Alive or Preferably Dead / Vivi o preferibilmente morti (Duccio Tessari, 1969)

[Mickey13]

Copied from the Spagvemberfest 2022 thread:

@Mickey13

The opening scene is really unlike anything else in the history of the genre and I have to say I cherish it very much; while the rest of the film doesn’t pan out quite as well, it still has plenty of charm and is considerably more enjoyable and well-rounded than other Italian western comedies of its time, not to mention some of the trainwrecks of the seventies. The reason why it seems to work better than expected is probably due to the satisfactory chemistry between Gemma and Benvenuti, who turns in a surprisingly good performance for a non-professional actor.

Secondly, the comedy prioritizes the comedic quirk and the buddy element at the expense of slapstick and action which in turn greatly benefits the overall plot development and flow of the narrative. The approach calls for a bit more sophisticated writing and though it doesn’t live up to genre’s loftiest standards, at the very least it furnishes an acceptable tale packed with just enough old-school thrills and corny skits to make for an enjoyable viewing. The fisticuffs do come along eventually, but they look exceptionally well in virtue of Benvenuti’s strong punches. Not a classic by any stretch of the imagination and more of a comedy than a western, but hardly a disaster either and definitely diverting in its own right despite being pretty episodic throughout, could have been even better with a stronger script.