The Frisco Kid (DVD, 2006)
Avram Belinski (Gene Wilder) is a Polish Rabbi being sent to San Francisco to establish a Temple in the 1850's. He is young and as innocent as can be. He has been promised a wife and an eager Jewish congregation. He arrives in Philadelphia and instantly falls prey to three thugs who take advantage of his lack of worldliness. Having missed the ship to San Francisco, he takes off overland. After losing all of his money to highwaymen he seeks work as a railroad worker, but has no success. Having earned just enough money to continue his journey, he doesn't get far before he is out of food and hungry. In all, Avram is kind and considerate, but really not suited for any kind of work. One day while trying to catch a fish, he runs into Tommy (Harrison Ford), a bank robber and highwayman sort of guy. He befriends Avram and shoots some fish for him. Avram cooks dinner and they become friends. When Tommy realizes that Avram not only has no wilderness skills, can't shoot a gun, hunt, or hardly ride a horse, and has no sense of direction, he decides to help him on his way to California. Along the way, Tommy robs a bank and Avram was furious. Tommy gave him half of the money and Avram sent it back to the bank. After days of evading a posse, they wind up in snow country. In a bar, Avram spots the crooks who robbed him of all his money and a golden religious medallion. Avram demands his property and is almost beat to death. Tommy intervenes and saved the day. He got Avram's money and medallion back and a little extra too. Still together, they take off to San Francisco and are captured by Indians. Avram has a Torah for his new congregation and defends it with his life. The Indians talk like a bunch of Jews and after testing Avram's courage are impressed with him. Avram and Tommy are soon almost to San Francisco when the three thugs strike again, this time right on the Pacific Shore. Tommy kills one of the men and wounds another who gets away. In the fray Tommy is wounded, and Avram is forced to shoot the other one and kill him. He is so ashamed with himself for this he believes that he can no longer be a Rabbi. Tommy convinces him that he is wrong, and together they go to San Francisco. Avram goes to the Head Elder's home to leave the Torah and sees the younger sister of the girl who was promised as his wife. She is beautiful, much better than her older sister. The Elders of the community come to the restaurant where Avram and Tommy are eating. The Head Elder's daughter is with them and she sees Avram. Her father looks at Tommy who is clean and nicely dressed and thinks that he is the Rabbi. Avram looks just like someone who has just ridden across the country with a bushy beard. When he fusses at the Elders for their mistake they are impressed by his fire. Suddenly, the robber from the beach is there with a gun demanding a fight with Avram. Avram won't fight, and is ashamed when the Elders hear about the killing. Tommy intervenes again just at the right time. Avram steps between them not wanting Tommy to kill him. In the process, the whole group hears that what Avram did was to save lives. The robber is kicked out of town with a warning not to come back. He finds out that the younger, prettier, sister is the intended wife, because the older one married somebody else. They are married and Tommy was his best man. This was a good movie.
....lessRead full review
![Frisco Kid, The [DVD] - Michael Elias - Acceptable - dvd](https://ir.ebaystatic.com/rs/c/prpweb-src-images-space-98af7172.gif)