Tequila / Uno, dos, tres … dispara otra vez (Tulio Demicheli, 1973)

[Mickey13]

Copied from the Spagvemberfest 2023 thread:

@Mickey13

I do not quite understand why this is not more popular, as it happens to be a pretty good one. I do not mean to say that it is some sort of masterpiece, since it is indubitably a minor entry and does not feature much action, nevertheless, it outshines numerous other works of the sort in virtue of some curious writing choices and decidedly constitutes one of the more solid latter-period examples, especially as far as comedic outings are concerned. Firstly, though it recounts the same old story of the domineering landlord terrorizing necessitous farmers, the central duo does not really side with the poor and consistently sticks to their own interests in a genuinely callous manner which confers quite a bit of sardonicism and provides a welcome acerbic counterpoint; there is no attempt at even whitewashing their thoroughgoing self-interestedness and the film culminates in the arrantly cynical finale.

Secondly, Steffen must have learned a bit of acting by 1973 because he turns in one of his best performances here in that he appears quite relaxed as opposed to being so tense as though he was on the brink of having a stroke; there is great chemistry between him and Camardiel who likewise puts on a wonderful show and proves himself as an excellent comedian and as a splendid performer in general. Thirdly, Demicheli seems to have been one of the very few directors in the genre who had a truly good taste for comedy, resolutely opting for corny situational humor instead of hardcore slapstick; the film prodigiously benefits from the low-key, laid-back approach and combined with the balanced pacing and Demicheli’s firm grasp on the narrative, the flick turns out surprisingly engaging and superior to most other comedic efforts from the same period in spite of the forlorn appearance of its exteriors, the cheapjack interiors and the low production values all around.