Los amigos

Franco Nero and Anthony Quinn co-star in this odd, period piece about Texas independence. Houston is now the leader of Texas, and sends Johnny and Erastus to knock out those who want to stop integration to the U.S. It's an odd film, since Nero was born in Italy, and Quinn was born in Mexico. The music NEVER matches the mood of the film. and apparently, it was filmed in Spain. They meet up with the Mortons, played by Ira von Fürstenberg and Franco Graziosi. The plot is kind of choppy, with lots of time spent in the madam's house. very 1970s. very italian spaghetti western. Erastus and Johnny are best buddies, but spend the whole film arguing. It IS what it IS. Not bad. it's okay. when Johnny wants to get Deaf's attention, he throws a stone at him... the running gag. shows on Turner Classic now and then. Los Amigos, also known as Deaf Smith. Directed by italian Paolo Cavara, about halfway through his career. Looks like he died young at 56. odd... no info on him anywhere. only made 16 films.

It's 1836 Texas. President Houston is trying to have the new Republic join the United States. He sends his trusted scouts, Erastus Deaf Smith (Anthony Quinn) and Johnny Ears (Franco Nero), to stop rebels plotting to stop the enterprise with help from foreign powers. Johnny watches Susie (Pamela Tiffin) bathing in the river and falls head over heels.

Anthony Quinn is a compelling and powerful voice in cinema. So, let's make his character a mute. It's a simple solution. Just switch the two lead roles. They also don't give the villain enough screen time to develop. The movie needs to build up the big bad before the heroes can take him down. This is sort of a spaghetti western even if it's filmed in Spain. More can be done to create an unique form of communication for these characters. I can imagine some fun hand signal games. In the end, this is an interesting film although still a minor failure.

The war with Mexico over , the new republic of Texas is born . Set in 1836's Texas just after the Republic won its independence from Mexico. President Houston is actively working to have the new republic join the United States of America . But rebel forces , aided by a foreign power , are plotting against him . Houston , busy reorganizing the exhausted forces of Texas sends his faithful scout Erastus . As President Sam Houston instructs one of his agents to put down the plotters , the tough deaf-mute Erastus Smith (Anthony Quinn and based on real-life character) to carry out a dangerous mission . Deaf Smith is the man who hears with his eyes and speaks with his gun . Accompanying him is his best friend the sex-obsessed Johnny Ears, (Franco Nero) who falls for a beautiful prostitute (Pamela Tiffin) , Susie the ¨hooker¨ . But the rebels and the general Martin (Franco Graziosi) have intercepted a message that a deaf-mute spy is in their midst . At the beginning ,there takes a place a massacre executed by rebel henchmen (Romano Puppo , Luciano Martino) against McDonald family and things go wrong .

Pasta Western picture is set post American-Mexican war but ignores the wealth of the authentic history and becomes yet another action/adventure/humor Western and this decent production delivers what it should . However , it relies heavily on the peculiar relationship between Deaf Smith/Anthony Quinn and Johnny Ears/Franco Nero . Here there are some historical remarks about Texas , as the Republic's future is in doubt, with various factions and foreign powers hoping to sway matters to their own advantage . And based on facts , as Deaf Smith was a soldier in Houston's army distinguished for destroying a bridge and there's actually a Deaf Smith County in Texas . Although it has some anachronisms as an out of time machine gun and hokey historical events . It is a decent Western with comedy , tongue-in-cheek , action and plenty of shoot'em up , gun-play , explosion , and some moments results to be quite entertaining . Including a spectacular ending when our protagonists using a machine gun and a lot of dynamite execute a slaughter in which they take down themselves the enemy army . Anthony Quinn gives over-acting as the deaf-mute Erastus "Deaf" Smith , to infiltrate and put down one of the growing rebel factions and sympathetic acting by Franco Nero as his companion Johnny Ears who must not only do Smith's hearing for him, but must also conceal Smith's handicap . Acceptable support cast full of ordinary Spaghetti secondaries as Luciano Rossi , Goffredo Unger , Tom Felleghi , Renato Romano and Romano Puppo .

It packs an anti-climatic musical score by Daniel Pattucci and attractive ¨ballad of Deaf Smith and Johnny Ears¨ sung by Ann Collin . And an atmospheric cinematography in Eastmancolor by Tonino Delli Colli , though a perfect remastering is necessary , being shot on location in Gelato falls , El Lacio , Rome and Almeria , Spain , as usual . The motion picture was regularly directed by Paolo Cavara , a craftsman who made all kinds of genres . As Paolo directed Giallo as ¨Black belly Tarantula¨ , ¨E Tanta Prava¨, Drama/war : ¨La Cattura¨, ¨comedy : "Virility" , ¨Il Lucamone¨, ¨La Lacandiera¨ and especially shock-documentary as ¨L'Occhio Salvaggio¨, ¨Mondo cane¨ , ¨La Donna Nel Mondo¨, ¨Witchdoctor in Tails¨, and ¨I Malamondo¨ .

This is not a bad little movie, of a certain 'style' that was popular when it was made.

It's loud - and violent - at times, but there-in lies a heart and whilst neither (Franco) Nero or (Anthony) Quinn show us their inner feelings, rather like a lesser Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid, there is a sort of loyal, strange chemistry between them, that like the best of friendships, work for reasons only known to them.

Unlike 'B' westerns of 20 years earlier, that almost tried too hard to get the most out of their tiny budget/bad script/untalented actor, director etc, Deaf Ears... doesn't, it just gets on with it, which is nice as we can relax and let it unfold.

Erastus 'Deaf' Smith (Anthony Quinn) is the deaf mute messenger who is hired by General Sam Houston to infiltrate a rebel faction that are trying to stop Texas becoming part of the U.S. His friend, Johnny Eras (Nero) comes to assist him with his mission.

There's the usual womanising in the cat-house that helps beef up both the lead's manliness and the male viewing numbers is there as is blowing things up.

Though the film is also known as the bland 'Los Amigos', it's often and usually goes by this far more intriguing one. I saw it on TCM (Turner Classic Movies). It says on the Radio Times website that it was in Italian, but it was not, though in hindsight I'm sure it was dubbed - and Quinn, who is multi-lingual, doesn't speak, of course. The ending and its music is quite a strange enigma, mind you.

If you're after a good, standard, straight western, I'd dither at recommending it, but if you do like your spaghetti westerns, with some sauce, then go for it.

It is not really a good movie. The best things are the character of Deaf Smith (Quinn), the beautiful prostitutes appearing in the film and the moves of the camera around a deaf gunman, that help us to understand how he is aware of the people around him. Anthony Quinn performance is incredible, being the most notable character without pronouncing a single word. All the scenes where he appears flows around him, even when the apparently most charming Johnny Ears (Nero) tries to be funny (sometimes he creates the opposite effect). Smith is funnier, harder and more interesting than Ears, and maybe that is the main reason to watch this film.