This is "Occhio alla penna", a movie with a shorter title for a Bud Spencer movie and this one also goes by the names "Buddy Goes West" or "Eine Faust geht nach Westen" where they replace the "Buddy" with the German words for "a fist". Well, not a bad idea looking at how often Bud uses his fists in these films. Still a bit surprised that the English-language title refers to the lead actor here (or they named the character Buddy) because Spencer was simply not a star in America. Impossible to compare how people saw him over there compared to the legend he was here. This is another film that managed to score the Golden Screen, an award for films here in Germany that manage to reach an incredibly high quantity of people going to theaters to watch the movie. This 1.5-hour film (actually only 88 minutes the version I watched and thus certainly not among the longer Spencer movies) here definitely did and it is by far not the only Spencer movie that received such an honor He is the king. The photo here on imdb looks really western-like. And it is a western, there are definitely elements, maybe it had been over a decade in 1981 since Spencer made a film that was this much of a western movie genre-wise. That's how he started. And with Spencer/Pedersoli, there's always a great deal of comedy included too of course. The director is Michele Lupo and he has collaborated with Spencer on many other occasions. These are the films he is still somewhat known for many years after his untimely death, although he also directed many other films. There are two writers. Gene Luotto is no longer with us, but he has also worked with Spencer and Hill on other occasions. Here only with Spencer of course. No Girotti in here. The other writer is Sergio Donati. He is really old now, almost 90, but still alive and he will always be mostly remembered for his contribution to "C'era una volta il West". As for the cast, the star is Spencer of course, but some other actors are also not entirely unknown. Joe Bugner is in here playing a key character. He was a huge champion in the boxing world and in fact this is not his only Bud Spencer movie we have here. Just watched another the other day. In that one he looked bigger though. Or they are hiding his muscles here. He is not wearing any short-sleeved outfits anyway this time. Pizzuti is always easy to recognize and he has acted in other Spencer projects too and Amidou not really, but he is Moroccan/French, so no surprise because these were all Italian movies. He is still somewhat known. He plays the Indian protagonist in here by the way, who seems to be a bit of an annoying fool, but is also not entirely uncapable. I wonder if this could still happen today or maybe people would say it is not appropriate. Sigh. Political correctness is such a curse. Anyway, back to this one here. This Indian character has also some nice scenes together with Spencer. Especially early on. Like when they talk about being blood brothers which is only the result of an transfusion, but it shows us that Spencer's character cares for others despite his gruff appearance and behavior. But this is exactly his niche anyway. These are the characters he always plays. The train scene between these two was also hilarious enough. There we see again that they are crooks, even if they have the heart in the right place. The real criminals are other people. This is where Bugner's character comes into play. A bit surprising honestly. He seemed like a buddy early on. I even thought for a moment he could take Hill's place and role in this movie, namely when they were eating together, but the twist at the end takes us into a completely different direction. He is the villain, he is ruthless and cold-blooded and a killer. Did not see that coming really, even if Bugner also played the main villain in the other movie, even if the context was completely different. Anyway, with him in here, there is no fist fight (maybe because of Bugner's boxing glory and thus it would have felt unrealistic with Bud winning easily), but they go for a traditional western movie showdown and there is a shootout in the end. It does not end deadly though. No blood or corpses or anything. Spencer films are almost always really harmless as they are family movies to some extent. The bad guys are just hunted away. Besides, names like Colorado Slim, Eagle Eye and Sheriff Bronson (not sure if the Charles reference was intentional, but maybe if the "Once upon a Time in the West" writer came up with this one) seem right out of a western movie. That's how it should be.
