In Carlo Lizzani's Italian spaghetti western Requiescant, Lou Castel portrays Requiescant, a young man who was raised to be a pacifist by a traveling preacher after Confederates massacred his family. When his step-sister runs away, a hidden talent for sharpshooting is revealed and he's forced into an unexpected confrontation with his past.

Regarded by many as one of the finer spaghetti westerns and a reminder that not only Sergio Leone came out of Italy, Requiescant features a stand-out cast and an incredibly rare appearance by legendary director Pier Paolo Pasolini as a certain revolutionary priest.

Even with the relatively brief description of Requiescant above, if there's a fault with the film it's that you pretty much know where it's going all along. Fortunately, Lou Castel makes the journey an awful lot of fun as he moves his character from a relatively naive young man into an increasingly hardcore sharpshooter willing to fight for what is right. The film's politics is worn on its sleeve, though it's not so completely over the head that you're not entertained.

Mark Damon gives a goth-tinged performance as George Ferguson is straightforward yet convincing as the consummate baddie. The film's special features, always a plus with Arrow, are relatively light here despite pleasing interviews with Lizzani and Castel. There really isn't much else here in terms of special features.

That said, spaghetti western fans likely already know about this film or will appreciate it as a solid addition to the home cinema collection. While not quite on par with Leone's work, it's a quality genre flick that is both entertaining and thought-provoking. For more information on the film, visit its page on the Arrow website.

Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic