Ben und Charlie

I saw this movie for the first time twenty years or so ago. In this time,I found it absolutely fantastic, extremely enjoyable, with a good plot (what is not common in a spaguetti western) and two very interesting characters superbly played by Gemma and Eastman. If you can find this movie (under its English title "Ben and Charlie) take it. It's really a good western movie, not just for addicts, I can guarantee. You'll find that even in the so under-estimated genre of the spaghetti western, there's some good moments that makes us wonder: maybe these times of bluffing, crazies westerns-movies, that made the fame of actors like Giulliano Gemma, Terence Hill and Bud Spencer are not so bad at all!

This movie is a comedy that is balanced with enough serious action to make it a solid Euro-western.

Giuliano Gemma is excellent as usual in this film. So is George Eastman and the rest of the cast. The movie is very well-made, and the story is very good. The first half of the film is mainly a comedy about a couple of small-time bandits that have a love-hate friendship. The comedy hits the mark for the most part, thanks to the excellent acting and the overall quality of the movie. During the second half, the action really heats up, and the story becomes more interesting.

The music score is also excellent.

For those like me who enjoy seeing weird characters in westerns, there is a sheriff who for no logical reason constantly talks about people picking their noses. It's idiotically bizarre, which is a good thing in a spaghetti western. I laughed harder at that than any other part of the movie.

This Euro-western is definitely one to see.

Italiano westerns rock, even with jazzy piano /country western theme music (I like it!!)

I think E. May saw this film to borrow structural elements for Ishtar - - lol.

Viva Italia.

Now, this is one of those Spaghetti Western comedies, but this one works really well due to the talent in front of the camera and behind it. Plus, it doesn't go overboard with the slapstick and throws in a bit a serious action and tragedy into the mix too.

We first meet Charlie (Eastman, who created the story too) when he's hanging around outside of a jail for days on end. He's waiting on Ben (Gemma), and seemingly is happy to see him when Ben gets out, only to take him out into the desert for a punch up. Looks like Ben and Charlie are two conmen and Ben's last con got him landed in jail, with them both losing everything. You'll also notice here that Gemma's real life skills as a trapeze artist come in handy during fake fights, and that Joe D'Amato's camera films everything like it's a high budget art-house film.

Charlie then tells Ben to head in the opposite direction from him and keep walking, but don't you know the two of the keep bumping into each other while trying to pull various scams (including both of them cheating during a game of cards which of course leads to a bar fight).

Things get more serious when Ben runs into his ex-fiancé that he run away from. She's a high class prostitute that makes plenty of money and Ben tries to put a face on why he's dressed in rags. Realising that he'll never win her back with petty crime, he sets his mind of a big heist and somehow manages to drag Charlie down with him too.

What makes this film better than most of the comedies is that Gemma and Eastman look like they are genuinely having the time of their lives and it shines through in their characters. Eastman's face when he's standing at the bar, penniless, while beer and whiskey fly back and forth is priceless. Giacomo Rossi-Stuart's role could have been bigger, but in the end this is one of the few comedy westerns I'd recommend.

Ben and Charlie (Giuliano Gemma and George Eastman) are two bottom-feeding criminals and ex-partners, who no matter how much they hate and try to avoid one another, keep crossing paths. Before long they re-team and end up embarking on a crime spree, that despite their ineptitude, turns them into notorious outlaws and puts them in the path of many colorful and dangerous characters.

Very much a product of it's time (the early 70's), with it's rambling, character-driven narrative, it's a bit loose and episodic during it's first half. Once it gets going though, this free-spirited action-adventure is consistently amusing and a lot of fun, with Gemma and Eastman very appealing.

Production values are pretty good, as is the photography by Aristide Massacesi, better known as Joe D'Amato, director of several infamous sex and gore films, often starring Eastman.