Buddy Goes West (1981) User Reviews

Entertaining and funny Spaghetti with the bouncing Spencer forming an odd couple

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 11 September 2011]

This Spaghetti/Faglioli Western is starred by two outlaws : "The doctor" (Bud Spencer in his habitual role , as always , and this time without Terence Hill) and the Indian Gironamo (a likable Amidou ) . At the beginning Buddy posing as Indian rescues Gironamo and after that , they rob a train . Later on , they come to Yucca City , where the citizens believe he is a doctor . Meanwhile , they are helping townsfolk to fight a gang led by Colorado Slim (Riccardo Pizzuti who usually receives kick ass) who is ¨Wanted : Dead or alive¨ and a suspicious sheriff named Bronson ( Joe Bugner who worked in various films as Spencer nemesis ) has discovered gold below the little town . At the ending takes places an exciting showdown in Leone style and under Morricone backdrop musical score .

This entertaining , engaging movie is crammed of fist-fights, punches , kicks, overwhelming stunt-work and lots of humor . Bud Spencer is top-notch as one army man taking on a group of bandits and as always he makes his own stunts with comic touches , as usual . The lighting-paced storyline slows down at times , but frenetic fight-sequences make up for it . It's an amusing romp plenty of brawls , including amusing bounds and leaps . This is a nice and funny juvenile story for Bud Spencer fans , as he's delight and likable . It packs action, fist-play, slapdash, humor with tongue-in-cheek and is quite bemusing . This release has some cool and several hilarious moments ; however the Terence Hill-Bud Spencer duo films are much better . The film isn't always good , sometimes is fresh and diverting and on a couple of memorable occasions , it's frankly delicious. The movie displays innumerable laughters , jokes and slapstick . In the picture appears ordinary secondaries from B Italian series seen in several genres as Spaghetti Western and Peplum as Giovanni Cianfriglia , Roberto Dell'Acqua ,Octaviano Dell'Acqua , Nazzareno Zamperla , Romano Puppo and Riccardo Pizzuti who's usual in Hill-Spencer movies . Acceptable cinematography filmed on location in Incir De Paolis, Rome, Lazio, Italy and Poblado del Oeste,Tabernas, Almería, Andalucía, Spain . Very good musical score by the classic Ennio Morricone in his usual Spaghetti style . The motion picture originally written by Sergio Donati , screenwriter of multiple Western , being middlingly directed by Michele Lupo who also directed ¨Bulldozer¨ and ¨Supersheriff¨ with similar protagonist and technicians . This is a passable entertaining juvenile that will appeal to Italian comedy buffs. In the 70s and 80s Bud Spencer starred various movies without Terence Hill , as he made three kind of films : 1ª he performed pictures with a little boy as partner as ¨Banana Joe ¨ , ¨Aladino¨and ¨The Supersheriff¨ ; 2ª about cop named Flatfoot or Rizzo, also called Piedone, such as, ¨Flatfoot in Cairo , Flatfoot in Hong Kong, Flatfoot in Egypt , Flatfoot in Africa¨, furthermore the ¨Extralargo¨ series 3ª about diverse characters as a medieval knight as ¨Soldier of fortune¨ , a swindler as ¨Mr Charleston¨ or a fisherman , ex-player as ¨Bulldozer¨ and an outlaw in this one. Rating : Average , only for Bud Spencer fans

Some great gags, a superb soundtrack and one very irritating sidekick

[Roel1973 · 6/10 · 4 April 2016]

Bud Spencer wanders into a small town, gets mistaken for a doctor and winds up protecting the town folk from a gang of thugs and a corrupt sheriff.

Both Spencer and director Michele Lupo have done better, separately and together. But that is not to say that Buddy Goes West is a bad film. It has a couple of great gags and enjoyable moments (the food duel between Spencer and the sheriff is great fun) and the soundtrack by Ennio Morricone is absolutely superb (if only for the music, this late spaghetti western should be of interest for fans of the genre).

Now for the bad: I can watch Spencer do his grumpy comic persona in almost anything, to be perfectly honest, but when he's not with Terence Hill he sometimes falls back on irritating sidekicks (see also Jerry Calà in Bomber, made one year later). And in that respect, Buddy Goes West takes the cake. Morrocon actor Amidou (Sorcerer) plays a dim witted Indian who hops around like an idiot and mimics Native American speak by uttering words like 'Witchita' and 'Dakota' and plain old mumbo-jumbo. Of course it's politically incorrect, but I don't mind that. What I do mind is that Amidou is really tiresome in the role and not funny at all. I try to imagine Buddy Goes West with a less moronic sidekick. It would have been much better.

