Forgotten Pistolero – Carabola Media (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1969
Director: Ferdinando Baldi
Writers: Vincenzo Cerami, Pier Giovanni Anchisi, Mario di Nardo, Federico De Urrutia, Ferdinando Baldi
Cast: Leonard Mann, Luciana Paluzzi, Peter Martell, Alberto de Mendoza, Pilar Velázquez, José Suárez, José Manuel Martín, Luciano Rossi, Mirella Pamphili

Release Date: December 16th, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 83 Minutes 24 Seconds (English Language Version, Italian Language Version)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (English Language Version, Italian Language Version)
Rating: NR
Sound: LPCM Mono Italian (Italian Language Version), LPCM Mono English (English Language Version)
Subtitles: English (Italian Language Version Forced Non-Removable), English (English Language Version)
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $39.95

"Based on the tales of Orestes from Greek mythology, this film tells the story of Sebastian, who was swept away from his home as a small child during a massacre orchestrated by his unfaithful mother and her lover, which ultimately resulted in the death of his father. Many years later, his childhood friend Rafael finds him living quietly on a farm, but after dredging up Sebastian's forgotten past, the pair decide to set out on a road to revenge that ultimately culminates with one of the more memorable finales in the genre." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5 (English Language Version, Italian Language Version)

Forgotten Pistolero comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 19.7 GB

Feature: 19.7 GB (English Language Version)

Forgotten Pistolero comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 23.5 GB

Feature: 16.9 GB (Italian Language Version)

Putting each version on its own disc is confusing, as all the data could fit on one 50 GB disc. Although no information is provided about the sources, both transfers are in excellent shape, and they look comparable. Flesh tones and colors look correct, image clarity and black levels are strong, there are no issues with compression and the image always looks organic.

Audio: 4/5 (LPCM Mono Italian, LPCM Mono English)

Although this release comes with two audio options, Italian and English, both are LPCM mono; each language is on a separate disc. Both audio tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced, and ambient sounds are well-represented. The Italian-language track comes with non-removable English subtitles, while the English-language track comes with removable English subtitles. Furthermore, the English-language track’s subtitles are poorly mistimed and often do not match up with what’s being said.

Extras:

There are no extras on disc one; all extras are on disc two. Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 43 seconds, LPCM mono Italian with non-removable English subtitles) and an interview with actor Leonard Mann, conducted by Mike Malloy for his documentary Eurocrime! The Italian Cop and Gangster Films That Ruled the '70s (34 minutes, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles). 

Summary:

Ferdinando Baldi directed Forgotten Pistolero. He’s known for Texas, Adios; Django, Prepare a Coffin, The Sicilian Connection, Nine Guests for a Crime, and Terror Express. 

A childhood friend reunites with a loner who's a gifted gunslinger and reveals to him the truth about his father's death.

Forgotten Pistolero is another in a long line of revenge-themed spaghetti westerns. The narrative revolves around a protagonist named Sebastian, who has lived a sheltered life with the woman he thought was his mother. When he was a boy, his father was murdered and that woman rescued him. That said, he has memories from the past, and yet there is still a large portion that remains unknown to him.

While the initial setup effectively establishes a strong foundation, it does have shortcomings regarding the backstory. Most notable of these is why Sebastian’s memory of the night is so murky and why his mother never looked for him. When it comes to the former, maybe the trauma from that night repressed his memories, while the latter is more head-scratching.

Something you can always count on with spaghetti westerns is familiar faces. Notable cast members are Peter Martell (Death Walks at Midnight) in the role of Rafael, Sebastian’s childhood friend; Pilar Velázquez (A White Dress for Marialé) in the role of Isabella, Sebastian’s sister; and Luciano Rossi (Death Smiles on a Murderer) in a rare non-menacing role. The most memorable performance is Luciana Paluzzi (Thunderball) in the role of Sebastian’s mother. Her character is ruthless and cold-blooded in her interactions. The most disappointing performance is Leonard Mann’s (The Unholy Four) one-dimensional portrayal of Sebastian.

If there was a popular genre cycle in the 1960s, 70s, or 80s of Italian cinema, you could count on Ferdinando Baldi cranking out a few films. Although he was a workmanlike filmmaker whose films never really had any distinguishable attributes, something that can be said about most of his films is that they are well-crafted. That said, he's a filmmaker who excelled most at action set pieces.

Forgotten Pistolero’s narrative opens and closes with its best moments. The narrative does a great job drawing you in and holding your attention while it builds to a symbolic ending where Sebastian exorcises his demons. Another aspect in which spaghetti westerns excel is their musical scores. Roberto Pregadio, known for his work on "Death Carries a Cane," delivers an outstanding score that effectively enhances the film's mood. Ultimately, Forgotten Pistolero's positives far outweigh its negatives, making a film that spaghetti western fans should thoroughly enjoy.

Forgotten Pistolero gets a strong audio/video presentation from Carabola Media.

 

Written by Michael Den Boer