheer curiosity value and nostalgic charm. The inspired casting of Bowie and Keitel delivers memorable performances, Pieraccioni provides a likable (if unconventional) Western hero, and the Italian perspective offers a refreshing twist on familiar tropes. It's well-shot, has moments of genuine warmth and tension, and functions as a fascinating cinematic footnote, particularly for Bowie fans. It earns a solid 7 for its ambition, its unique flavour, and the joy of discovering such an unexpected gem.
Final Thought: It might not be high noon in Monument Valley, but Gunslinger's Revenge is a weirdly wonderful sunset ride worth taking – a reminder that sometimes the strangest curios hiding on the video store shelf offered the most memorable viewing experiences.