Punhos de Aço: Um Lutador de Rua

Clint Eastwood fans will correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe hes only venture into screen'comedy are Every Which Way But Locse and its successor film. This isn't the kind of stuff that Cary Grant would have been doing, but the two films do keep with Clint's macho screen image and allow him to slug a few people with some laughs in between.

Nearly all the characters from Any Which Way But Loose are back in this film Any Which Way You Can. Clint is once again Philo Beddoe who works part time hauling away wrecked cars, but makes his real money in the illegal bare knuckle prize fight racket. Clint lives in southern California, probably in a place not unlike Carmel, California where he was mayor. He lives with his mother Ruth Gordon, his partner in auto collision work Geoffrey Lewis and his pet orangutan, Clyde.

The last film ended with Clint not winning Sondra Locke, the country singer he lost his heart to. But Sondra's back now and when Clint wants to back out of a bare knuckle fight with reigning eastern champion William Smith because he's tired of the racket, the gangsters backing the fight kidnap her to force him to go through with it.

As in the last film, Clyde the orangutan gets the lion's share of the laughs. The sex life of the orangutan gets even more screen time, Clint and Geoff Lewis don't just find a zoo with a female orangutan in it for Clyde to mate with, they actually get him an adjoining motel room with Clyde and his lady love in one room and Clint and Sondra in another.

William Smith has the most interesting part in the film, usually he's a thoroughgoing bad guy in his films, but in Any Which Way You Can he's got a sense of honor and fair play, much to the distress of Harry Guardino and the rest of the gangsters backing the fight.

Any Which Way You Can has the same sense of rollicking lowbrow comedy that the first film has, maybe more so. As Clint Eastwood moves into his eighties maybe he'll try comedy again. He'd be one great grumpy old man as he proved in Gran Torino.

If you have seen the first one (Every Which Way...) you know exactly what you are going to get here. The 2 movies are not so much plot driven but character driven...that is...you enjoy watching their interactions with each other and their situations...what the situations are or the plot doesn't really matter.

Its a relaxed movie with some good laughs and some gentle user friendly action.

Any Clint Eastwood fan will enjoy :)

First off, do not see this movie unless you have already seen "Every Which Way but Loose", as this film is a sequel to that.

Now, the first film was known to have a pretty shallow story. This one has the same problem - in fact, the story seems even weaker than the first. The plot doesn't go anywhere; it sits there and watches as the film's comedy takes the wheel.

The film is definitely intended to bring up laughter, but I'm not sure if it's sole purpose of production was to be a comedy. The laughs are good, but too rare to make the movie's lack of a story acceptable. The humor is very similar to that of the first film, only, like this film's story, never jumps to the point of surpassing anything we've already seen.

However, despite these flaws, the film was overall enjoyable. There's not much you'd miss if you skip this one, but if you enjoyed "Every Which Way but Loose", you're probably going to like "Any Which Way You Can" - just probably not as much as you enjoyed the first. Like the first film, the ape "Clyde" is the source of all true amusement, with "Ma" charging up a scene or two of good laughter in this one. Clint Eastwood's performance may feel a bit weaker or equal to his in "Every Which Way but Loose", but it definitely adds to the experience.

Overall, a good film to see if you really enjoyed the first. The two films are very similar, so much so that if you stumbled upon one on television, it may take you awhile to figure out which one you're watching. Many of the scenes take place in the same places: "Clint's house, the bar, etc.", and there are only a few slight additions to the cast. Really nothing too "new" in this film, but a surely entertaining viewing if you enjoyed "Every Which Way but Loose".

I give the film a 6/10. I gave "Every Which Way but Loose" a 7/10, and this one lost a point as although it was a bit funnier than the first, the story wasn't as thought-out as the firsts at all, and I seemed to loose my interest a bit more easily on this one. Nonetheless, incredibly similar to the first film in all sorts of ways, so if the first one left you wanting more, definitely check this one out!

Philo Beddoe (Clint Eastwood) and his orangutan friend Clyde return for more silly but agreeable hijinks in this successful sequel to "Every Which Way But Loose". Philo still makes what money he can from bare-knuckle fights, and gambler James Beekman (Harry Guardino) gets the bright idea to pit Philo against the equally tough Jack Wilson (the almighty movie tough guy William Smith). Philo initially agrees to the deal, then decides against the fight, which only motivates the villains to kidnap Philos' girl Lynn (Sondra Locke), with whom he's reconnected. Everything comes to a head with scores of people determined to watch the fight and hopefully make a ton of money from their bets on the outcome.

The fantastic, vivid fight scene between Clint and Smith is definitely a highlight; it's one of those old-school donnybrooks that certainly must be a favorite for people who love a good movie fight. Overall, the movie is "good" no-brainer fun, although it does go on an awfully long time (just short of two hours), with not all of the comedy detours paying off to any great degree. That said, there are true chuckles to be had. Although it hardly needs to be said, the simian actors Buddha and Manis (taking turns playing Clyde) steal the show. Clydes' courtship of a female orangutan whom Philo temporarily "borrows" from the zoo is the most priceless moment. It's also hysterical whenever Clyde is told to junk a car.

One of the things that this viewer liked best was the nuanced relationship between Philo and the rather amiable Wilson. Neither man is really THAT interested in winning the fight, and keep wanting to keep things "even" between them. Wilson is one of the best roles that the late, great Smith ever played. And there's a rich, constant assortment of familiar faces (some of them repertory players in Clint movies of the 70s and early 80s) in supporting roles and bits. Geoffrey Lewis, as could be expected, is particularly fine as Philos' buddy Orville. Ruth Gordon has some very amusing moments as Philos' irascible Ma. Even Locke does a good job; she's appealing in the love interest role, and does some singing of her own.

Clint and Ray Charles do a very pleasant duet on "Beers to You", which kicks off "Any Which Way You Can" in fine fashion.

Even if a FAR cry from the more prestigious films of Clints' career, there's no denying the goofball charm of this movie.

Seven out of 10.

A charming, and endearingly goofy follow up to the successfully hearty comedy 'Every Which Way But Loose (1978)', which starred Clint Eastwood as cool-hand, bar-brawling Philo Beddoe along with his alcohol slurping orangutan companion Clyde. Slap-stick galore with the easy-going style of the original picking up the pace and having a variety of cartoon-like characters represented by a more than capably fruitful cast (some who are Eastwood regulars). They're here for a good time and it shows. Geoffrey Lewis, Sondra Locke, Ruth Gordon, William Smith, Harry Guardino, Bill McKinney and Barry Corbin give pleasingly amusing performances. However it's the returning John Quade who's a hilarious hoot as the leader of the haplessly crony bikers 'Black Widows'. Eastwood naturally comes across cool and collected in another winning performance. The drama here feels a little more spontaneous, busy and crazy with much more bare-knuckle, sweaty fist fights (which are well-executed) and a real infantile comical imprint. Streaming through is a heart-warming music score with an appealing country swing and open photography sharply frames some beautiful locations and accordingly gets amongst the action. Is it better than the first… I don't think so, but I never grow old of these fun, light-headed features.