Short Film: Jack Nicholson & John Belushi Are THE COWBOY & THE SAMURAI
The Cowboy & The Samurai is a first-rate short film from The Lewis Brothers which imagines a face-off between Jack Nicholson and John Belushi at the time they were filming the 1978 western, Goin’ South (Nicholson directed the film and apparently they didn’t get along off screen).
The Jake Lewis directed comedy (co-written with his brother Sam) is anchored by two pitch perfect performances from Jamie Costa and and Sandy Danto. The pair perfectly inhabit the men they are playing, embracing their ticks and mannerisms. It’s not simple mimicry though. The Cowboy & The Samurai might be less than 12 minutes long, but you get a great sense of who these men are. Yes, they’re larger than life personalities, but you can understand what makes them tick.
The Lewis Brothers went viral in 2021 when their short film about Robin Williams, Robin dropped on YouTube. The film featured a fascinating performance from Jamie Costa as a Mork & Mindy area Williams when he learns about the death of his friend John Belushi.
As for The Cowboy & The Samurai – you can watch the entire short film below:
