The Magnificent Two

I remember seeing this movie as a child with my brothers and sisters sometime in the 80's and we loved it. We were all already very familiar with their comedy series and were elated when we heard that they were in this movie. What made it so memorable was the plot itself. Really simple and straight forward, quirky and funny. Then there is the contrast between the two main characters and their Latin American co characters. It simply flowed and it worked very very well. It had some slapstick, subtle puns, and a few delightful stunts. Ahaaaaaaaaaaa! lest I forget to mention that there is something for the kids as well. It reminds me of 'The three amigos' and is just as funny. It was meant to be light comedy and the producers pulled it off excellently.

Two salesmen travel to a small South American Country to peddle their wares. However the country is in the middle of a major conflict between the Government led by Diaz and the rebels led by Torez. When Torez is accidentally killed the rebels mistaken pick up one of the salesmen, Eric, as he looks like Torez. Eric and Ernie are promised millions to carry on the charade once the rebels take charge. However once Eric takes charge he finds himself back in danger as scheming general Carillo plans to remove the impostor from his role.

This was Morecambe and Wise's final attempt at a movie career and it's easy to see why they called it quits. The plot relies on the old chestnut of the main character being a look-alike for someone else. After that the plot is silly but detailed, so detailed in fact that it covers a few twists and turns in allegiances. However the plot is too heavy and doesn't leave any room for Eric to do any of his improvisation-style comedy.

Their films were all pretty poor, but at least in "The Intelligence Men" the plot was loose and the scenes left room for Eric to do asides and the sort of stuff he did in the TV show. Here they aren't given any rope to do anything special and really the two lead roles could have been played by any comedians. The story is pretty unbelievable for the most part which is a shame because there's damn all laughs to be had. The conclusion which includes an all female army charging a fort wearing only red underwear is pure 60's sexist humour.

This is a very poor vehicle for two great comedians. Morecambe and Wise's TV show is a British masterpiece and it is still fresh decades later. They had an unique style that involved improvisation and the feeling that they weren't just telling jokes they were having a laugh as well. In their films much of this was lost, in The Magnificent Two there is almost none of their humour and it falls flat on it's face.

If you really want to experience this great double act at their best then you really need to check out their British TV show where they had as much fun as the audience. This film is a terrible waste of their talents - it's almost a crime.

Morecambe And Wise Humour Never Really Transferred To The Cinema Screen But Their Movies Actually Performed At The British Box Office. This Third And Final Outing Has A Touch Of The Spaghetti Western About Some Of It And The Humour Might Be Lame But The Score By Ron Goodwin Is More Than Just Fairly Good. The South American Revolution Plot Being Topical At The Time. Watching This Again Over 50 Years Later The Movie Is More Interesting As A Time Capsule Than A Comedy.

The third and last of the Morecambe & Wise spin-off movies. It's better than THE INTELLIGENCE MEN but THAT RIVIERA TOUCH was the highlight of the trilogy. This one's solid enough, with an interesting revolutionary South American setting amid the usual mainstay plot of '50s and '60s British comedy, the mistaken identity. Some of the word gags are very funny, like "I'm going to siesta".

There are not many reviews about this film and 2 thirds of them are poor, one who calls it drivel !!

It is actually very funny, particularly the physical side of it, and the dialogue is good, its a bit of a cross between 'The Magnificent Seven' (where it gets its mocking title) and 'Carry On Cowboy', it does mock the former film, but not in a direct way, apart from the title, Eric & Ernie bounce off each other well and the other actors pick up the slack, its not the best film, and just as good as their previous 2, but certainly not rubbish like some are making bit out to be, its a daft comedy from 2 comedians, what do they want 'Schindler's List'?

So ignore the negative reviewers, take a look, if you like physical comedy, with a bit of good dialogue, this might be right up your street, and even if it doesn't get you in stitches, your time will not be wasted.