Today It’s Me… Tomorrow It’s You – Oggi a me… domani a te! (1968)

Directed by: Tonino Cervi | 109 minutes | action, western | Actors: Brett Halsey, William Berger, Bud Spencer, Tatsuya Nakadai, Wayde Preston, Jeff Cameron, Dana Ghia, Teodoro Corrà, Franco Borelli, Aldo Marianecci, Michele Borelli, Umberto Di Grazia, Franco Pechini, Nazzareno Natale

Italian slapstick fighter Bud Spencer also has a serious side. Before the impressive actor caused a furore with a long line of similar action comedies, he popped up in a grim western. Dario Argento, known for a series of cult horror films, wrote the story while Tonino Cervi canned the film. Almost thirty years after the release of ‘Today It’s Me… Tomorrow It’s You’, Dutch Film Works re-releases the film, with the seated Spencer on the cover. Funnily enough, Bud’s role isn’t even that big.

‘Today It’s Me… Tomorrow It’s You’ kicks off with the release of Bill Kiowa (Ford). A strange guy. The man made a wooden pistol years ago and trained day and night to get it out of its imaginary holster as smoothly as possible. The first thing Bill does after his release is buy a real firearm and visit four old comrades. Together, the friends go in search of gang leader Elfego (Nakadai). The villain is responsible for the death of Bill’s wife. The vendetta ends in a bloody battle between Elfego’s horde and Bill’s club of friends. Ford stars in this violent but heavily dated cowboy film. Spencer can be seen in a supporting role. A fairly serious role and in the brawls the action hero omits his characteristic punches. Spencer even comes across as a bit grumpy, which is a relief after the almost identical 70s action movies in which he played the same gruff mourner over and over. The strongest points of this western are the roles of Ford and Nakadai. In a cool way, the actors portray unscrupulous characters who perish because of their lifestyle.

Ford in the heroic role has lost his zest for life after the murder of his wife, while Nakadai tries to flee his crimes and sinks further and further into a quagmire of violence. Although the acting of the cast feels a bit old-fashioned, think of exaggerated close-ups in which the actors stare into the camera, the story is captivating enough to keep you focused. The revenge theme is interestingly worked out and Argento’s script also highlights the darker character traits of the heroes.

Unfortunately, the years have started to count. ‘Today It’s Me… Tomorrow It’s You’ is slow. The tempo is very slow and the image quality is appalling. In quiet moments (and there are quite a few) you hear the sound track creaking and you see stripes on your TV screen. The post-synchronization also does not run in parallel with the images. The washed out, faded colors don’t make it any better. If you can get over the visual shortcomings, a nice western awaits you.