Fun, Politically Incorrect Bud Spencer Vehicle

[FightingWesterner · 7/10 · 28 June 2014]

Trying and failing to shake off his Indian sidekick, drifter Bud Spencer is mistaken for a doctor, thanks to a stolen physician's kit. Now the toast of the town in a place in desperate need of a doctor, he has to assume not just the role of healer, but it's protector against a gang of sadistic outlaws.

An amiable late spaghetti western comedy, Bud does what he does best, mainly breaking things, man-handling bad guys and putting down large amounts of food! In other words, if you like Bud Spencer movies (with or without frequent partner Terence Hill), you'll probably like this one as well. As his sidekick, Italian comedian Amidou is sometimes hilarious, but sometimes pretty embarrassing as well.

A neat score by Ennio Morricone has the maestro revisiting and parodying many of his best known western compositions, sometimes more than one in the same cue!

Observant viewers will also recognize Claudia Cardinale's house from Once Upon A Time In The West, being used as Bud's hiding place early on in the film.

Breezy fun

[Wizard-8 · 20 June 2013]

This comic spaghetti western can't be called one of the greats. The script is kind of a mess - for example, not long after it's established that Bud Spencer's character is pretending to be someone he's not, the movie completely forgets this for the rest of the movie. The rest of the story is also somewhat draggy at times, enough that you'll wish they would get get right down to it Also, the goofy depiction of the Native American character may offend more sensitive viewers.

Still, despite these problems, the movie does offer a decent amount of entertainment. As usual, Bud Spencer gives a great comic performance with his trademark slow burn style. The various fights his character gets into are pretty funny as well. The production values are solid, including some elaborate (and amusing) sight gags. And Ennio Morricone, composing a rare score for a comedy, provides appropriate background music for the silliness. So if you are looking for a silly spaghetti western, check this one out.

Buddy goes west was surprising pretty funny

[ironhorse_iv · 6/10 · 12 October 2013]

This movie is very interesting because it's one of the few Spaghetti Westerns, I have saw that seem to be parody of itself and had a comic twist. It's doesn't take itself serious. It's one of the few Spaghetti Westerns movies, without much of a death count. If I remember, no character died in this film. The humors works in the right places, and the soundtrack by Ennio Morricone is pretty catchy. The music does get a bit overplayed in the film, to the point, its get annoying. Song: "Vaohanana manitu" sung by Ferruccio Amendola was also pretty good. Buddy goes West is also known as 'A Feather in the Eye', A Fist Goes West, stars Carlos Pedersoli AKA Bud Spencer, known for his past roles in action-comedy films with his long time film partner Terence Hill, in particular for the 'Trinity' films. 1971's Trinity is still my name' is one of the highest grossing Spaghetti Western of all time. Due to the shear bulk of the man, his films often involve extended fist-fights, where he would fight off numerous attackers and finish them off with his trademark hammer-like blow to the top of the head with a clenched fist. The man looks like a bear. Buddy goes West has this type of a bar fight, and it's one of the highlight of the film. I like how the bar looks god awful after the 8 minute fight scene. Looking at him through this film, it's hard to believe that this man was once a successful Olympic swimmer representing Italy in the games of 1952, 1956, and 1960. After retiring from the sport, Carlos change his name to Bud to appeal to a large American audience and started in a lot of comedy bits in movies. This movie by director Michele Lupo is one of his better ones. Sadly, this movie doesn't have his film partner Terence Hill here. It would be nice to see them bounce jokes within each other. Instead of Terence Hill, we get an annoying 'Jar Jar Binks' type Indian character named Cocoa, played by French actor, Amidou. Due to language translations, some people might get confused by what the character's name is. In some versions, it's Cocoa, in others it's Girolamo AKA Eagle Eye. Then in the other language versions, he is known as Alder. Anyways, Amidou plays Cocoa, as a mindless idiot who goes around making sounds and noises kinda like a lame Harpo Marx. His character might seems kinda offended if watching with the Native American community. The saving grace of this movie has to be Bud Spencer, who plays an outlaw who befriended the Indian Cocoa, trying to escape from the law. He found his way out, when he rob a doctor of his medicine supplies and soon takes the doctor identify for himself. Nowhere in the movie, is the character true identify is mention. He just known as 'the doctor' or 'good doctor'. If I remember, the name 'Bud' doesn't even get mention as well. Watching him trying to cure people is simply hilarious. Soon, the good folks of the town of Yucca believe he is a real doctor, while the Sheriff Bronson (Joe Bugner) has doubts. I found the eating contest scene where the Sheriff Bronson and Bud challenge each other, funny and gross at the same time. Lot of gross out humor in this film. The onion soup bath water scene gets me. The humor has it hits and misses, but I did find it a bit juvenile. Bud finds himself, siding with the town folks and the sheriff, when a gang of thieves lead by Colorado Slim (Richard Pizzuti) continue to attack them in search for buried gold. Can Sheriff Bronson and Bud work together, or will the gang overrun the town? Watch the movie if you can. The picture quality is a bit gritty with all the dust of the location, but only 97 minutes, despite that problem, there is rarely any slow parts. It was fun B-movie level to watch.

