Varokaa sheriffiä

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)

So it happens sometimes that you come across an old school movie on Czech Television and it captivates you with its humor so similar to Bud Spencer and Terence Hill and yet so different. Moreover you might think that similar genre is no longer able to surprise you but then for 2 hours you find yourself watching and enjoying a story you have never even heard of and still you are looking forward to every scene. It hasn’t happened to me for a long time and Support Your Local Sheriff showed me that film-making craftsmanship is still able to surprise me. (25.08.2020)

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)