To be honest, I can see how this film could be a little tedious to sit through if you are expecting anything clever. It is clever, but it is well hidden. The subtext relates to the American invasion of Nicaragua in the 1980's, relocated to a spaghetti western Spanish village, with the Mcmahon gang (played by pseudo Irish folk-punkers The Pogues, with Elvis Costello as the butler) taking the part of the anarcho-syndicalist Sandanista government and the gang of robbers (including The Clash's Joe Strummer and Courtney Love) turning up and upsetting the status quo. They are playing the roles of the American trained rebels sent in to overthrow the government. Still with me? Good. There is an uneasy alliance until IG Farben (Nazi chemical manufacturer in real life, trivia fans) turns up and provides them with a suitcase full of weapons, which indirectly leads to the kicking off of a huge firefight, resulting in the deaths of everyone who lives in the village. After all the land owners are dead, Farben returns, and sets up his oil drilling business with no competition. Satirical, and quite apt, given the current climate. On the other hand, abandon the politics and enjoy the spectacle of a slew of eighties punk-rockers having a great time in the Spanish desert.
Review of Straight to Hell
