Punhos de Aço: Um Lutador de Rua

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!

This sequel to "Every Which Way but Loose" is as good as the first. Clyde the orangutan is back. Clint Eastwood is a retired bare knuckle fighter with a huge reputation. When a national "title" fight is offered, he hesitates, wanted to quit fighting. But he's forced to go through with the fight (of course - this is EASTWOOD for crying out loud!). There are many humorous scenes and I like this one as well as the first. Good one!

This 1980 sequel to the 1978 movie "Every Which Way but Loose" was actually every bit as entertaining and enjoyable as the predecessor. And that makes "Any Which Way You Can" deviate from the usual curse of sequels; you know, with the sequel being a horrible movie in the wake of the predecessor.

Writer Stanford Sherman managed to put together a wholesome storyline that encompassed the previous story and further expanded upon it. And it was done in a very enjoyable and entertaining manner, so I was certainly genuinely entertained by what director Buddy Van Horn had to offer with "Any Which Way You Can".

It was great to see the original cast return to reprise their roles from the movie 2 years earlier. And needless to say that the likes of Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke, Geoffrey Lewis and others put on great performances in bringing the sequel to life on the screen.

There is a good amount of storytelling and action in "Any Which Way You Can", so there is something for just about anyone. But the movie also has comedy, love elements and a good narrative to it.

If you enjoyed the 1978 movie, then you most certainly will also enjoy the 1980 sequel "Any Which Way You Can". It should be noted, though, that "Any Which Way You Can" is a bit more on the comedy side of the spectrum in comparison to the 1978 predecessor. I enjoyed the amped-up comedy here, but it might not just suit everyone watching the movie.

My rating of "Any Which Way You Can" lands on a six out of ten stars.

It may not be saying much, but Any Which Way You Can is much better than Every Which Way But Loose.

The biker gang are funnier this time around, Clyde gets far more screen time (which is a good thing), and the big fight near the end is a fairly brutal cracker.

A no-brainer, certainly, but who can resist seeing Barry Corbin driving his plane along the roads, in order to get to the fight?

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.