DJANGO SHOOTS FIRST (1966) - 4K UHD Release 24 August 2026
THE REVISIT
Revisiting Django Shoots First sixty years after its original release means confronting one of the great complications of spaghetti western history: the title Django became so powerful that it almost swallowed the films surrounding it.
When Sergio Corbucci's Django, starring Franco Nero, arrived in 1966, it changed the trajectory of the Italian western. Nero's mud-caked gunslinger, dragging a coffin through a bleak and brutal landscape, became an icon almost overnight. The name Django quickly became a brand in itself, appearing across a sprawling, often unofficial cycle of films designed to capitalise on the character's popularity.
But Django Shoots First occupies a fascinating position within that history.
Released in the very same year as Nero's Django, Alberto De Martino's film can be overshadowed by the cultural impact of Corbucci's masterpiece. Yet to dismiss it as simply another opportunistic use of a familiar name would be to overlook a thoroughly entertaining and highly accomplished example of the spaghetti western at its creative peak.
This is a film made before the Django phenomenon had fully calcified into a marketing machine. It shares the genre's love of revenge, corruption, gunplay and morally compromised heroes, but it also carries its own identity.
StudioCanal's brand-new 4K restoration provides the perfect opportunity to look beyond the name and appreciate Django Shoots First on its own considerable merits.
WHY THIS FILM STILL MATTERS
The spaghetti western was never simply Hollywood's Old West viewed through an Italian lens.
By the mid-1960s, filmmakers such as Sergio Leone, Sergio Corbucci and countless others had transformed the western into something rougher, stranger and more cynical. Heroes were no longer spotless defenders of civilisation. They were bounty hunters, mercenaries, drifters and avengers. Towns were corrupt, institutions were compromised and justice was often something purchased at the end of a gun.
Django Shoots First fits comfortably within that evolution.
At its centre is a familiar but endlessly effective western motivation, revenge. Django's journey begins with the discovery of his father's body and leads him towards Silver Creek, where questions of inheritance, betrayal and vengeance quickly become inseparable.
But what makes the film particularly interesting is its position at the birth of the Django phenomenon.
The original Nero film would go on to cast an enormous shadow, influencing sequels, unofficial follow-ups, imitators and films that simply borrowed the name to attract audiences. Django Shoots First, however, exists at the moment when that mythology was still forming.
Seen today, it feels less like an imitation and more like a parallel expression of the genre's fascination with the lone gunslinger. The name may invite comparison, but Alberto De Martino's film earns its place through its own energy, style and sheer enthusiasm for the conventions of the spaghetti western.
THE DIRECTOR, THE CAST & THE CRAFT
Alberto De Martino is one of those fascinating Italian genre directors whose career demonstrates just how fluid European exploitation and popular cinema could be.
As explored in my recent review of The Counsellor, De Martino was an immensely versatile filmmaker. He moved between horror, espionage, science fiction and crime thrillers with remarkable ease, bringing a craftsman's instinct for pace and audience expectation to every genre he tackled.
Django Shoots First arrived early in that journey, but his confidence is already clear.
De Martino understands the importance of momentum. Bar fights, confrontations and graveyard shootouts are staged with a pleasing directness, while the story rarely wastes time before pushing its hero towards the next betrayal or burst of violence. It's efficient genre filmmaking, but never anonymous.
Glenn Saxson makes for a charismatic Django. He may not possess the mythic presence that Franco Nero brought to the character, but that's arguably part of the film's appeal. His Django feels more grounded in the traditions of the revenge western…a determined man pursuing a personal reckoning rather than an almost supernatural symbol emerging from the mud.
Nando Gazzolo is excellent as the villain, bringing the necessary menace and theatricality demanded by the genre, while Fernando Sancho provides exactly the kind of weathered screen presence spaghetti western fans will immediately recognise.
The supporting cast is equally impressive. Evelyn Stewart, Guido Lollobrigida and Erika Blanc all bring personality to the world of Silver Creek, while the brief appearance from Eurocult legend George Eastman, RIP, is a wonderful bonus for devoted genre fans.
Visually, the film benefits from the kind of widescreen compositions and rugged landscapes that helped define the spaghetti western. The cinematography makes excellent use of open spaces, dusty streets and carefully framed confrontations, understanding that the western duel is as much about waiting as shooting.
The score is equally important. Like the best Italian western music of the era, it doesn't simply accompany the action, it creates identity. Dramatic themes and rhythmic tension give the film the heightened, almost operatic energy that separated the spaghetti western from its American counterpart.
THE 4K EXPERIENCE
StudioCanal's new 4K restoration gives Django Shoots First the kind of presentation that can genuinely change how a lesser-seen genre title is appreciated.
Fine detail is significantly improved, allowing the textures of costumes, weathered faces and dusty locations to come through with far greater clarity. The natural film grain is retained, ensuring the image feels cinematic rather than artificially scrubbed clean.
