Most casual film fans know of the “spaghetti western” but they are usually only familiar with the Clint Eastwood “Man With No Name” trilogy. And while the international success of those films did inspire a whole slew of Italian cowboy anti-heroes with mixed results, there are some real gems mixed in with the knockoffs. The proper Sartana films, collected here in a gorgeous box set, are all outstanding cowboy yarns for those who take their westerns seriously.

Gianni Garko portrays the character of Sartana in four of the five films that fans count as the official and classic quintet. In the same way that there are Django films that have nothing to do with the original Django film, there are several films with Sartana in the title that have no affiliation with these five releases. Joe Hilton takes the lead role in the third film I Am Sartana, Trade Your Guns For A Coffin. Gianfranco Parolini directed the first film and Guiliano Carnimeo directed the last four of the films. Klaus Kinski appears as different characters in the first two films.

Both Garko and Hilton portray Sartana with the same unpredictable cunning and nothing is lost between the portrayals. The film restorations look great and this set is chock full of extras. Included are commentaries, an interview with director Parolini and others on the creative team, a couple of documentaries and more.