Auch ein Sheriff braucht mal Hilfe

Es kann mal passieren, dass man im Tschechischen Fernsehen (Česká televize) einem Film der alten Schule begegnet, welcher aufgrund von gutem Humor begeistert, der extrem an die Filme von Bud Spencer und Terence Hill erinnert, hat damit aber überhaupt nichts zu tun. Außerdem hat man das Gefühl, dass so ein Genre von damals gar nicht überraschen kann, dabei stellt man plötzlich fest, dass man bereits seit zwei Stunden perfekt amüsiert wird – mit einer Geschichte, vor der früher nie die Rede war. Und dabei freut man sich über jeden Milimeter dieses Filmes. Das ist mir schon lange nicht passiert. Und diesmal wurde ich von Auch ein Sheriff braucht mal Hilfe überzeugt, dass das Filmemacher-Handwerk ständig überraschen kann. (25.08.2020)

Rather than begging for support from outside, this traveler on his way to Australia should have looked for it in his own ranks. Mainly from Mr. Bowers. Because it seems that he wasn’t enjoying himself much at the typewriter when writing this. It’s hard to explain otherwise that about half way through this loses any punch, perspective and humor that it had. So it’s left up to Jim Rockford to save it. And that’s rather too little. (29.06.2008)

Forget the fearless desperadoes with their low-slung six-guns and noble intentions. The mask of western virtue conceals scoundrels, cowards and freeloaders who won’t go out of their way to contribute to the renown of their one-horse town. Quiet tolerance of bandits, no respect for the dead and a willingness to shamelessly fight in the mud. Only the sheriff, who has spent four years trying to get to Australia, can bring order to this godforsaken shithole. And first of all, it will be necessary to put bars in the local jail. I haven’t seen a western comedy of comparable humour. Mel Brooks’s Blazing Saddles comes to mind, but that was a rollicking parody that jumped over the rules of the genre like Indians jumping over fire rather than skilfully bending them like firewater bending the mind of a sober cowboy. The conversational humour flows freely, taking the piss out of the “settlers of the untamed land” theme and works very well even when taken out of its place of origin, i.e. from the film itself. A forgotten well of cowboy anecdotes that definitely won’t run dry with a single viewing. 75% (21.09.2012)

The beginning of the movie definitely captivates the viewer and it looks like it's gearing up for a parody ride through the Wild West. However, after some time, it gets stuck. It's not that the actors act worse or that the Western setting loses its charm, but the screenwriter seems to run out of ideas and as the minutes go by, the film falls into mediocrity and, above all, becomes predictable. The character of the invincible sheriff played by James Garner maintains his light mood and flair until the end, but the rest lost its charm for me. Overall impression: 65%. (03.11.2009)