Anyone who hasn't yet seen a movie starring Bud Spencer should IMHO not begin with this one. I think it's one of his worst movies, but it's not primarily due to any inabilities in Spencer's acting. He gives us what we might expect, but the acting of all other characters is so weak that it's no fun, this time! Well, I didn't expect a witty movie with a reasonable plot and brilliant acting of EVERYONE... but, sorry, THIS one doesn't even give enough pleasure to fill a lazy hour on a Sunday afternoon!
Why? It is a good joke that the both main characters hunt each other 'round the boat and then fall into the ocean, only to see the boat sail away without them, and now they are stranded on a -seemingly- uninhabited island. And it's also okay to watch Spencer grudgingly agree that Hill stays with him. BUT once they come in contact with the natives, the whole thing becomes just annoying:
1) The natives behave like semi-idiots, with the female Chief's son as the biggest of them all. It's racist and arrogant to depict them that way.
2) Equally absurd is the way the Japanese soldier behaves. I can only review the German dubbed version, maybe the English version is better, BUT when the soldier jumps around and shouts and yells, it is SO obvious that he doesn't do that in Japanese... just senseless words, isn't that ridiculous?
3) When Spencer and Hill have made their way into the Fort, disarmed the soldier, and it has already turned out that the Chief's son is the son of the soldier, and the latter says "Sorry that I have to do hara-kiri" and walks off the scene - wouldn't you expect his son following him and trying to hinder him from that? Nothing of that sort happens, he (in that sense an idiot, indeed) just remains apathetic and does - nothing. VERY strange moment... not funny, just annoying and tragic.
4) And the WWII tank! Had Spencer and Hill really demolished half the village, I bet the natives would have turned in rage against them. That there doesn't happen anything of that sort, leaves me again with the thought, they were real fools altogether! Again, the natives are shown as irreasonable, cowardice savages.
If there had to be natives, it had been better to show them as people with courage, intelligence, maybe aggressive warriors with frightening paint on their bodies; defending their island with cleverness, most of the time hidden in the jungle. THAT would have created an element of REAL tension and fear, but they are so harmless and dull that they can simply be shown as a comical element, that's not good. Spencer and Hill behave towards the natives like "arrogant white foreigners who think of themselves as superior to the others", commandeering around the latter ones at their will. Maybe it's not intentionally shown that way, and just slapstick was intended, but that's the impression I had of it.
Often there are comments about movies below average to the effect that they might at least be okay for a very slow afternoon. I would like to sum up: If this one comes along at the right time on TV, and you have plenty of time, watch it. But I would not buy the VHS or (if there is any, I didn't check that) the DVD. Only enjoyable for collectors who want to have ALL available movies where Spencer and/or Hill were involved. Otherwise I'd suggest to leave it out and instead to watch those of Spencer's movies where he played Commissare Rizzo (aka Piedone), or, those of Hill's movies which are set in a Western scene. Two stars for Spencer's grumbling and brawling, one star for the only touching moment (when the Japanese admits that he has a son, and reminisces the old days, decades ago).
Why? It is a good joke that the both main characters hunt each other 'round the boat and then fall into the ocean, only to see the boat sail away without them, and now they are stranded on a -seemingly- uninhabited island. And it's also okay to watch Spencer grudgingly agree that Hill stays with him. BUT once they come in contact with the natives, the whole thing becomes just annoying:
1) The natives behave like semi-idiots, with the female Chief's son as the biggest of them all. It's racist and arrogant to depict them that way.
2) Equally absurd is the way the Japanese soldier behaves. I can only review the German dubbed version, maybe the English version is better, BUT when the soldier jumps around and shouts and yells, it is SO obvious that he doesn't do that in Japanese... just senseless words, isn't that ridiculous?
3) When Spencer and Hill have made their way into the Fort, disarmed the soldier, and it has already turned out that the Chief's son is the son of the soldier, and the latter says "Sorry that I have to do hara-kiri" and walks off the scene - wouldn't you expect his son following him and trying to hinder him from that? Nothing of that sort happens, he (in that sense an idiot, indeed) just remains apathetic and does - nothing. VERY strange moment... not funny, just annoying and tragic.
4) And the WWII tank! Had Spencer and Hill really demolished half the village, I bet the natives would have turned in rage against them. That there doesn't happen anything of that sort, leaves me again with the thought, they were real fools altogether! Again, the natives are shown as irreasonable, cowardice savages.
If there had to be natives, it had been better to show them as people with courage, intelligence, maybe aggressive warriors with frightening paint on their bodies; defending their island with cleverness, most of the time hidden in the jungle. THAT would have created an element of REAL tension and fear, but they are so harmless and dull that they can simply be shown as a comical element, that's not good. Spencer and Hill behave towards the natives like "arrogant white foreigners who think of themselves as superior to the others", commandeering around the latter ones at their will. Maybe it's not intentionally shown that way, and just slapstick was intended, but that's the impression I had of it.
Often there are comments about movies below average to the effect that they might at least be okay for a very slow afternoon. I would like to sum up: If this one comes along at the right time on TV, and you have plenty of time, watch it. But I would not buy the VHS or (if there is any, I didn't check that) the DVD. Only enjoyable for collectors who want to have ALL available movies where Spencer and/or Hill were involved. Otherwise I'd suggest to leave it out and instead to watch those of Spencer's movies where he played Commissare Rizzo (aka Piedone), or, those of Hill's movies which are set in a Western scene. Two stars for Spencer's grumbling and brawling, one star for the only touching moment (when the Japanese admits that he has a son, and reminisces the old days, decades ago).