A Fistful of Fingers

I find this so much funnier than a lot of other people seem to give it credit for. If you want a Zucker/Abrahams-style comedy spoofing spaghetti westerns, but made with pretty much no money, that's exactly what Fistful of Fingers offers.

I've spent a few years lamenting how Edgar Wright has moved away from comedy, too, all the while ignoring what could well be his silliest movie. It's made on such a budget that some might not even consider it a proper movie, but I don't care. It's funny. It made me laugh more than I was expecting.

Wright's wheelhouse is comedy, so much so I'd say this might well be a better film (or at least a more satisfying watch) than either Baby Driver or Last Night in Soho. The last 10 years has been grim for anyone who likes this filmmaker's sense of humour. At least his Sparks documentary was pretty funny, but that was mostly because Sparks are a funny duo.

Edgar, just make comedies again. You're funny. You bring out the best in Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. The Cornetto trilogy movies are still ones I think about often. I haven't seen Scott Pilgrim from ages, but I reckon I'd still enjoy it if watched again today. The guy is helming a more serious/accurate adaptation of Stephen King's The Running Man next (purportedly more in line with the book than the Schwarzenegger film that very loosely adapted it), and I just have to ask... why. Why, why, why.

Wright ignoring the comedy genre would be like David Lean deciding to stop making epics, or David Lynch moving away from surrealism, or Scorsese suddenly making nothing but sci-fi/fantasy movies for no good reason. This filmmaker has moved so far out of his wheelhouse and I'm just baffled why he's apparently got no desire to go back.

Got off-topic there. I'll just reiterate: if you like Wright's other parodies, and you enjoy spaghetti westerns, and you don't mind films with low budgets, watch Fistful of Fingers.

This is a funny film that parodies westerns . Most, if not all of the cast are probably still in their teens and still in school. Even though it is low budget, it looks very professional. More professional than a lot of other low budget British films. The writing is very funny, a lot of monty python, Airplane, and Naked Gun kind of humour. It feels a bit slow at times, but is still a very enjoyable film. It's a bit more over the top and surreal than Blazing Saddles. One of the funniest western parody I've ever seen.

Edgar Wright is one of my favorite filmmakers working in Hollywood today as he has a sleight of movies that are all instant classics in my book for years, but his career started off with a movie titled A Fistful of Fingers (1995) which follows a cowboy who follows a wanted man who caused the death of his horse Easy. This movie is actually a first time watch and I gotta say that it was pretty damn good.

Positives for A Fistful of Fingers (1995): From the very beginning, you can already see Edgar Wright's signature filmmaking style on display as he clearly knew what he wanted to do. I also gotta say that the story is interesting and hilarious with the goal for the main character that is so ridiculous that it can only exist in this movie. The cast does a great job with their performances and are leaning into the stereotypes of their characters very well. The comedy is on point in every scene that got a good smile from me. The action sequences are shot very well with some decent gore effects for the budget Wright was working with. And finally, the movie is short and is paced well enough.

Negatives for A Fistful of Fingers (1995): The movie is heavily effected by its extremely low budget with the camera quality, editing, and acting that makes it feel like a student film.

Overall, A Fistful of Fingers (1995) is a damn good directorial debut for Edgar Wright and it is much better than I anticipated which is good and it sets up a bright and successful future for Mr. Wright.

Im currently studying film, and am more than aware of how difficult it is to make a semblance of a good movie on your own. Its amazing what Edgar Wright managed to do with this film, and a clear sign that this man would do amazing things if he had the right resources. Even though some of the jokes in this film don't land, those that do are solid and creative. It gets way too silly in its second half and loses its way in the story and comedy just a little, but overall its a very impressive first effort by a masterful future director.

5.5/10

Before spoofing zombie movies and action flicks, Edgar Wright took a stab at the spaghetti western. It's an understandably amateurish production with zero budget and baby-faced actors. Rather than the character-driven homage format of his later films, here Wright takes more of a rapid-fire gag approach, with echoes of Mel Brooks, Looney Tunes, Monty Python and Zucker/Abrahams/Zucker. It's a style that demands to be judged on the quality of its jokes. And there are some pretty good ones... I especially liked the final showdown that starts with a debate about the end of BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID. However, a lot more gags fail than succeed. I'd say roughly 1 in 4 find their mark. It's not a very impressive ratio, but it could be a whole lot worse. If it's not exactly a comic masterpiece, at least it's generally watchable and supplies a few good laughs.