The Two Missionaries

The Two Missionaries is a 1974 Italian-French action comedy set in 1890. Two priests, Padre Pedro and Padre J., run a mission on a Caribbean island and side with its indigenous inhabitants when a corrupt governor and local authorities scheme to displace them. When the priests turn to direct action in defence of the poor, they provoke the wrath of both the governor and senior figures in the local church, who try to have them transferred away. The film stars Bud Spencer as Padre Pedro De Leon and Terence Hill as Padre J., alongside Jean-Pierre Aumont, Robert Loggia and Mario Pilar, and was produced by Dino De Laurentiis.

Franco Rossi directed, working from a screenplay he wrote with Gianfranco Clerici and Augusto Caminito. It was the sixth feature he directed, following The Odyssey in 1969, and marked a departure for a filmmaker whose earlier work included dramas and literary adaptations.

Released on 21 December 1974, the film runs 89 minutes. On IMDb it holds a rating of 6.3 out of 10 from around 5,400 votes, while on TMDB it scores 6.5 out of 10 from roughly 289 votes, reflecting a modest, stable appreciation rather than a divisive one. The pairing of Spencer and Hill remains the film's commercial draw, with the comedy built around their physical confrontations with officials and wrongdoers.