spaghetti western
(spə-ˈge-tē ˈwe-stərn),   n.
  1. a genre of film, originally produced by Italian studios in the 1960's, that eschews the Hollywood Western by painting a revisionist Old West of morally grey characters wielding fantastic weapons with supernatural accuracy across barren deserts and sandblasted towns;  anachronistic props and wardrobe that are weathered and worn;  visceral violence, or the perception thereof;  distorted sound and out of sync dialog;  grindhouse visuals laden with gritty practical effects and real gunfire;  high energy musical scores featuring electric guitars, guttural screams and quirky instrumentation;  mythical storylines wrapped in surreal fantasy.
  2. fist of guanto.

The Goal

"Fist of Guanto" is a proposed feature film that expands upon the characters and mythology, as well as the production values and aesthetic styling, of the award winning short film "Shoot in Any Direction and You'll Hit a Bastard" which we independently produced to test our big ideas on a smaller scale, in order to prove that we could do it ourselves with quality results.

Now, with the short film under our belt, we intend to produce a full length film that will go beyond paying homage and instead epitomize an authentic Spaghetti Western production, incorporating all of the genres tropes, apart from being American made in the Mojave rather than an international co-production from the deserts of Spain.

In summary, we've labored over a proof of concept to clearly illustrate the type of feature film we are capable of delivering. The awards and accolades the pilot project happened to garner only strengthens our conviction to bring this spaghetti western to life.

Our goal is twofold...

  1. Secure funding.
  2. Scale up the production from our completed short film to our written feature film, ensuring the creative vision, meticulous attention to detail and idiosyncrasies of the genre remain intact despite the increased resources, responsibilities and challenges.


A one man, one hand, army

Mutilated and left for dead by outlaws, a reclusive gravedigger awakens to find his dismembered hand replaced by a fantastic weapon. He roams the American Southwest seeking vengeance… and his fingers.


Set in the American Southwest several years after the Civil War, Fist of Guanto tells the story of a reclusive gravedigger who unknowingly leads three sadistic outlaws to a fallen soldier buried with thousands of U.S. banknotes. The barbarous Ramón Roman, the mysterious Crimson 41 and the opium-riddled Eldritch Cain ambush the sexton, cutting off each of his fingers and leaving him for dead. A wandering gunfighter, Archimedes of Syracuse, discovers the unconscious gravedigger and calls upon his old friend, The Surgeon General, to perform a miracle. The transformed "Guanto" awakens to find his mutilated hand replaced by an iron gauntlet that can shoot bullets from its fingertips.

With his fantastic weapon in tow, Guanto sets out across the desert wasteland seeking revenge… and his severed fingers. Throughout his journey Guanto is joined by his rescuer Archimedes, as well as Marionette, the enchanting proprietor of the El Bardo saloon who harbors a treacherous secret.

Guanto’s journey ultimately leads him to the enigmatic Colonel Leviathan Briggs, a battle-scarred veteran who may not be what he appears. Unraveling the mystery of his fate, Guanto exacts bloody vengeance upon his enemies at the risk of sacrificing his closest allies.

The 90 page feature film screenplay Fist of Guanto is set to be directed by Brahm Taylor and produced by John Gjonola with executive producers to be announced.

Contact

If you would like to help us get Fist of Guanto off the ground, please contact us.