Any Which Way You Can (1980)

Directed by Buddy Van Horn. Starring Clint Eastwood, William Smith, Sondra Locke, Geoffrey Lewis, Barry Corbin, Ruth Gordon, Harry Guardino, John Quade, Michael Cavanaugh, Al Ruscio. [PG]

Sequel to Every Which Way but Loose is every which way but good, and if that line leaves you gasping for air, maybe you’ll be receptive? Eastwood continues to punch his way through his problems (and, for no good reason at all, shacks up again with Locke’s newly-mellowed psycho) while biker gangs, cops, and the Mafia interfere in his business. Inspiration is hallucinatory, but the “orangutantics” are on the upswing (even though said ape, Clyde, is clearly not the same animal as the one from the predecessor); in fact, its broader approach to crack-ups and beat-downs makes this a slightly less intolerable bit of brainless roughneck entertainment. Still, unless a running gag involving an orangutan defecating in police cars sounds promising, avoid it like…well, like a police car that’s been recently soiled by a rude orangutan. Caveat: anyone who enjoys ASMR of paddles beating the heck out of slabs of meat will find their nirvana in the film’s rowdy climax. Like the first movie, an inexplicable box office hit, so count your blessings that these flicks never became a trilogy of turkeys. Stuntman Van Horn’s directorial debut; Fats Domino cameos (don’t ask).

25/100