Theatrical Release Date: USA, 2009
Production Company: David Guglielmo productions
Approximate running time: 20 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
Language: English

Director: David Guglielmo
Writer: David Guglielmo
Cinematographer: Alex Chinnici
Cast: Jakob Von Eichel, Marisa Costa, Ray Reynolds, Angelo Angrisani, Bud Stafford

Synopsis: A mysterious disfigured stranger seeks revenge against those who killed his parents.

Even though the Spaghetti Western genre has long since ridden off into the sunset. In the years since it’s implosion, there has been a reprisal of this genre and it’s continued influence on modern westerns. Most notably Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven.
 
Damn Your Eyes (Part I) was shot on a very modest budget of $5,000 in various locations New York City, New Jersey and Connecticut. And while most independent films get overwhelmed by their limited resources. This production faces its adversity head on and creates something that far exceeds its meager resources.
 
This film’s simplistic plot which is rooted in revenge, it is in line with the type of tales that one would associate with the Spaghetti Western genre. The protagonist a mysterious stranger named Sam is cut from the same antihero mold that is also synonymous with the aforementioned Spaghetti Western genre. Other area’s that this film draws inspiration from the Spaghetti Westerns genre, include its operatic visual style and it’s violent set pieces.

Time and again the one area that most independent films often come up short are the performances. Fortunately this film is one of a handful to go against the grain is this regard. The performances are sufficiently suitable for the story at hand. What’s not to love about a cold blooded protagonist, who’s drink of choice is goat’s milk.

Clocking in at around twenty minutes this film accomplishes a lot. And yet it also leaves plenty of things unresolved. To be fair, there reportedly are to be further installments which are sure to round out the missing pieces of the puzzle. Tell then this short film serves as a good primer for what is sure to be greater things to come story wise.

You can find more information about Damn Your Eyes (Part I) here.