Un genio, due compari, un pollo (1975)

Director:

Damiano Damiani

Writers:

Damiano Damiani (screenplay)
Ernesto Gastaldi (screenplay)

Release Date:

16 December 1975 (West Germany)

Genre:

Comedy | Western

Plot:

Three rogues set out to rob $300,000 from an Indian-hating cavalry major.

Plot Keywords:

Major | Sequel | Spaghetti Western | Cult Western | Priest

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Terence Hill	...	Joe Thanks / Nobody
Miou-Miou	...	Lucy (as Miou Miou)
Robert Charlebois	...	Bill Locomotiva / Steamengine Bill
Patrick McGoohan	...	Major Cabot
Raimund Harmstorf	...	Sergeant Milton
Piero Vida	...	Jacky Roll
Rik Battaglia	...	Captain
Mario Valgoi	...	Thomas Trader
Mario Brega	...	Coach driver
Friedrich von Ledebur	...	Don Felipe, the priest (as Frederick von Ledebur)
Jean Martin	...	Colonel Pembroke
Klaus Kinski	...	Doc Foster
Clara Colosimo	...	La ruffiana
Fernando Cerulli	...	Her husband (as Ferdinando Cerulli)
Benito Stefanelli	...	Mortimer

Also Known As:

A Genius, Two Friends, and an Idiot (USA)
A Genius, Two Partners and a Dupe
Nobody ist der Größte (West Germany)
Nobody's the Greatest (video title)
The Genius
Trinity Is Back Again (USA)
Un génie, deux associés, une cloche (France)

Runtime:

UK:117 min | Spain:114 min | Italy:126 min

Country:

Italy | France | West Germany

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Finland:K-16 | Netherlands:12 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | West Germany:12 | Australia:R

Filming Locations:

Monument Valley, Utah, USA

Company:

AMLF

Trivia:

The film was released in West Germany under the title "Nobody ist der Größte", and in Denmark under the name "Jeg hedder stadigvæk Nobody", to create the illusion that it was a sequel to Il mio nome è Nessuno (1973) (aka "Mein Name ist Nobody"/"Mit navn er Nobody").

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Major Cabot brings Bill and Lucy to the cell, they go through a room with flags which are supposed to be the state flags of the United States. If you watch closely you can see the flags of the European Union and of East Germany.

Quotes:

Doc Foster: [to Joe] In a few moments you'll be the deadest man that ever lived!

Looks beautiful and every now and then impresses with its visual splendor but the script is mired in distraction and inconsequence

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.