After relieving a couple of bounty hunters of their catch, Trinity (Terence Hill) wanders into the town that has his half-brother, Bambino, as the sheriff to collect his reward. But Bambino (Bud Spencer) is not what he seems, he's an outlaw who shot the real sheriff before he arrived and took his place - ironically, he's doing a great job of keeping the peace. The local Mr Big, the Major (Farley Granger) has plans to rear horses on land occupied by peaceful Mormons, so how do Bambino and Trinity fit into his scheme?
This spaghetti western with a comic flavour was written by the director Enzo Barboni, under the pseudonym E.B. Clucher, and was the first of the Trinity series which were worldwide hits. It makes good use of the partnership between Hill and Spencer; Hill plays Trinity in his usual fashion, unkempt, workshy, and smirking, but sly, shrewd and an unbeatable gunfighter. The burly Bambino, as played by Spencer, is his counterpart - gruff, immensely strong and long suffering, especially where Trinity is concerned.
The comedy is broad, with plenty of slapstick and Trinity cheerfully outwitting his enemies, who here are mostly the Major's henchmen. Amusing moments include the bit where Trinity deftly stops Bambino from being shot in the back by making the potential assassin assume a relaxed position instead. And I like the way Bambino commands the townsfolk to shut up every time they greet him. When the two half-brothers make friends with the Mormons, they see a way of getting their hands on the Major's horses and making the land safe for the settlers, thereby doing a good deed and getting something out of it into the bargain.
The Mormons refuse to resort to violence to drive away the Major's men, which leads to their "turn the other cheek" outlook endangering them all. Trinity and Bambino teach them to stick up for themselves, neatly showing how outlaws can be the best defence against evil-doers, in a "fight fire with fire" kind of way. After a lengthy, lighthearted, brawling sequence, the final scenes are a genial variation on the western theme of violent men having no place in the civilisation they help to build. They Call Me Trinity presents a solid, good natured diversion, without pushing back any boundaries. Music by Franco Mizalizzi.
