Renato Izzo Movies

The Last House on the Left was a morally bankrupt but highly profitable film about rape, murder, and revenge. The 1978 sequel, The New House on the Left, may even be more reprehensible than the original. Whereas the murder site of the first film was a remote house, the scene of the crime in the sequel is a train (thereby negating the title). This film includes more rapes, more murders, and more revenge than the original --and, undoubtedly, more cash lining the pockets of the producers. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Adiós Sabata is rather odd entry in this spaghetti Western series. It continues the story of Sabata and boasts a plot that closely replicates the first film's key elements, from the cool and mysterious gunslinger hero down to the stunts, the gimmicky weapons, and the presence of a potentially traitorous sidekick for Sabata. However, Adiós Sabata introduces a new actor with an entirely different persona into the role of Sabata: Yul Brynner is as terse with his dialogue as Lee Van Cleef was in the first Sabata, but he brings a brooding, ominous undercurrent to the role that gives the film an added bit of tension. Thankfully, this tension between the familiar elements and Brynner's intense presence works in favor of Adiós Sabata instead of against it. Other highlights include a fun supporting performance from Pedro Sanchez as a mouthy revolutionary-turned-bandit and a rousing finale packed with plenty of stunts and gunplay. On the downside, Frank Kramer's direction, while stylish, is erratic in its pacing, and this leads to the occasional dull stretch, but the film's sense of color and lighthearted tone keep it from going off the rails. In short, Adiós Sabata might not be an obvious first choice for a spaghetti Western novice, but it is solid, engaging fare for someone already into the genre. ~ Donald Guarisco, Rovi

In this western, an engimatic stranger stops a stage from being robbed. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi