Un genio, due compari, un pollo

Not as obviously or patently a Sergio Leone movie as MY NAME IS NOBODY from a few years earlier but still as Leonesque as a movie can possibly be while still playing ball in Enzo Barboni's slapstick turf (quite possibly the worst spaghetti western niche), this RAFRAN produced movie is heavily flawed but eminently watchable even when it doesn't make a lick of sense. Leone being Leone, he had to stick in his hand, even in a movie in which he had no creative stakes (unlike My Name is Nobody). The opening scene is a masterclass in directing as one would expect from a master cinematician even if it amounts to little more than moody silence and gliding tracking shots. Those who appreciated the slow-burn dynamics of ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST, will be spellbound for the duration. It's a fantastic opening to a movie that never quite capitalizes on it. The script is mired in inconsequential distractions and tacky "end of the West" commentary delivered without an ounce of subtlety ("the old man will go away", says Hill about an old Indian chief in the end as the rest of his Indian band prepare to take off without him dressed in fancy clothes and hats, "he represents the old West" #%^!) and the goofy hijinks Terence Hill became known for do the movie little favour but every now and then director Damiano Damiani comes up with a scene or a setup that impresses with its visual splendor. The Carlo Simi-designed sets, the beautiful locations in John Ford's turf in Monument Valley, and the technical skill involved in front and behind the camera (not Ennio Morricone's score though, which is far from his best work), are all far better than 95% of spaghetti westerns could ever afford, then or a decade before, so this should still be of some interest to the hardened spaghetti aficionado. Traditional Ford/Hawks loyalists should keep their distance though.

I purchased this PAL DVD (my Macintosh computer plays the format) and a region- free, NTSC/PAL DVD player (connected to a regular NTSC tv) so I, NOT THE STUDIOS, can choose what I want. The PAL disc was the only version I found available, and I will submit DVD info when I find time. Look for the widescreen/ letterboxed format (which "Genius" is), instead of the horrid pan and scan, because letterboxed (or matted) is what the director intended viewers to see! Please keep an open mind about spaghetti westerns. Sometimes viewers comment with such harsh criticism that it can turn someone away when they should be prompted to look for a title in the genre they are interested in. I've suddenly grown a fascination in macaroni that I'm finding movies that I've never been interested in before. I swore on Clint/Eli/Cleef/ Leone/Ennio flicks yet didn't notice people like Nero and Milian. And now I'm discovering not to be so hard on my boy Terence Hill. Okay, so he doesn't take it so seriously. At first, that's what turned me away from his flicks. It wasn't Eastwood enough. But geez, what a kick you can get from "Genious." Initially I didn't care for Ennio's music, but it seeps into you. And there's something about the camera placement and movements that draw me into the film, which was just the right length -- not too long or short. The funny moments and comments throughout, plus the explosion (a very real and powerful one) somewhere in the flick made me decide on 8 stars. I judge these the same way as kung fu action. It can be so easy to pick apart and be literal, but these generally are simply pasta and lo mein noodle- type movies. Just enjoy sucking it into your system. You'll love getting full, and soon you'll want another helping.

This should have been a great film, but after the superb intro (which I think is directed by Leone) the film pretty much falls out of your mind after seeing it.

Whith Leone involved, I did expect a great film and the intro did meet my expectations but the rest of the film is quite poor. I am a big fan of spaghetti westerns but this film falls because it is so messy. It is a ripoff from "My Name is Nobody" and "Trinity", with some more serious elements (such as the intro), paired together with a scrappy plot.

I am not a big fan of Terrence Hill and this movie did not make me change my mind about him. The character he plays in this movie is pretty much a copy of the one he played in "My Name is Nobody" except the fact that he did a good job in that movie. He is not bad, but his acting gets boring (maybe he was tired of playing the same role in every film?). Klaus Kinski is good as always. The film does look great though, and does not have that b-film feeling to it like so many other spaghetti westerns.

I don't hate this movie, but it did not meet my high expectations. Watching it without expectations, I can imagine that this flick works as great entertainment for the spaghetti western fan. And remember, the score by Morricone, the intro and the performance of Kinski are reasons alone to watch this movie.

"A Genius, Two Friends, and an Idiot" also titled "Trinity Is Back Again" is a Western satire with a bemusing premise , there is plenty of action in the movie , guaranteeing shootouts , fights or stunts every few minutes ; however , being regularly directed by Damiano Damiani . It's an improbable blending of standard Western , tongue-in-cheek , silly humor , Comic-book and realized in Spaghetti/Fagioli/Trinity(Terence Hill-Bud Spencer) style . It deals with an expert conman named Joe Thanks (Terence Hill) who remembers the character ¨Nobody¨ from ¨Il Mio Nome e Nessuno¨ or ¨My name is Nobody¨ by Tonino Valeri . Joe teams up with Mestizo Bill Locomotiva (Canadian singer , Robert Charlebois) and naive Lucy (Moiu Miou) to rob a lot of money from a nasty Army officer . Joe is a genius with several qualities as ubiquity , controlling space and time and fast gun . As three rogues set out to steal $300,000 from an Indian-hating cavalry major Cabot (miscast Patrick McGoohan) supported by his Sergeant Milton (Raimund Harmstorf) . Their elaborate scheme is full of disguises , treason , and pursuits , but Joe along with half-breed Steamengine Bill always seem to know what they are doing . The two gunmen using his wits , break all the rules and kicking virtually every cliché in the pants carry out their objectives .

Spaghetti/Schnitzel/Paté Western parody co-produced by Italy/Germany/France , it is packed with ridiculous situations , noisy action , exaggerated roles and lots of silly humor .This is a surprisingly low-key Spaghetti Western in which three diverse characters joining forces to rob a cache of money . This amusing as well as absurd picture contains a funny plot , action Western , shootouts and bits of campy and embarrassing humor . During filming took place a distress , parts of the original camera negative were stolen , so the film makers had no choice but to assemble many scenes from alternate takes , until today the original negative has not been found It displays an entertaining screenplay written by usual Ernesto Gastaldi , but shot by a filmmaker with no sense of humor . Amiable but sometimes lumbering Western satire goes on and on about the same premise , as a lot of minutes are superfluous ,it has half hour of excess , as it packs overblown jokes and antics and some moments turns out to be dull and tiring . This overlong film mingles slapdash, silly scenes , chases , double-crosses and it's fast moving and embarrassing .There appears customary Spaghetti actors such as Benito Stefanelli , Mario Brega , Raimund Harmstorf , Reno Girone , Rik Battaglia , and of course Klaus Kinski . The musician Ennio Morricone , composes a jolly soundtrack with catching leitmotif and well conducted. Colorful cinematography plenty of barren outdoors , sunny landscapes under a glimmer sun , stunningly photographed by Giuseppe Ruzzolini on location in Monument Valley , Utah , a favorite place habitually used by John Ford and also Sergio Leone , here producer . This was a failed farewell in Western genre from Sergio Leone , and ordinary secondary actors as Mario Brega and Klaus Kinski as a grumpy gunfighter who is ridiculed by the genius Terence Hill .

The motion picture was middlingly directed by Damiano Damiani and lavishly produced by Fulvio Morsella and Sergio Leone . Damiani's so-so direction is regularly crafted, here he's mostly cynical and humorous and less inclined toward violence and too much action especially on its ending part . Damiano is an expert on all kind of genres as Drama (¨Arthur's island¨ , ¨The Most Beautiful Wife" , ¨The witch¨ , and ¨Empty canvas¨ based on the Alberto Moravia novel) , Terror (Amytiville 2 : the possession) , Historical (¨The Inquiry¨) , Spaghetti Western (¨Trinity is back again¨and the prestigious ¨A bullet for the General¨ again with Klaus Kinski) . Damiani was specialized on crime-thriller-Subgenre or Italian cop thriller (¨Confessions of a Police captain¨ , ¨How to kill a judge¨, ¨The case is closed , forget it¨, "Goodbye e amen" , ¨Mafia¨, "I Am Afraid" and ¨Warning¨ starred by Martin Balsam) . Rating : Average , 5 . Only for Terence Hill fans .

This Terence Hill film is quite strange!Supposed to be a sequel to My Name Is Nobody,it's a spoof on the old west!Not very family friendly,it has it's good parts!Terence Hill really makes the movie.It would have been better if his partner Bud Spencer starred with him.The first scene is directed by the great Sergio Leone.What's wrong with it is not the plot(a great plot),but the supporting cast,and how it doesn't make much of an impact,like My Name Is Nobody did so well.Great music from Ennio Morricone,though not very western sounding.In the end,Sergio Leone,was not impressed and took his name off the film and never did another western!