If you're counting, "Django, Prepare A Coffin" (1968),starring Terence Hill, was writer & director Ferdinando Baldi's second Spaghetti western. "Texas, Adios" (1966),with Franco Nero, marked Baldi's debut in the genre after years of helming sword and sandal sagas such as "Duel of Champions" with Alan Ladd and "Son of Cleopatra" (1964) with Mark Damon. Baldi would later make other westerns, such as "Rita of the West" (1968) with Terence Hill, "Forgotten Pistolero" (1969) with Leonard Mann, "Blindman" (1971) with Tony Anthony, "Get Mean" (1975) with Tony Anthony," and finally "Comin' At Ya" (1981),with Anthony again. Meantime, Corbucci's landmark western "Django" (1966) inspired countless in-name-only knock-offs galore. Eventually, Nero starred in director Nello Rossati's lackluster sequel "Django Strikes Again" (1987) that bore little resemblance to Corbucci's muddy western revenge opera. Django still has his faithful machine gun in this adventure yarn set in South America with our hero trying to become a monk. Nothing about "Django Strikes Again" has anything to do with the dusty Old West. The film seemed like another one of those Italian jungle movies about mercenaries.

One of the many "Django" westerns that followed in the dust of the original "Django" was Baldi's "Django, Prepare A Coffin." Reportedly, Franco Nero was offered the lead role, but the actor headed off to Hollywood instead to co-star with Richard Harris in the Warner Brothers' musical "Camelot." Searching for a suitable actor to replace the steely-eyed Nero, Baldi settled on blue-eyed Terence Hill, who had previously been in two German westerns based on Karl May's western novels about the Native American character "Winnetou." At this point in his career, Terence Hill had yet to poke fun at westerns with his "Trinity" movies. Indeed, Hill plays it straight without a hint of humor in this shoot'em up. Moreover, Hill's Django differs from Nero's Django. While the streets are still muddy, Django appears here as if "Django, Prepare A Coffin" were a prequel. Django's hands haven't been stomped and broken so badly that he cannot shoot a six-gun. If you recall the original "Django," the eponymous hero desperately sought to balance a six-gun on a graveyard cross in a cemetery so he could kill the villainous Eduardo Fajardo. In "Django, Prepare A Coffin," Django's hands are as good as new, and he is a crack shot with a revolver. Like Nero's Django, Terence Hill's Django is married, but he has been working for a greedy, unscrupulous politician, David Barry (Horst Frank of "The Grand Duel"),but he stops working for him so he can escort a wagon-load of money to Atlanta, Georgia. Barry dispatches a cold-blooded killer, Lucas (George Eastman of "The Unholy Four"),to ambush Django and steal the gold. Lucas also kills Django's wife (Adriana Giuffrè) during the robbery.

Five years elapse, and Django is nowhere to be found, but he has a job as a hangman. He wears black and he is unshaven. The catch is that Django refuses to hang anybody. Most of those criminals have been framed for their crimes by his own nemesis Barry. Instead, Django has fashioned a vest that enables him to fool spectators into believing that the condemned have been hanged. Essentially, Django drapes a hood over their heads so nobody can see that they haven't died. This sounds like what Blonde and Tuco did in Sergio Leone's "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly." However, Django not only allows the condemned to live, but also requires them to join his gang that he is assembling to wreck vengeance on Barry. When three ungrateful men refuse to ride along with our hero and help him against Barry, Django guns them down in a fair fight. Somewhere along the way, one of the hanged men, a poverty-stricken Indian named Garcia (José Torres),decides to rob another gold laden wagon. After Garcia and his followers get the loot, each of them begins to die. The villains turn against themselves, and Garcia convinces them that they must cross over the border to be safe. While they are crossing the river, the treacherous Garcia picks them off like sitting ducks with his Winchester repeating rifle. By this time, the villains have learned about Django's plans for Barry. Barry's men capture Django and beat him up. The treatment that he suffers at their hands isn't as awful as what Nero endured in the original. Barry wants the money, and Django leads him to a sprawling graveyard where he plans to open a grave with the money in it. Instead, the coffin contains a machine gun, but Django uses it to wipe out Barry and his army of gunslingers. This is one of the standard tropes in Spaghetti westerns where one man wields a Gatling gun or a machine gun against the villains to mow them down.

Although it isn't as great as the original "Django," "Django, Prepare A Coffin" qualifies as an above-average, dramatic, straight-faced Terence Hill western with little comedy, but plenty of action.

Shrewd roving gunslinger Django (an excellent and convincing performance by Terence Hill) gets hired by the sadistic Lucas (a perfectly nasty portrayal by the always imposing George Eastman) as a hangman to execute innocent folks who have been framed by Lucas. However, Django doesn't kill these men; instead he spares their lives and makes them members of his gang so he can get revenge on cruel and unscrupulous politician David (finely played by Horst Frank) for murdering his wife. Ably directed by Ferdinando Baldi (who also co-wrote the intriguing script),with a steady pace, a twangy, harmonic score by Gianfranco Reverberi (the jaunty theme song totally smokes),a compelling premise, slick cinematography by Enzo Barboni (the gliding tracking shots are especially impressive),a tough, serious tone, well-staged action set pieces (the expected rough'n'ready fisticuffs and fierce shoot-outs are both smack dead on the money exciting while a thrilling stage coach robbery rates as the definite pulse-pounding highlight),and strong central themes concerning honor and revenge, this movie certainly makes the grade as a superior spaghetti Western winner. Kudos are also in order for the sound acting from the capable cast: Hill excels in a juicy lead role, with bang-up support from Frank, Eastman, Jose Torres as the lethal, treacherous Garcia, and the lovely Barbara Simon as Garcia's fetching, loyal wife Mercedes. Recommended viewing for spaghetti Western buffs.

