Ein Halleluja für zwei linke Brüder

Loud, obnoxious western "comedy", about two estranged brothers who get reunited after receiving an inheritance. One of them is a womanizer who wants to use his money to build a whorehouse, the other a self-righteous priest. Forced comedy ensues after both run into assorted characters and situations. Unsuccessful attempt to capture the effortless zaniness of Terence Hill's Trinity movies, this film seems to go on forever, getting louder and more irritating (everyone mugs too much here) as it goes along. See it only if you are a Richard Harrison fan (he's quite good, regardless) or a Western junkie.

With the success of the two of the "Trinity" spaghetti westerns starring Terence Hill and Bud Spencer, it was inevitable that other Italian film producers would try to copy the formula, which is what "Jesse And Lester" is. Like the "Trinity" films, the two main characters are half-brothers, and to further the connection there's a town by the name of "Trinity"! I wouldn't mind this copying had this clone been funny, but it isn't. Richard Harrison and Donald O'Brien aren't exactly actors known for their comic skill, and the two of them have absolutely no chemistry put together. Not only is the movie desperately unfunny, there is no real plot to speak of - it's just one vignette after another with no real connection to each other. I usually love spaghetti westerns, so it should be real clear how bad this effort is if even I hated it.

This easy-to-like Italian western comedy was one of the many early 70s knock-offs of the financially successful "Trinity" films starring Terence Hill and Bud Spencer. Although I've always liked the Hill/Spencer vehicles, JESSE AND LESTER is to me a much better film. First of all, Richard Harrison possesses a charisma and sexual appeal that Hill has never had--he's also an actor with a lot of depth and plays the charming rogue character very well. And Donald O'Brien is quite convincing as the devout Mormon. Also, the film is beautifully shot and a pleasure to watch throughout. And that comes through even on the cheap Venezuelan video I own. While the film may run a bit too long (comedies, for me, tend to work better when approx. 80 minutes), it is a little- known gem that should appeal to any fan of the Trinity series... or anyone who likes a good western comedy.

Gunslinging whore-monger Richard Harrison and uptight Mormon Donal O'Brien are estranged brothers who inherit a ranch from their mother, only to find it inhabited by a rowdy group of strip-miners. Unfortunately, getting their land back turns out to be much easier than dealing with each other or keeping a handle on the resulting cash.

Another loosely plotted, low budget entry from the waning days of the Italian western and full of the usual comedic hijinks, this is definitely no classic. However, it is somewhat more interesting than a lot of similar movies, thanks to it's stars and slightly more restrained use of comedy.

When watching Richard Harrison in something like this or his later ninja movies, it's hard to imagine why he would allegedly turn down iconic leading roles in A Fistful Of Dollars and Django!

... you start purposefully seeking out material like JESSE & LESTER, former matinée idol Richard Harrison's rarely seen attempt to make a "Trinity" type slapstick comedy western. Everybody who was anybody had to try making one of these after 1971 and you have to give the guy credit for taking the chance even if he came up empty. Harrison got busy and corralled writer Renzo Genta -- who had already secured his place in history for having penned the marvelous DAY OF ANGER -- to be his fall guy director, conned eventual Euro horror legend Donald O'Brien into wearing a ridiculous fake Dunkin Munchkins beard to be the straight man, and cast himself as a foppish, lovable rogue philandering and fist-fighting his way across the old west in search of a crummy $1500 to build a whorehouse. You know your spaghetti western's ambitions are severely challenged when it's hero can't even come up with an interesting goal. Like blowing Luigi Pistilli's head off, for instance.

The film can be politely described of as an ungainly if harmless mess. Comedy should always be left to either comedians or those with a gift for comic timing, and there are all sorts of examples of spaghetti western comedies that "work" even when bypassing the Trinity formula. Check out Anthony Steffen and Daniel Martin in TOO MUCH GOLD FOR ONE GRINGO to see what I mean. That film's hilarity lies within it's attention to understatement, timing, and panache, where JESSE & LESTER is all about gonzo Euro supporting actors running around in silly costumes, waving their arms, and jabbering excitedly. Between so-called comic encounters there are fistfights, shootings, jokes involving ladies' bloomers, and Richard Harrison in his long underwear. As another reviewer points out, if you aren't really into this stuff it gets tiresome.

The film does have a few saving graces to recommend it to fans of the genre: A musical score by Carlo Savina announces the funny parts with lots of "wahh-wahhh!" muted trumpets, but when it relaxes provides some nice themes, which is what one should expect from Carlo Savina. There's some interesting supporting work done by George Wang in particular (another one of those actors like Steffen who just happens to have a sense for comic timing), Rick Boyd gets to show off his bleached blond hair as a dubiously talented gunslinger, and familiar faces like Fortunato Arena, Claudio Ruffini, and good old John P. Dulaney of ROBOWAR fame rumble it up as assorted desperadoes, con-artists, and unfortunates who's fate leads them into Jesse & Lester's path. Pretty Anna Zinnemann gets to look pretty as Harrison's would-be romantic interest (he generously supplied himself with several, actually). And there are some inappropriate touches of brutality that ingeniously work to undermine the film's comic intentions, including a big, sprawling shootout at the end that seems to go on and on and on ...

Obviously I am not the person to be reviewing this film, and I will offer one concession. Actually, two: The fullscreen pan/scan formatted version of the film that I saw makes it impossible to evaluate in terms of characteristics of form, and the movie may very well play out better in the original Italian. Hence the neutral rating of 5/10. Comedy spaghetti's are an acquired taste but in addition to the original Trinity films & TOO MUCH GOLD -- as well as pretty much anything with Eli Wallach, who is hilarious even just eating a plate of stew -- there are a few which have caught my fancy. Like BEN & CHARLIE, which this film took a lot of it's cues from, Enzo Castellari's ONE DOLLAR TOO MANY, Bud Spencer's life-affirming CAN BE DONE, AMIGO!, and the sly, kitschy surrealism of CAPTAIN APACHE which works even when Lee Van Cleef is singing rather than shooting people. He's not bad, actually. To say that one would be better off going with any of those would miss a point, however, which is that films like JESSE & LESTER make them look epic by comparison. To truly appreciate greatness one must experience a certain amount of mediocrity, and one can only sit through BAD MAN'S RIVER so many times.

While watching the movie one thought did keep coming to mind, which was the question of just WHO was this movie made for? It's too violent for kids and not funny enough for general audiences. The answer is so obvious it should go without saying: People who are dangerously addicted to Italian made westerns and will sit through anything just to watch a bunch of Italians dress up like cowboys and ride around in Almeria. Chances are that if you're reading this review you are among that sect, and must seek this movie out immediately lest you miss the chance of being the first kid on the block who can blather on about how genuinely awful it was. Hurry.

5/10