A bizarre comedy/western hybrid with star Terence Hill, who, with his usual partner Bud Spencer, was one of Italy's brightest stars back in the late '60s/'70s. Here, Hill goes it alone with this many-titled movie which rips-off the work of Sergio Leone at numerous points but still succeeds in being a unique little movie, mainly through the cross between silly jokes and slapstick humour and more action-orientated, old-fashioned western behaviour. While not an entirely successful movie, A GENIUS, TWO PARTNERS AND A DUPE moves fast, has a plot to keep your head spinning and is occasionally brilliant.
Things start off as they mean to go on with that most clichéd of western traditions: the duel. Here, Hill's opponent is the inimitable Klaus Kinski who plays Doc Foster, a devious card-player with murder on his mind. Incredibly, Hill's gun flies out of his pocket to shoot Kinski's gun from his head, which gives you some idea of the surrealist humour to expect in this movie. After this initial set-up, which doesn't bear much relevance to the rest of the film other than to play with Leone's conventions and introduce the cocky, joking Hill, the complex plot begins.
What happens is far too detailed to go into here, and I would be lying if I said that I was fully following what was going on throughout. Basically it involves Hill and his cohorts trying to outwit Patrick McGoohan's Major Cabot, who in turn is trying to outwit them. Along the way a tribe of western-dressed Indians, that old staple of the Great Western-Pacific Railway and numerous minor characters get involved. Like Leone, director Damiano Damiani plays with the camera at points, dwelling on moments of silence in some instances and going over the top with others. Ennio Morricone's score is a great asset, as it plays with many classical music pieces as a counterpoint to the on screen action.
My favourite parts of the film were all at the end, with various characters chasing each other in a very old-fashioned way. Some of these scenes are hilarious, like when Hill and some chasing guards hurdle over a number of barriers while a Beethoven riff plays over the action. It has to be seen to be believed. The characterisation is also strong in the leading characters, who have a touch of THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY about them in that generally they all hate each other and spend the movie fighting amongst themselves. Hill's smug presence takes some getting used to but he fits the bill well, and has enough charisma to carry it off; Charlebois is good as the gruff drunk caught up and lost amid the craziness, and the bizarrely named Miou-Miou is perfect as the token female. McGoohan gives a memorable performance and has one of the most amusing voices ever, whilst the supporting cast flesh out their roles with effectiveness.
Allover, not a great film, certainly not up there with the Leone westerns, but more of a fun take on them instead. While I may not have enjoyed all of the movie, Damiani's direction is at times inspired and deserves some credit. I'm sure that in time I'll get to see more of these Italian comedy/westerns and perhaps find out what they're all about.
Things start off as they mean to go on with that most clichéd of western traditions: the duel. Here, Hill's opponent is the inimitable Klaus Kinski who plays Doc Foster, a devious card-player with murder on his mind. Incredibly, Hill's gun flies out of his pocket to shoot Kinski's gun from his head, which gives you some idea of the surrealist humour to expect in this movie. After this initial set-up, which doesn't bear much relevance to the rest of the film other than to play with Leone's conventions and introduce the cocky, joking Hill, the complex plot begins.
What happens is far too detailed to go into here, and I would be lying if I said that I was fully following what was going on throughout. Basically it involves Hill and his cohorts trying to outwit Patrick McGoohan's Major Cabot, who in turn is trying to outwit them. Along the way a tribe of western-dressed Indians, that old staple of the Great Western-Pacific Railway and numerous minor characters get involved. Like Leone, director Damiano Damiani plays with the camera at points, dwelling on moments of silence in some instances and going over the top with others. Ennio Morricone's score is a great asset, as it plays with many classical music pieces as a counterpoint to the on screen action.
My favourite parts of the film were all at the end, with various characters chasing each other in a very old-fashioned way. Some of these scenes are hilarious, like when Hill and some chasing guards hurdle over a number of barriers while a Beethoven riff plays over the action. It has to be seen to be believed. The characterisation is also strong in the leading characters, who have a touch of THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY about them in that generally they all hate each other and spend the movie fighting amongst themselves. Hill's smug presence takes some getting used to but he fits the bill well, and has enough charisma to carry it off; Charlebois is good as the gruff drunk caught up and lost amid the craziness, and the bizarrely named Miou-Miou is perfect as the token female. McGoohan gives a memorable performance and has one of the most amusing voices ever, whilst the supporting cast flesh out their roles with effectiveness.
Allover, not a great film, certainly not up there with the Leone westerns, but more of a fun take on them instead. While I may not have enjoyed all of the movie, Damiani's direction is at times inspired and deserves some credit. I'm sure that in time I'll get to see more of these Italian comedy/westerns and perhaps find out what they're all about.