Eric Zaldivar Oddness ensues in this spaghetti western as everybodies favorite under dog of the genre "The Stranger", is hired by a witch to escort a princess to Spain. Once in Spain The Stranger must ward off evil Barbarians, a crazed Hunchback, a gay man (played by Anthony's brother), Lesbian warriors, a raging bull, magic and even spirits who want to turn him into a wolf ( ? ) in order to escort the Princess back to her castle and collect his reward of 50,000 dollars. Unfortunatly for our poor anti-hero the princess is kidnapped by the leader of the barbarians, Diego (played by Raf Baldessare), and so The Stranger must rescue her. By the first hour of the film Anthony's character has been burnt, hung up by his feet, pounded to a pulp and roasted like a pig until finally he takes up his trusty four barreled shotgun, some dynamite and a jar full of scorpions and decides to GET MEAN!
This is the fourth and final flick in "The Stranger" series and it is largely considered to be the weakest. However, I have a high tolerance for lunacy in my spaghettis so this was right up my alley. True not the best of the series (a title I save for the great "The Silent Stranger") but I find it far more entertaining than the first ("A Stranger In Town") which, at times, plods along with the pace of a snail.
The budget is higher this time around and every last penny of it is seen on screen. We get these massive sets (admittedly, some were re-used from Anthony's/Baldi's previous western venture "Blindman"), an abundance of pyrotechnics and a large scale battle with what seems like a thousand extras. The battle sequence is actually a bit too long and becomes quite dull because the action moves away from The Stranger and his quest, but it is still a novelty to see a large scale battle between Moors and Barbarians in a spaghetti western.
That being said... is it a western?
Heck yes it is! It's actually a very contexturally subversive little film with some delightfully post-modernist thinking going on. What Anthony and co. did is essentially make a Euro Western set in Europe, or at least a fantasy vision of Europe, set at the time of a Western. The fact that it was actually made in Europe is the key, since it sort of defies the usual "that isn't really a Western" stigma that mainstream viewers often have in regards to Spaghetti since capturing the look of a Western really wasn't the idea. The history being shown is no more accurate than "Monty Python And The Holy Grail", but it has a kind of dialectic reality to it that does away with the facade of a Western that is usually imposed upon Spaghettis by the needs of capturing that "Wild West" look. It looks more like a gothic horror or period costumer than a Western, other than the hero packs a six shooter and rides a horse.
More than anything else though it's a Tony Anthony movie, with all the good, bad and totally demented things that implies.
Anthony seems to be hamming it up more than usual this time around with a slight country bumpkin drawl. The funny quips are still there but this time he wears a campy looking yellow poncho (serape,blanket, whatever) while delivering the lines. Which throw things even further into the realm of hilarity.
There is also an inspired role by Loyd Battista as a crazy hunchback who fancies himself a great shakespearean actor!
Baldi's direction keeps the film moving at a brisk pace and doesn't let little things like logic and plot hamper the procceedings.
The intention was that if "Get Mean" was a hit, sequels with the Stranger as a time traveler would follow. Unfortunatly, but not surprisingly, the film failed to find an audience.
A true shame.
Author: spider89119 from United States
This movie is a lot of fun, and deserves more credit than it gets. It is quite unique among westerns, or even spaghetti westerns. It's so odd, in fact, that it really defies categorization.
Though it is without question a gloriously over-the-top spaghetti western, it actually relates more closely to "Army of Darkness." In fact, I wouldn't be surprised at all if Sam Raimi was influenced by this film before he directed that great third installment in the "Evil Dead" series. In this film, Tony Anthony plays his usual role of "the stranger" (kind of a "man-with-no-name' type of character). We learn right away that there is something supernatural going on here as the movie opens with the stranger being dragged by his horse into a ghost town. On the way there, they pass a strange silver orb, then when they get there, the horse has a heart attack and dies as the town bell tolls unexplainedly. Anthony walks into a building where he meets a witch who has the same silver orb at the table where she sits. He finds out he's been summoned to escort a Spanish princess back to Spain and help her regain her throne from "barbarian" invaders who appear to be from another time. This all happens in the first five minutes! I don't want to give away too much of the story, so I'll just say that the stranger's tasks are to deal with the barbarians, rescue the princess, find a treasure that is guarded by ghosts, and collect money that was promised to him by the witch. The movie is quite comical and full of slapstick, and just like Ash in "Army of Darkness," the stranger unloads a huge can of whoop-ass on an army of foes. I would love to see the plot of this movie "borrowed" for a sequel to the Evil Dead series. Ash could once again be sent back in time, but this time to the old west where he would be the stranger. Change the treasure to the Necronomicon, have it guarded by Deadites, and bam you've got Evil Dead 5! They wouldn't even have to change much of the dialog as most of the stranger's lines would be perfect for Bruce Campbell as Ash.
Tony Anthony is great, as usual, in this one. He's like the Rodney Dangerfield of spaghetti westerns in that he doesn't get the respect he deserves. Eastwood's "man-with-no-name" may be the king of "cool," but Tony Anthony's "stranger" is more of a character, and just as tough. The other actors and actresses in the film do an excellent job also. I especially liked the character of "Sambra," a crazy Hunchback who thinks he's the reincarnation of Richard III.
This movie isn't for everyone. If you go into it thinking it is just a wacky late-era spaghetti western, and try to fit it into that mold, you will think it is trying too hard, and will probably find it to be just slightly amusing and nothing more. But if you can understand and appreciate the film for what it really is, and especially if you've enjoyed "Army of Darkness," you should definitely enjoy this one.
This excellent and RARE DVD in the SPAGHETTI WESTERN genre is entitled GETS MEAN. The movie stars the TONY ANTHONY in his familiar role as "The Stranger" and LLOYD BATTISTA.
The Stranger encounters Vikings and Moors (I'm not kidding!) in a film with very impressive visuals and is a VERY entertaining entry in the Euro-western field!
In this utterly bizarre spaghetti western, the "Stranger" must cope with a wide assortment of strange villains. Through the course of the story he fights with Vikings who suddenly appear in a western ghost town; a strange Elizabethan family costumed in period clothing who live in a desert castle; and medieval knights whom he battles using machine guns, TNT, and his gun. A bizarre silver ball hangs over the melees, watching the strange goings on. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Now this one really is an oddity! The Spaghetti Western did throw up a few odd films (think Django Kill and its homosexual bandits, Blindman with its 50 wives and nudity, the circus troupes of Sabata, and Providence with its Chaplin-esq antics). But, my, if you thought they were weird, wait until you get a load of "Gets Mean".
Tony Anthony returns as the Stranger, but rather than being a parody/rehash (depends on how you view it) of A Fistful of Dollars, this film involves our hero on a quest to Spain to escort a princess for money, amidst the battling Vikings and Moors. Proof if any that the Spaghetti boom was on its last legs, desperately seeking new ways to be innovative. Anthony is very ham-fisted throughout, but I guess that is part of his charm in this genre. The rest of the cast are, in truth, fairly forgettable.However strange this film may be (and believe me, it is strange), it remains watchable. Not as a western, but as an oddball art-flick.
Tony Anthony is the lone drifter. Hes strong, silent, and deadly. Hell do anything, go anywhere, kill anyone for a price. His mission: to restore a beautiful princess to her rightful place in Spain. His reward: a kings ransom in gold. The only problem is, to achieve his end, he must get mean. A wild bizarre offering much comedy. Also stars Lloyd Battista. Directed by Ferdinando Baldi. (1975) Widescreen, in English.
