Mythic film that started the golden stage of spaghetti-Westerns, as well as the legendary duo Spencer-Hill.
Directed precisely by one of the pioneers of this genre, Enzo Barboni, here under his pseudonym, EBClutcher, as was usual at that time, like Carlo Pedersoli (Bud Spencer) and Mario Girotti (Terence Hill), this was a strategy that was used so that these films, in principle made to amuse the European public with its peculiar style of adapted western and in a certain way, parodied, also reach the Anglo-Saxon public, and disguise a little the Italian flavor of these productions.
However, it is precisely that parody, carefree and also comical tone that encumbro to this genre, and in particular, to this film.
Here the protagonists are not straight and honorable agents of the law who punish the thugs and bandits, but they themselves are those bandits, two brothers to be exact, one the youngest, is called Trinidad, attractive, scoundrel, sympathetic, rogue , flirt, vague and anti-hygienic, but fearsome and deadly with the revolver, they nickname him the right hand of the devil.
And on the other hand is his brother, ¨the boy¨, of great stature, grumpy, gluttonous, disheveled and with strong differences with his brother, with whom he nevertheless shares the same unrivaled skill as a gunman ¨ the left hand of the devil¨.
The destinies of both will cross without that they look for it, in a remote town where the boy of falsely makes happen like the sheriff, with the only intention to wait for two comrades with those who to sack the bank of the town, but the arrival of his brother Trinidad, and his particular gift of getting into trouble will completely disrupt the plans of both.
What we have then, is an atypical western so far, where protas are far from being heroes, if not rather two nice scoundrels who will be carried away by events, which usually resolve shots, or hammer, Yes, always with a sense of humor and a kindness, because both brothers are really good-natured, only tanned in the harsh world of the wild West replete with gunmen, thieves, exploiters and all kinds of "actor".
Very well set, of course, in Spain, specifically in Almeria, in the desert of Tabernas, where almost all the films of the genre were filmed, Barboni shows us a Far West quite realistic and approximate to how it should have been in reality, arid , dry, miserable towns exploited by greedy magnates and their thugs, fugitives, bandits, prostitutes, drunkards, people of dubious morality, disheveled. dirty, with beards and dusty hair, the purpose was to break with the classic image of the old films of John Ford or Raoul Walsh, for a type of western as I said before, more casual, more comical.
The chemistry between Spencer and Hill works like a charm and is what sustains a script sometimes hilarious and witty, but it is the connection between these two that makes the film, with a wonderful soundtrack, the initial theme is already a classic, used even by Quentin Tarantino in his tribute, which is what it is, to the genre, Django unchained.
If something could be attributed to this film, it is perhaps a too long duration for what actually has to be counted, which makes in some sections a little cloying, cut ten or fifteen minutes would have benefited enough.
In conclusion, great and hilarious film to which the years have not sat badly but quite the opposite, it looks with total sympathy and nostalgia.
Thank you.
Directed precisely by one of the pioneers of this genre, Enzo Barboni, here under his pseudonym, EBClutcher, as was usual at that time, like Carlo Pedersoli (Bud Spencer) and Mario Girotti (Terence Hill), this was a strategy that was used so that these films, in principle made to amuse the European public with its peculiar style of adapted western and in a certain way, parodied, also reach the Anglo-Saxon public, and disguise a little the Italian flavor of these productions.
However, it is precisely that parody, carefree and also comical tone that encumbro to this genre, and in particular, to this film.
Here the protagonists are not straight and honorable agents of the law who punish the thugs and bandits, but they themselves are those bandits, two brothers to be exact, one the youngest, is called Trinidad, attractive, scoundrel, sympathetic, rogue , flirt, vague and anti-hygienic, but fearsome and deadly with the revolver, they nickname him the right hand of the devil.
And on the other hand is his brother, ¨the boy¨, of great stature, grumpy, gluttonous, disheveled and with strong differences with his brother, with whom he nevertheless shares the same unrivaled skill as a gunman ¨ the left hand of the devil¨.
The destinies of both will cross without that they look for it, in a remote town where the boy of falsely makes happen like the sheriff, with the only intention to wait for two comrades with those who to sack the bank of the town, but the arrival of his brother Trinidad, and his particular gift of getting into trouble will completely disrupt the plans of both.
What we have then, is an atypical western so far, where protas are far from being heroes, if not rather two nice scoundrels who will be carried away by events, which usually resolve shots, or hammer, Yes, always with a sense of humor and a kindness, because both brothers are really good-natured, only tanned in the harsh world of the wild West replete with gunmen, thieves, exploiters and all kinds of "actor".
Very well set, of course, in Spain, specifically in Almeria, in the desert of Tabernas, where almost all the films of the genre were filmed, Barboni shows us a Far West quite realistic and approximate to how it should have been in reality, arid , dry, miserable towns exploited by greedy magnates and their thugs, fugitives, bandits, prostitutes, drunkards, people of dubious morality, disheveled. dirty, with beards and dusty hair, the purpose was to break with the classic image of the old films of John Ford or Raoul Walsh, for a type of western as I said before, more casual, more comical.
The chemistry between Spencer and Hill works like a charm and is what sustains a script sometimes hilarious and witty, but it is the connection between these two that makes the film, with a wonderful soundtrack, the initial theme is already a classic, used even by Quentin Tarantino in his tribute, which is what it is, to the genre, Django unchained.
If something could be attributed to this film, it is perhaps a too long duration for what actually has to be counted, which makes in some sections a little cloying, cut ten or fifteen minutes would have benefited enough.
In conclusion, great and hilarious film to which the years have not sat badly but quite the opposite, it looks with total sympathy and nostalgia.
Thank you.