I feel like this movie never really evolved beyond the elevator pitch. “Gene Wilder will play a rabbi who gets into hijinks in the Wild West! And Harrison Ford will play his desperado sidekick! The comedy will write itself!” Unfortunately, it didn’t and the resulting movie is unfunny, formless, and shaggy as hell.
Basically just a long, pointless schlep with occasional mildly amusing interludes, Frisco Kid never lives up to its premise, and is outdone by later copycats like Shanghai Noon, which just replaces the Torah with Lucy Liu, and livens up its fish-out-of-water shtick with some kung fu. Frankly, I’m surprised the great Robert Aldrich wasted his time on this. For Wilder or Ford completists only.
1 1/2 out of 4 stars (Below average).