In this sequel to the popular Every Which Way But Loose, Clint Eastwood returns to his role as Philo Beddoe, the easygoing bar-brawlin' dude with the orangutan named Clyde. Capitalizing on the success of the earlier film, Any Which Way You Can piles on the slapstick, picks up the pace, and lets Philo engage in lots more bare-fisted fighting. The result is a film that doesn't live up to the original but still is a good amount of fun.

As the film begins, Philo is starting to think about retiring from fighting. But Halsey Taylor (Sondra Locke) has weaseled her way in Philo's good graces, and some mobsters kidnap her in an effort to lure Philo into a fighting match with the sinister Jack Wilson. As Philo makes his way toward that inevitable showdown, we endure all kinds of often-cringe-worthy escapades that include both Ma (Ruth Gordon) and the orangutan Clyde gettin' some lovin' (on separate occasions, thankfully). The biker gang returns for some vengeance, and Orville (Geoffrey Lewis) is back as the trusty sidekick.

As with Every Which Way But Loose, you'll need to check your brain at the door before watching this one. But Eastwood, Gordon, and Lewis make this a fun trip worth taking.

Warner presents Any Which Way You Can in pretty good anamorphic-widescreen transfer of the film's original 1.85:1 theatrical aspect ratio. Detail is good, but not quite as sharp as the Every Which Way But Loose transfer. Colors are warm and accurate. I noticed a few instances of artifacting, but overall, this is a pleasing transfer.

The disc's newly remastered Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is very similar to that of Every Which Way But Loose. Dialog seems clear and accurate. Ambient sound effects make good use of the surround speakers. Again, the fight scenes in particular have a good bass punchiness.

The supplements are almost exactly the same as those included on the Every Which Way But Loose disc. A Cast & Crew section provides a Clint Eastwood filmography. The text-based Behind the Scenes section contains some interesting trivia. And the Theatrical Trailer is appropriately goofy.

If you picked up Every Which Way But Loose, I can't imagine you skipping this DVD, which is a fine presentation of a film that follows in the fun-but-brainless footsteps of its predecessor.