Eagle Eye is the Indian here. There was one very brief moment early on that I still remember, like when this Indian says (I try to translate it from the German dub, not too easy) "skins are coming" and he is all hectic and and panicking as usual and Buddy just responds in his usual calm manner "what skins?" and the Indian says "The redskins" (does this need to be capitalized? don't think so, it's not the sports team). That was kinda funny. What was also funny was the big meal scene with the gangsters arriving and Spencer's character calmly eating his meal as if nothing happened. This provokes them of course and they keep firing wildly at the table and all the food is destroyed. This is obviously something you cannot do to a character played by Bud Spencer (Carlo Pedersoli) as within a seconds he shoots them, but again in the most family-friendly way he shoots their guns out of their hands. There are many other fun moments: the bullet in the hat (yep hat, not head, what did you think this is?), the scene in which Spencer's character is dressed really nicely and clearly enjoying it. We even had Spencer's flirt with a woman here. She clearly seems to be into older guys. But there is no Girotti in this film as I stated earlier and it's just one scene anyway. A little ounce of romance never hurt anybody, even if many "cool" men would never admit it. Or if it's true, then they should just get a grip. This little scene was funny to me for sure. The Indian lost screen time as the film went on ot frequently he was still there, but really had zero impact on the story. It turned more into a fight against the bad guys now with the final revelation who is responsible for killing a really likable and trustworthy character that is talked about on several occasions, mostly by a female character. But there is no female character at the center of this movie. Many, many supporting players, but in the end Bud carries it all on his own. Without him and hs gruff charm and recognition value, this would have been a much more forgettable movie and I am not sure at all if I had given a positive recommendation the way I do here. Probably would have depended on who played the protagonist. But we don't have to worry about it. Spencer does a really good job and is very much fun to watch as always. So basically you get what you came for with these 90 minutes for sure. Lots of fun with Spencer, a little fighting, even a brawl here and there and many funny quotes. Or I hope you find them funny. At least I do. They always di a fine job with translating into German for the dubbed versions of his many movies. Maybe they did not succeed equally well with the English-language countries and that's why he is not famous in the United States for example. Of course, the crime component is lower here due to the western elements, but oh wait this is in fact not even really true. It is just a different kind of crime going on here compared to the com-themed movies where he is supported by Hill several times. Actually, there is a lot of crime going on in this rather short film we have here. Some truly despicable crime even. And as many westerns have references to people becoming rich by finding gold etc, the end also includes something like that. We can even be worried for a moment that Spencer's character could be dead and I will admit I wasn't sure for a moment. No idea why though because they always have happy endings in his movies and of course he shows up again and is also uninjured although he basically jumped right into the middle of a massive explosion a minute earlier. Enough said. Don't watch this if you are looking for massive realism. It delivers on many different fronts though. Easily enough for me to give this one a thumbs-up and positive recommendation. I think this is not a weak film at all and the rating here on imdb is kinda accurate. I am a bit surprised why the number of ratings is really low though. It is nowhere near his most seen films. Maybe it does not belong there as it is probably not among his very best, but there is no denying for me this is genuinely underseen. Might wanna change that and go for it the next time it is on. Which probably won't be too long, at least if you are from Germany. I think you should not miss out here. Thanks Buddy, rest in peace, you will always be remembered. For decades to come. Hopefully for centuries even. Thanks to films like this. I quite liked it, too bad I was a bit sleepy in-between. But really enough now. I think you should watch this film, especially if you like western movies. Then it may be the perfect choice to check it out if you want to dive into Bud Spencer's filmography and have not seen much or even anything else starring this incredibly likable man. Oh I almost forgot about the snooker scene. Okay, that was really the real deal haha. Ronnie O'Sullivan watch and learn. Another scene that is completely nonsense, but so funny that they are just getting away with it. Buddy is the coolest! Okay, really enough now. The more I think about this movie, the more I like it. Maybe on rewatch I will add two stars here. We'll see. I definitely want to see it again at some point. Western movies are amazing. Now why are you still here? Whhat are you waiting for? Go see it now!
