It
launched the mini-3D boom in the early 1980s, but it was also the last gasp of
the Spaghetti Western. It seems like the least likely of hits in retrospect,
but its timing was perfect. Apparently, the world was ready for another round
of 3D gimmickry and a band of American expats and Italian filmmakers were just
the folks to deliver it. Prepare for a barrage of sundry items falling towards
the camera in Ferdinando Baldi’s Comin’ at Ya! (trailer
here), which
is now available on DVD and 3D BluRay from MVD.
Without
Comin’ at Ya! there would probably be
no Spacehunter: Adventures in the
Forbidden Zone or Treasure of the
Four Crowns (also from Team At Ya!),
so let’s thank our lucky stars this film exists. Kind of known for the “Stranger”
films, Tony Anthony knew his way around a Spaghetti western, so he had street
cred with the core fan base, despite looking a bit soft around the edges for a
stone-cold killer like H.H. Hart. Presumably, Hart is a former desperado of some
sort, but he had resolved to settle down with Abeline, his newlywed wife as of
just after the opening credits (and what credits they are, featuring no end of
falling dry goods.
Unfortunately,
the Pike and Polk Thompson, a pair of Mexican white slaver brothers crash the
ceremony to abduct the bride and leave the groom for dead—but not nearly dead
enough. With the help of a drunken old Scottish former seminarian (they are
always handy in a tight spot), Hart will ride south to rescue Abeline and serve
up some payback. It quickly becomes personal for the Thompson Brothers too,
especially Pike, the mastermind. As a result, all sorts of lethal weapons will
be hurled at the screen.
Anthony
is no Clint Eastwood or Franco Nero, but he has a pretty good badass strut.
Victoria Abril (now most famous for her work in Pedro Almodóvar’s Kika and Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!) is more than sufficient as the woefully helpless
Abeline (watching her and the captive women shriek at a laughably fake bat
attack is pretty cringey). However, Gene Quintano, who was later celebrated as
the genius responsible for writing Police
Academy 3 and 4, is quite decently
dastardly as Pike Thompson.
Baldi
throws everything at the lens except the kitchen sink, but frankly that blatant
ridiculousness is the whole reason to watch it. On the other hand, the level of
violence directed towards women is a bit eyebrow-raising. Well beyond lax Spaghetti
Western standards, it approaches Giallo levels. In fact, the entire film is
wildly politically incorrect, allowing Hart full license to kill Mexican and
Native American white slavers without a twinge of guilt. It is impossible to imagine
to imagine Hollywood distributing At Ya! today,
so it is nice to have its shamelessness preserved for posterity. Recommended for
fans of Spaghetti Westerns and 1980s nostalgia, Comin’ at Ya! is now available on 3D BluRay and regular DVD from
MVD.
