All the Way, Boys (4 Stars)

I watched this film today dubbed into German. The German title is "Zwei Himmelhunde auf dem Weg zur Hölle", i.e. "Two Heaven Dogs on their way to Hell". It's the seventh of 17 films that Bud Spencer and Terence Hill made as a comedy duo. It's sometimes incorrectly claimed that they made 18 films together. They both appeared in 1he 1959 film, "Hannibal", but they had no screentime together.

"All the Way Boys" arrived at exactly the right moment in Bud Spencer and Terence Hill's careers. After the phenomenal success of "They Call Me Trinity" and "Trinity Is Still My Name", audiences wanted more of the pair's effortless chemistry. Instead of another western, director Giuseppe Colizzi threw them into a modern adventure full of planes, treasure hunters, missionaries and, of course, spectacular fistfights. It proved that Bud and Terence weren't just stars of comedy westerns; they could entertain in almost any setting.

The story follows the pilots Plata and Salud, whose latest job is to deliberately crash an ageing aircraft for an insurance scam. Instead, they find themselves stranded in the Amazon rainforest, where a legendary treasure, ruthless criminals and a remote mission turn a simple fraud into a full-blown adventure. The plot is really just an excuse to throw Bud and Terence from one comic set piece to the next, and that's exactly what the film needs.

What makes the film so enjoyable is the relaxed confidence of its two leads. Terence Hill supplies the charm, quick thinking and acrobatic movement, while Bud Spencer is the immovable force who solves problems with a thunderous punch. Their comic timing has never been sharper. By this stage they understand exactly how to play off each other, making every argument, prank and fight feel completely natural.

The action also marks an important step in their evolution. The famous slapstick brawls are larger and more polished than ever, mixing genuine stunt work with cartoon humour. Instead of violence, the fights deliver laughter, a formula that would become the trademark of nearly every Bud Spencer and Terence Hill film that followed.

Although it isn't usually ranked alongside their greatest classics such as "They Call Me Trinity",  "All the Way Boys" is one of the films that secured their future as Europe's biggest comedy duo. It proved they weren't tied to one genre and could carry a modern action comedy just as successfully as a western. For millions of fans, this was the beginning of the classic Bud and Terence formula that would dominate the rest of the 1970's.

It's a lightweight adventure, but it's also an important milestone. Without "All the Way Boys", Bud Spencer and Terence Hill might have remained remembered as western heroes. Instead, they became one of cinema's most beloved comedy partnerships, and this film helped them spread their wings far beyond the Wild West.