This moving Spaghetti packs noisy action , thrills , emotion , gun-play with exciting final . It deals with a strange gunslinger named Django (Terence Hill) is hired by a political wealthy man (Horst Frank) and his hoodlum (George Eastman) as a hangman to execute innocent villagers accused by the local crooked boss , who wishes their land . What the governor doesn't know is that Django isn't hanging the inmates at all , just making it look like he is, and using the prisoners he saves from the gallows to create his own band (Jose Torres , among others) in order to take revenge on the governor , but he then is caught up in a struggle against them . As mysterious Django looks for vengeance against the spouse's murderers and ultimately takes the law on his own hands .

This meaty Western contains an interesting but well known plot , violence , shoot'em up and results to be quite entertaining , though drags at times , balancing in ups and downs . Above average Spaghetti Western follows the Sergio Leone/Sergio Corbucci wake and it is proceeded in violent style . The film packs violence , shootouts , high body-count and it's fast moving and quite entertaining . It's a thrilling western with breathtaking confrontation between the protagonist Terence Hill against the heartless Horst Frank , George Eastman or Luigi Montefiori and his underlings who caused the death of his wife years before . Terence Hill is fine , he ravages the screen , hit and run and kills . This movie is a lot of fun to watch . It's an agreeable story with a touch of peculiarity , some particular characters, and an amazing music score . The picture is a tale of justice and revenge, as a man returns to carry out a relentless vendetta . The basic plot is typical spaghetti western fare , but what makes this movie stand out is its style . This is an exciting film, plenty action , thrills, fights , gun-down and breathtaking outdoors from Lacio , Rome , and interiors in Elios Studios . In the picture appears Spaghetti habitual secondaries playing brief interventions such as Guido Lollobrigida or Lee Burton , Gina Lollobrigida's brother , Spartaco Conversi , Luciano Rossi ,Giovanni Ivan Scratuglia or Ken Wood as a henchman , Remo De Angelis and Andrea Scotti . The notorious Spaghetti actor , Terence Hill is good in his usual tough role . The pic is well starred by Mario Girotti or Terence Hill , he began playing secondary roles into typical examples of popular Italian films of the late 50s as sword and sandal epics, comedies, adventures and was with spaghetti westerns that renamed achieved worldwide stardom . His acting is often accused of being wooden, but in many manners is ideally suited to playing the steely-faced gunslinger synonymous with the genre . Since then he has concentrated on action/adventure films starring himself and often working with long time partner Bud Spencer. He appeared in 18 films with frequent co-star Bud Spencer , both of whom starred Spaghetti , Fagioli Western , comedy ,adventure and police stories .

There is plenty of action in the movie , guaranteeing some shoot'em up or stunts every few minutes. There is a very odd implementation of shots in the camera work during some particular scenes as the film approaches its climax , as in the final gunfights and the customary showdown conclusion . The movie gets the usual Western issues, such as avenger antiheroes , violent facing off , exaggerated baddies, soundtrack with Morricone influence , among them . The sense of pacing is such that his film can be counted on to move quickly and smoothly . Good production design creating an excellent scenario with luminous outdoors, dirty and rocky landscapes under a shinning sun and fine sets shot in Monte Gelato Falls, Treja River, Lazio, Italy . Brilliant cinematography by Enzo Barboni who subsequently directed to Terence Hill and Spencer in Trinity and Bambino saga . Great musical score by Gianfranco Reverberi , furthermore a catching and emotive leitmotif , including enjoyable song in main titles .

¨Viva Django¨ was compellingly realized by Ferdinando Baldi . Direction by Ferdinando Baldi is well crafted, here he is less cynical and more inclined toward violence and packs too much action . Baldi makes a nice camera work with clever choreography on the showdown , fighting , stirring shootouts and bemusing scenes . Baldi was a craftsman who directed all kind genres but especially Western such as "Carambola's Philosophy: In the Right Pocket" , "Blindman" , ¨Il Pistolero dell'Ave Maria" or USA original title "Forgotten Pistolero" , ¨Adios Texas¨ , ¨Rita in the West¨ and of course ¨"Django Sees Red" at his best . "Django, Prepare a Coffin" ¨ is an outlandish , surprising and uneven story that will appeal to Western aficionados . Rating : 7 , riotous Western in which there's too much action and violence and excitement enough . ¨El Mio Nome e Django¨ (1969) is an acceptable Western to enjoy the Spaghetti fans .

After successful original ¨Django¨ by Sergio Corbucci with Franco Nero , it was followed by several imitations , rip offs and cheesy copies , such as : ¨Pochi dollar per Django¨ or ¨Alambradas De Violencia¨ (1966) by Leon Klimowsky starred by Anthony Steffen , Gloria Osuna , Frank Wolff ; ¨Django Le Bastard¨(1969) by Sergio Garrone with Anthony Steffen , Paolo Gozlino ; ¨¨Django defies Sartana¨(1969) by Pasquale Squitieri with George Ardisson and Tony Kendall ; ¨Ein Pressen Fur Django¨ or ¨Barro en Ojos¨(1971) by Edoardo Mulargia with Anthony Steffen ; and the official sequel titled ¨Il Grande Ritorno¨(1987) by Nello Rossati with Franco Nero , Christopher Connolly and Donald Pleasence .