Adios Amigo
review by Bobby Blakey
Throughout his career the late comedy icon Richard Pryor brought so many laughs to the big screen in a variety of roles. In 1975, after working on Blazing Saddles, but not getting to star in the film, Pryor teamed up with Fred Williamson for the western comedy Adios Amigo. The film co-starred James Brown, Robert Phillips, and Mike Henry with Williamson writing, directing and starring alongside Pryor. Could this lost cult classic deliver the laughs, or will it get lost in the old west?
Adios Amigo follows a charismatic conman and a straight-shooting cowboy who join forces in this comedic Western, delivering a blend of action, humor, and adventure in the Old West. This buddy comedy challenges the genre's norms with its improvisational dialogue and African American leads. Their chaotic escapades across saloons, bandit camps, and dusty towns create a unique mix of laughs and thrills.
When I can get the chance to see a film with Richard Pryor, I have never seen of
course I am going to jump at the chance. This lost classic is one I had never heard of, but with this cast with Pryor I hoped for something special but was met with more mixed results than I was hoping for. The first big issue is the picture quality, which is not fault to the filmmaking and sure it had to do with what they had to work with. Due to its degradation of time, it is sometimes hard to see and just doesn’t look all that great but applaud them for still trying to get this out to the masses.
The story is generic for the western genre, but not sure what it’s really trying to be. There is an interesting line this film tries to walk between comedy and serious western and some elements work just fine, but sadly it gets muddled in its own story most of the time. One minute there is some decent old west gunslinging and the next just random situations that feel forced in to try to find a story where really wasn’t one. I am sure a lot of this had to do with the improve nature of the dialogue but could have been so much more.
Throughout the film I sadly found myself losing interest, but not sure whether it was the film itself or the quality of the film we are given here. Again, I think this is an issue with the age of the original they used as their transfer for the Blu-ray release which is a shame as I think the film deserves a better-quality release.
Unless you are just a hardcore fan of Pryor, Jim Brown or the blaxploitation era of filmmaking then this is one that you will probably want to avoid. It is still a classic that deserves to be seen, and I hope the true lovers of film or fans of those involved get the chance to decide for themselves.
Grab your copy of Adios Amigo available now on Blu-ray from Shoreline Entertainment.