Eagle Eye is the Indian here. There was one very brief moment early on that I still remember, like when this Indian says (I try to translate it from the German dub, not too easy) "skins are coming" and he is all hectic and and panicking as usual and Buddy just responds in his usual calm manner "what skins?" and the Indian says "The redskins" (does this need to be capitalized? don't think so, it's not the sports team). That was kinda funny. What was also funny was the big meal scene with the gangsters arriving and Spencer's character calmly eating his meal as if nothing happened. This provokes them of course and they keep firing wildly at the table and all the food is destroyed. This is obviously something you cannot do to a character played by Bud Spencer (Carlo Pedersoli) as within a seconds he shoots them, but again in the most family-friendly way he shoots their guns out of their hands. There are many other fun moments: the bullet in the hat (yep hat, not head, what did you think this is?), the scene in which Spencer's character is dressed really nicely and clearly enjoying it. We even had Spencer's flirt with a woman here. She clearly seems to be into older guys. But there is no Girotti in this film as I stated earlier and it's just one scene anyway. A little ounce of romance never hurt anybody, even if many "cool" men would never admit it. Or if it's true, then they should just get a grip. This little scene was funny to me for sure. The Indian lost screen time as the film went on ot frequently he was still there, but really had zero impact on the story. It turned more into a fight against the bad guys now with the final revelation who is responsible for killing a really likable and trustworthy character that is talked about on several occasions, mostly by a female character. But there is no female character at the center of this movie. Many, many supporting players, but in the end Bud carries it all on his own. Without him and hs gruff charm and recognition value, this would have been a much more forgettable movie and I am not sure at all if I had given a positive recommendation the way I do here. Probably would have depended on who played the protagonist. But we don't have to worry about it. Spencer does a really good job and is very much fun to watch as always. So basically you get what you came for with these 90 minutes for sure. Lots of fun with Spencer, a little fighting, even a brawl here and there and many funny quotes. Or I hope you find them funny. At least I do. They always di a fine job with translating into German for the dubbed versions of his many movies. Maybe they did not succeed equally well with the English-language countries and that's why he is not famous in the United States for example. Of course, the crime component is lower here due to the western elements, but oh wait this is in fact not even really true. It is just a different kind of crime going on here compared to the com-themed movies where he is supported by Hill several times. Actually, there is a lot of crime going on in this rather short film we have here. Some truly despicable crime even. And as many westerns have references to people becoming rich by finding gold etc, the end also includes something like that. We can even be worried for a moment that Spencer's character could be dead and I will admit I wasn't sure for a moment. No idea why though because they always have happy endings in his movies and of course he shows up again and is also uninjured although he basically jumped right into the middle of a massive explosion a minute earlier. Enough said. Don't watch this if you are looking for massive realism. It delivers on many different fronts though. Easily enough for me to give this one a thumbs-up and positive recommendation. I think this is not a weak film at all and the rating here on imdb is kinda accurate. I am a bit surprised why the number of ratings is really low though. It is nowhere near his most seen films. Maybe it does not belong there as it is probably not among his very best, but there is no denying for me this is genuinely underseen. Might wanna change that and go for it the next time it is on. Which probably won't be too long, at least if you are from Germany. I think you should not miss out here. Thanks Buddy, rest in peace, you will always be remembered. For decades to come. Hopefully for centuries even. Thanks to films like this. I quite liked it, too bad I was a bit sleepy in-between. But really enough now. I think you should watch this film, especially if you like western movies. Then it may be the perfect choice to check it out if you want to dive into Bud Spencer's filmography and have not seen much or even anything else starring this incredibly likable man. Oh I almost forgot about the snooker scene. Okay, that was really the real deal haha. Ronnie O'Sullivan watch and learn. Another scene that is completely nonsense, but so funny that they are just getting away with it. Buddy is the coolest! Okay, really enough now. The more I think about this movie, the more I like it. Maybe on rewatch I will add two stars here. We'll see. I definitely want to see it again at some point. Western movies are amazing. Now why are you still here? Whhat are you waiting for? Go see it now!