Dingetjie Is Dynamite!

This amusing "Boerewors-western" will remind viewers of the Terence Hill and Bud Spencer spaghetti westerns, to which writer CF Beyers-Boshoff alludes in this movie's credits (which are a comic treat and not to be missed). It's 1930 and a gang has been terrorizing the locals for what seems like forever. But it's finally about to come to end with the arrival of Dingetjie and Daan, two mismatched brothers who aren't too bright, but can shoot and fight. They get a job looking after cattle for a local matriarch, but the gang gets Daan framed for bank robbery so they can steal the cattle. Dingetjie blows up the jail to spring Daan from captivity, and the local sheriff sets off after them, with a big shoot-out ensuing in the town square. Apart from its outrageous humor, savor Hal Orlandini's stand-out performance as the curiously fastidious villain.

Directed by Ivan Hall, Dingetjie Is Dynamite! leans on a strong ensemble — Don Leonard, Wena Naudé, Roelf Laubscher — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about screen titles of 1975.