Colour reproduction is particularly welcome for a film built around the visual contrasts of the western landscape. Earthy browns, sun-drenched exteriors and darker interior sequences all benefit from the increased resolution and improved contrast.
The action also gains considerably from the restoration. Shootouts, bar-room brawls and stunt work have a greater sense of physicality, reminding us how much of the genre's appeal came from tangible locations and practical filmmaking rather than elaborate spectacle.
This may not have the instantly recognisable iconography of Corbucci's Django, but StudioCanal's presentation makes a persuasive case for rediscovering it as a handsome and energetic spaghetti western in its own right.
SPECIAL FEATURES – PUTTING THE FILM IN CONTEXT
StudioCanal has assembled a thoughtful collection of extras that should appeal to both dedicated western fans and newcomers to the film.
The new interview with Glenn Saxson is an especially valuable inclusion, offering insight from the actor at the centre of the production.
The standout, however, is the new commentary from filmmaker Alex Cox. As both a director and the author of 10,000 Ways to Die: A Director's Take on the Italian Western, Cox is exceptionally well placed to explore the film's position within the wider spaghetti western tradition and the extraordinary cultural legacy of the Django name.
Interviews with Erika Blanc and Evelyn Stewart provide further perspective on the production, while the new 12-page booklet (I sadly didnt get a productised copy of the release) is advertised to feature an essay by Peter Raleigh which will add welcome historical context.
It's not an overwhelming package, but it is a carefully selected one, placing the emphasis on understanding the film rather than simply padding the disc with material.
Final Thoughts
Django Shoots First may never escape the shadow of Franco Nero's legendary Django, but perhaps that's precisely why this release is so welcome.
The film deserves to be considered as more than a footnote in the history of a famous name. It's a fast, stylish and thoroughly entertaining spaghetti western from a director who understood genre filmmaking instinctively, featuring a strong cast and enough action, revenge and dusty frontier corruption to satisfy even the most hardened Euro-western fan.
Its greatest historical fascination lies in its timing. Released during the same year that the Django legend exploded into popular culture, Django Shoots First exists at a remarkable crossroads, part of the genre's wider evolution while standing slightly apart from the myth that would soon dominate it.
StudioCanal's excellent 4K restoration finally gives this overlooked western the opportunity to step out from behind Nero's shadow and prove that there was plenty of room for more than one Django in 1966.
For spaghetti western fans, this is an essential rediscovery.
Score: 4/5
BLURAY INFORMATION FROM PR:
Django Shoots First
BRAND NEW 4K UHD RESTORATION OF THRILLING SPAGHETTI WESTERN
STARRING: GLENN SAXSON, FERNANDO SANCHO, EVELYN STEWART, GUIDO LOLLOBRIGIDA, NANDO GAZZOLO, ERIKA BLANC
DIRECTED BY ALBERTO DE MARTINO
STUDIOCANAL announces a superb 4K restoration of the spaghetti western DJANGO SHOOTS FIRST as part of the Cult Classics range. From prolific Italian director Alberto De Martino (Blazing Magnum), the film - starring Glenn Saxson (The Magnificent Texan) - is released on 24 August with new extras including an interview with the star, a commentary from Sid and Nancy director Alex Cox, a 12 page booklet, fantastic new artwork by Thomas Hodge (aka The Dude Designs), and an O-card. The film is also released on Blu-ray and Digital.
Released in 1966, the same year as Franco Nero’s Django, DJANGO SHOOTS FIRST sees Saxson saddle up for the role, as the gunslinger exacting revenge for his father’s death; with a fantastic performance from Nando Gazzolo as the villain, and strong support from Fernando Sancho (A Pistol For Ringo), Evelyn Stewart (Weapons of Death), Guido Lollobrigida (Red Sun), and Erika Blanc (Devil’s Nightmare).
A superior entry into the Django canon, with bar fights, graveyard shootouts, and even a cameo from the late, great Eurofilm legend George Eastman (The New Barbarians), DJANGO SHOOTS FIRST is a terrific example of the spaghetti western genre in its prime. Revenge or justice? Either way, DJANGO SHOOTS FIRST is a blast!
SYNOPSIS: After Django finds his father’s body in the possession of a bounty hunter, he kills the bounty hunter and heads for the town of Silver Creek to collect the reward money for himself. When Django learns his father owned half of the town, he sets out to claim his
rightful inheritance from his father’s crooked, double-crossing business partner.
DJANGO SHOOTS FIRST is available to buy on 4K UHD, Blu-ray and Digital from 24th August 2026 and available to pre-order.
EXTRAS:
NEW Interview with Glenn Saxson
NEW Audio commentary by filmmaker Alex Cox, author of 10,000 Ways to Die: A Director’s Take on the Italian Western
Erika’s Saloon - interview with Erika Blanc
Evelyn in the West - an interview with Evelyn Stewart
The 4K UHD and Blu-ray both include a 12 page booklet with new essay from Peter Raleigh
Certificate: 12
Running Time: 96 mins approx.