This is only my second viewing of a Terrence Hill/Bud Spencer collaboration, the other being 1972's "La Collina Degli Stivali" or "Boot Hill", the title I saw it under. I've yet to see a Trinity film, so maybe my opinion will change, but I don't see a whole lot to be enthused about regarding their output. "God Forgives... I Don't!" was better than "Boot Hill", an almost unintelligible affair made more complicated by a dark and muddy appearance that contributed to it's being hard to follow. This one for the most part took place during the light of day, and even though the story had a decent continuity, I didn't find it all that special or intriguing. What's more, I don't recall either Hill or Spencer mentioned by their credited characters' names, that of Cat Stevens and Hutch Bessey. Maybe they were, but the story didn't make it clear enough for me, and mentally I had to keep referencing them as Pretty Face and the 'fat guy'. On the other hand, outlaw Bill San Antonio (Frank Wolff) stood out nicely villainous in contrast. He might be the best reason for tuning in.

The other troubling issue with the film version I saw today on the Encore Western Channel had to do with some clumsy editing. The best example I can think of was right at the finale when San Antonio was about to face a showdown with Pretty Face and Bessey. Somehow Bill took down the fat man (?),whereupon the Face caps him in the knees forcing him to a crawl. With time running out, Bill attempts to disarm the explosive with his teeth, there's a clumsy cutaway and then all of a sudden an explosion and it's all over. Not too suspenseful and definitely not too satisfying.

I don't know, maybe back in the heyday of spaghetti Westerns, this might have been something new and different, but there are still enough better ones around, particularly Eastwood's trilogy. In fact, now that I think about it, that's kind of how Terence Hill's character strikes me, sort of a poor man's Clint Eastwood, who's own take as the Stranger leaves just a little something to be desired.

Saturday morning and time for a western - a spaghetti western with Terence Hill and Bud Spencer, who have appeared together a couple of dozen times.

Hill can be found in some of the most popular movies today, like Wanted and Get Smart. He has been in many films under the name Mario Girotti; this is only the second film where he used his present name. It is the first film where Bud Spencer, previously Carlo Pedersoli, appears under that name.

Lots of shoot-em-up action. Really not bad for a PG-1 western. Would have expected more from something that came from Italy.

This is a review of the uncut version, not the cut 'comedy' version.

"Dio Perdona... Io No!" aka. "God Forgives.. I Don't!" is not only the first film with both Bud Spencer and Terence Hill in the leading parts, it is also one of their best movies. Although the movie has many gags and humorous parts, "God Forgives... I Don't!" is not one of the usual Spencer/Hill comedies, but a pretty brutal and rather serious Spaghetti Western.

The movie starts with a train rolling into a town. Everybody on the train was massacred and the fortune it carried was stolen. Two gunslingers, Cat Stevens (Hill),and Hutch Bessy (Spencer) realize that the whole coup looks like the work of Outlaw Bill San Antonio. The mysterious thing about it is, however, that Cat killed San Antonio in a duel several months ago. On their search for the gold, the two get several clues that Bill San Antonio only staged his own death.

"God Forgives.. I Don't!" is definitely the most serious and brutal of the Spencer/Hill collaborations. Anyway, the movie also has many of the typical Spencer/Hill movie ingredients, like the numerous fistfights in which Spencer's character uses his typical hammering one punch technique.

Spencer and Hill show that they are not only great as a team in comedies, but also in a serious Spaghetti Western. Another Highlight of this movie is the great performance of Spaghetti Western Star Frank Wolff as the evil Bill San Antonio. I also liked the score a lot, especially the part with the somehow aggressive, dynamic, classical choir.

In Germany and Austria, this movie was released under three different titles. After the uncut version was released, it was re-released as a "Django" movie, and released again in its cut 'comedy version'. Terence Hill's character is also referred to as 'Django' in the uncut German version, and his dubbed voice is different to his dubbed voice in his later comedies.

All told, "God Forgives... I Don't" is a great Spaghetti Western, not like the usual Spencer/Hill movies, but a pretty brutal and serious movie, and definitely one of their best collaborations. 8/10