Keoma is a 1976 Spaghetti Western film starring Franco Nero.
Keoma Shannon, a mixed-race gunslinger, returns to his hometown after serving on the Union side of The American Civil War. He discovers that the town is plague-ridden, and being quarantined by a former Confederate commander. Worse, his racist half-brothers are on the payroll of evil. Keoma takes up his guns to save his hometown.
This film contains examples of:
- Arch-Enemy: Keoma has the other Shannon brothers, who have abused him his whole life out of sheer racism.
- Big Bad: Caldwell, the tyrannical ruler of the town.
- Bittersweet Ending Caldwell is killed and Keoma kills his brothers thus freeing the town. However Keoma's father, his friend George and Liza all died in the process.
- Cain and Abel: Keoma's brothers are in Caldwell's army.
- Decoy Antagonist: Despite Caldwell ruling the town and leading the army, it is Keoma's brothers who are the main villains of the film and Caldwell is killed by them before the climax.
- Dragon Their Feet: Caldwell is taken out twenty minutes before the film's end, and the other Shannons try to take the town.
- From Camouflage to Criminal: The villains are former Confederate soldiers who have taken a small town by force.
- Heroic Sacrifice George dies fighting off Caldwell's soldiers in a attempted to help William Shannon escape.
- Improbable Aiming Skills: The only two men who can shoot a target without looking at it are Keoma and his father.
- Kick the Dog: Caldwell killing Keoma's dad even when he gives himself up.
- Morality Pet: The other Shannon brothers only refrain from killing Keoma because their pa loves him. They also kill Caldwell for killing him. Of course, this doesn't stop them from using his death to seize control of the town.
- Politically Incorrect Hero: Keoma is a downplayed example mixed in with some Deliberate Values Dissonance. The most prominent examples of this can be seen when calls George the N-word in frustrated anger but apologizes quickly afterwards. He later even mentions that he ultimately couldn't care less about another individual's skin color.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: The other Shannon brothers bullied Keoma relentlessly because he's half-Indian.
- Protagonist Title
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: The climax of the film has Keoma going on one against his brothers, who have spent their entire lives tormenting him for being racist and eventually crucify him.
- Sean Connery Is A Bout To Shoot You: More
◊ than◊ one of the film's DVD re-release depicts Keoma about to shoot the audience. - The Starscream: The Shannon brothers decide to hide their time and wait for Keoma and Caldwell to kill each other, then take over the town.
