Dos súperlocos y los hipopótamos

The Hill & Spencer movies were never famous for their brilliant stories, but this one doesn't even make an effort. Plotless, slow-paced, boring and only occasionally amusing, it feels like a film that was made out of obligation, rather than like something that the stars and the filmmakers put their hearts in. At least with its animal-friendly messages you could say it's good for kids, but no - they'll be as bored with it as anyone else. (**)

Terence Hill and Bud Spencer don't get along as they partner in a tourist bust in Africa. But they really don't like Joe Bugner, who's shipping animals and ivory to Canada, and forcing the locals out of their homes. Hill and Spencer wander around, engage in rowdydows, and let the captured animals escape in this chaotic comedy.

Not everything works; there's a sequence in which Bugner is serving them expensive foods like lobster and caviar, who turns into disgusting rather than funny. However, the good humor, the siport for Native life, and the opposition to pillaging the local animals should win a lot of sympathy points, as these two just go about destroying anything that gets in their way.

GRAU GRAU GRAU!! Love this movie! Only in a Spencer/Hill movie can you see a man eat a lobster whole, comic fight scenes, & a bulldozer jailbreak. This has to be one of the best non-western films the pair has done. They are out to save wildlife from the greed of poachers, The former heavy-weight champ bad guy is terrific. Spencer does a bunch of his fist hammers on the top of the bad guys heads (NEVER gets old to see that!)Hill avoids punches, moves out of the way so they end up punching a fellow bad guy (Also.. NEVER gets old!). Lots of fun in this film, Great comdey that was often duplicated by other filmakers but never done as good as these guys can do it. Track down a copy of this and sit back & enjoy it.

For the most part I'm for the Hippopotamus is a standard Hill & Spencer offering, consisting of mild comedy mixed with some fist fights. Like usual the plot isn't much to talk about, and mainly exists as to supply some bad guys for them to brawl with. In this case Jack Ormond and his gang of poachers, who are catching African wildlife which they want to sell to a Canadian zoo! Tom and Slim have to team up to prevent this whichever way they can, misbehaving themselves at lunch, putting up a casino scam and off course talking with their fists...

So far nothing we haven't seen from them before, and the quality too is as usual. Although dated, it has the just OK production values we're used to in a Hill & Spencer movie. Nevertheless it's among my favorites of their work, and that has to be because of the nice scenery together with all the wild animals. We get to see quite a few lions, cheetahs, elephants, zebras, ostriches and wildebeests. Not only nice to look at but they do interact with them in a respectful if not loving way which is quite an accomplishment while sending out a powerful message.

Well worth a watch for that alone.

Whilst it is difficult to ascertain which is the greatest Spencer / Hill film - it could arguably be this or He Who Finds A Friend Finds A Treasure - by some distance this is the greatest cinematic performance to date from the legendary Joe Bugner.

Whilst still a heavyweight boxer, and lest we forget a contender for the world title, Bugner somehow managed to find the time to perform in films such as this. Does he make the the transition with success? Oh yes, certainly. It turns out that Bugner is an exceptional actor; what a shame his talents have not been used in too many other films.

Fans of Spencer and Hill will no doubt have seen this film already, but for anyone out there looking for more Joe Bugner than they have already seen then this is the film for you.