Lonesome cowboy Bud (okay, he has his Indian buddy and the twonsfolk on his side) always worth a watch

[Horst_In_Translation · 6/10 · 26 December 2020]

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!

Spencer goes solo

[srobi280 · 10/10 · 11 April 2006]

This movie is a spaghetti western with a comic twist. Spencer goes solo in this film. He goes to the town of Yucca, where he pretends that he is a doctor. Watching him trying to cure people is simply a riot. He completely has no clue what he is doing, and he mixes up all kinds of crazy potions and does some awkward things. I watched the Hungarian version, and the dubbing is excellent. In Hungarian, the title translated is "Golden Rain in Yucca". I haven't seen this film in a while, but I pretty much laughed the entire time I watched it. Spencer kicks ass as usual in his unique style. I would recommend this movie to anyone who is looking for non-stop laughter and entertainment.

a great Italian western.extremely entertaining.

[sdell · 8/10 · 20 August 2005]

bud spencer is back again without his usual buddy, Terence Hill this time. the movie is still very funny and entertaining. I've been watching Bud Spencer's movies since my childhood now, and this one is one of the best. it also has Riccardo Pizzuti playing Colorado Slim and he still gets his ass kicked by spencer. Even though it does not have Terence Hill. Great music and fight scenes. spencer's eating competition with the sheriff is hilarious. he's so charismatic and funny in everything he does. the dubbing isn't all that great. but the movie makes up for it. I remember laughing the whole time while watching it.

highly recommends for anyone.

A must have for the fans

[theromanempire-1 · 10/10 · 18 January 2019]

If u lobe bud spencer then this is a must have. this time without his long time friend Terence hill we watch him in an adventure in the old west doing what he knows best. eating beans and hitting the bad guys. thing is...this is not another average western with bud is that u love it cause u like bud. this movie actually is worth it and bud just makes it even better. bud's duel with the corrupt sheriff is one of the highlights of the film. the music is superb. just hear the music in the final duel. it's up there with the Ennio Morricone western themes. all in all this is maybe the best western solo film bud did without Terrence hill. here are a few more worthy bud western films he made without Terrence hill so that u can check them out.

It can be done amigo // the five man army // a reason to live, a reason to die beyond the law // today we kill tomorrow we die //

Bud Spencer comedy western...Buddy Goes West

[gorytus-20672 · 9/10 · 11 August 2021]

Aug 21

My favourite Bud Spencer film of all time, this one without Terence Hill.

The humour is great, we also get Joe Bugner in his movie debut.

It is loads of fun, expect some usual Bud Spencer things such as eating and knockabout fighting.

I actually have a Bud Spencer autograph and the picture is from this film.

This one tops the Trinity films for me, even though i do like them a lot.

9 out of 10.

Bud Spencer plays doctor in Yucca

[liperta · 22 September 2006]

This movie is a spaghetti western with a zero rating. Spencer goes without his usual partner in this film. He comes to Yucca, where they believe that he is a doctor. Watching him how he cures people is simply not a riot. He has no clue what he is doing, nor does the director - never mind the script (which script ?). I watched the German version, and text was hard to follow. In the German DVD , the title used was "eine FAUST geht nach WESTEN". I haven't seen this film before, and I regret that I wasted my time seeing such an awful film production because I pretty much could not laugh the entire time I watched it. Spencer does what he usual does when they ask him to hit people. I wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone , specially any Bud Spencer fan who are used to a better performance than in this movie.