t_atzmueller Terence Hill has appeared as various characters in Spaghetti-Westerns, most of which are based on the "Trinity"-series, later fetched out into the "Nobody"- and "Lucky Luke"-characters. "Nobody" remains one of Hills most terrific (solo)-performances and it's no big surprise that this film was billed as a "Nobody"-sequel in many countries, despite Hill playing a completely different character, namely Joe Thanks, Trinity, not so much Nobody, in all but name.Let's talk about the acting first: Robert Charlebois as Joe Thanks semi-Indian sidekick seems an odd choice, yet, somehow the Canadian chansonaire somehow manage to pull the role off. Miou-Miou is cute like a button, Raimund Harmsdorff is a force of nature and Patrick McGoohans performance makes you feel like clapping. As in any movie he had starred in, Klaus Kinski steals the best part – albeit, his 'Doc Foster' disappears, virtually blue-balled, during the first ten minutes. This would remain one of the few Kinski appearances in a comedy and Werner Herzog didn't lie when he said, that Kinski had a very good sense of humour – just, many people don't know how to appreciate it.A word of warning here: many a great movie has been utterly destroyed by inept American dubbing: to mind come "Das Boot" or "Christiane F – Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo". "A Genius, Two Friends and an Idiot" fits into this mould, the (US)-English synchronization being completely unbearable. I personally recommend the German-dub version (I believe, Kinski speaks himself), which has the right balance between straight-faced and farce.For fans of the Bud Spencer/Terence Hill "Trinity"-Westerns and post-Bud Spencer Westerns, "A Genius, Two Friends and an Idiot" is a must-see.

BrotherDisco 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.

chaos-rampant 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.

hannibalmcnee Bit of a disappointment this one, although it was always bound to be too good to be true.Just think of it! A spaghetti western directed by the great Damiano Damini (A Bullet for the General) and the greater Sergio Leoni, starring legendary actors Patrick McGoohan and Klaus Kinski, with music by Ennio Morriconne. How could it go wrong?Well let's start...The opening sequence at least (directed by Leone) is brilliant and promises a terrific film. A promise that is not kept. The sequence has little or no bearing on the rest of the film, an action comedy about the conning of a racist cavalry Major (McGoohan) out of three hundred thousand dollars and the love triangle between the three con-artists, led by Terence Hill.There seems to be something about most Italian comedy that simply doesn't work when playing to a British or American audience and here it is the same. Most of the film is buffoonery that falls flat, made increasingly worse by the decision to give most of the co-stars silly voices in the dubbing room. Klaus Kinski comes off the worst in his tiny cameo, looking great, out-acting everyone on the screen, but sounding like an ancient hillbilly. Miou-Miou's squeaky toddler voice is unbearable.McGoohan too sounds bizarre, somewhere between an English toff and WC Fields (all the stranger still, because the voice is actually his).The music tends towards the comical of course, and as such is not in Morricone's best work.However, there are some diamonds among the rough. McGoohan's performance is great, in spite of the voice.Terence Hill makes a fairly engaging lead, whose description of a duel is a classic moment for spaghetti westerns. The climax too, an energetic chase, accompanied to Morriconne's reworking of Beethoven's Fur Elise, ending with a tremendous explosion that leaves McGoohan covered in white dust atop his horse like an imposing alabaster statue (worth the admission price alone) is evidence that there is some real talent at work here.In a perfect world, A Genius would be the very best of the spaghetti westerns. As it stands, it is a failure that I'm very pleased to have seen.