Petit papa baston

Great, tragic actor Helmut Berger once said about aging and loosing his good looks: "I'm sorry that I had to grow old. If I knew it meant so much to you, I would have died younger."

Watching this movie is like attending a high-school reunion after 15-odd years: yeah, it's a happy occasion but at the same time odd and (despite we usually don't want to admit it to ourselves) a tad bit depressing. Good to see the old faces and see that they've been doing well – at the same time, many haven't aged that well and you discover, that you no longer share the same interests with your former best buddies. It's not only that Spencer and Hill got older but the chemistry has changed to a point where the old 'vibe' can no longer be replicated.

I was looking forward to seeing this film as much as I was afraid of it. Not because Spencer and Hill had aged but rather because I had been rather disappointed with their prior solo work in the late 80's and early 90's. Spencer had almost become a parody of himself with TV works like "Noi Siamo Angeli" and "Extralarge" while I was less than impressed with Hills "Renegade" and version(s) of "Lucky Luke". After all, kids from my generation here in Germany grew up with the original "Trinity"-films, mostly knowing most lines by heart and replicating them in the schoolyard (that and the fight-scenes, which often led to some rather painful situations, but that is another story). Some even made it a tradition to eat cook up tins of beans during the TV-reruns, just in time for the notorious eating-scenes.

In its defense, "The Troublemakers" by itself isn't a bad film. It's slower, less light-hearted and misses the direction of seasoned hands like E.B Clucher or Michele Lupo. Like a rock-band from the 70's playing a reunion-gig, they still know their moves and tunes, but the movement is no longer as graceful, the show is no longer as innovative (and certainly don't expect any new hit-songs). Sure, I'd watch a rerun of "The Troublemakers" on TV, but I certainly wouldn't watch it in a row with the "Trinity"-films.

A couple of years ago there were rumors about Bud and Terence getting together one more time for a variation on the Jeckyll & Hyde theme. The project apparently fell through and is now in nirvana. Even as a loyal, seasoned fan, I'm not ashamed to say: "Maybe for the better." Best to leave the party at the zenith, not when the party is fading out already.

5/5 (and don't think that I didn't wish I could give it more)

Terence Hill, who also directed, and Bud Spenser are both in fine form in "The Fight Before Christmas" (that's the title under which I saw this movie). The movie looks great and has a good, if not so original, story. Hill and Spenser's supporting cast has quite a few familiar faces in it. You can't beat Ruth Buzzi as the boys mother. My only gripe against "The Fight Before Christmas" has to with its length. It's too long by about twenty minutes. Closing in on two hours is way too long for a silly movie like this. Even though this a silly movie, I laughed quite a few times. (I saw this movie on Youtube.)

I rented this movie last week. My son and I are true "Terrence and Bud"-fanatics, and I must say that this movie doesn't make anybody in that genre disappointed. Although the dialog and acting is as "bad" as it was 25 years ago, in the Trinity movies", it is still worth watching, just for the h#ll of it. Recomended for any Trinity-fans out there.

The story and the acting are up to the Trinity standard, but whose voice did they use for Bud Spencer? Far from the grainy growl supplied in Trinity, the big man sounds like a chipmunk in Troublemakers. Really distracting.

If you are a fan of the 1972/1973 Trinity movies, you will enjoy this later release as a sort of bittersweet reunion of the two actors in a similar western. If you have no history with the originals, I highly recommend you pick up the Trinity movies first. The Troublemakers is very hard to find in the US but can usually be found on ebay (VHS). I only wish they had done My Name is Nobody with Bud Spencer instead of Henry Fonda-- that's how essential Bud Spencer is to the team.

Terence and Bud, after 9 years, finally made another movie together! It was just what I expected! Fights, romantic sub plot, and beans. The plot is Travis and Moses mother wants them to come home for christmas, but theres a problem. Moses wont go back to his ma's house because years ago, she let all the horses he stole go free. I liked this movie! The best scene is where Moses is going to get hanged and when they pull the lever the gallow falls apart! It couldnt support Moses' weight! Not as good as a small few of thier movies like Im for the Hippopotamus and Watch out Were Mad but still its a good hill/spencer outing. Supposedly this is supposed to be the third "Trinity" movie, but due to legal hassles, it couldnt be done. Its been 6 years and I'm still waiting for Terence and Bud to make a new comedy! My rating is 7/10.