If You Meet Sartana... Pray for Your Death

The rough-edged character of Sartana was created for the 1968 film IF YOU MEET SARTANA… PRAY FOR YOUR DEATH, directed by Gianfranco Parolini and starring Gianni Garko in the title role. Parolini’s movie was playful and fun-loving, even though the body count was still very high. Its success pushed the industry towards a more tongue in-cheek-approach to the genre, and bridged the gap between the diehard westerns in the style of Sergio Leone and the comedy westerns in the style of Enzo Barboni’s TRINITY movies. It would also spawn four sequels.

Several dignitaries organize an insurance swindle by hiring a Mexican gang to steal a strong-box, and an American gang to kill the Mexicans. A mysterious stranger named Sartana invites himself into the middle of this conflict, revolving around rival gangs, the town’s bigwigs and the search for the missing loot. Co-starring Klaus Kinski. - The Spaghetti Western Database