IslandGuru Who payed the critics

LouHomey From my favorite movies..

InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Payno I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

ofumalow Given the relative obscurity of this I didn't expect much, but it's considerably better than a lot of 70s Italian crime/cop thrillers (and indeed feels more mid-70s despite being a few years older). As for a prior reviewer's complaint that there's not enough Klaus, well--of course you have never have enough Klaus, but while he doesn't appear much in the first half (and then only in isolation or with a girl, never with the other main actors), he dominates much of the second half as a cold-blooded killer who muscles in on the protagonists' bank robbery after it's a done deal. Klaus doesn't get a lot of dialogue but he's fascinating nonetheless, making his character shift constantly from an icy, complete lack of empathy to (any time he's threatened himself) complete cowardice. The rest of the cast, playing the motley crew of heist conspirators, are a fine assortment of 2nd-rung Italian lead and character actors from the era, plus the usual couple Eurobabes with decorative if thankless roles. The script is above-average, the direction more than competent, the whole thing pretty consistently interesting and well thought-out if never wildly original. The one very 60s element is a couple scenes at a psychedelic discotheque (the music throughout is very good, both instrumental score and songs). The big minus in the cut-rate old VHS I watched was that it was full-frame, and this was very clearly a widescreen movie--sometimes significant figures or action were cut off. If I'd seen it in ideal form I'd probably bump it up to a 7.Given the mediocre and derivative nature of many Italian crime flix that followed, it seems odd this quite good if not certifiably great one doesn't have a better rep.

thelastonehere well being a Kinski fan if felt that it didn't contain enough scenes with him in it. There were some nice surprises along the way but nothing of real substance---including 'B' movie substance--- unfortunately it was too boring to be a nice form of kitch. There is one nice scene of a 60's art party where devilry and fornication included some horrible psychodelia and sweaty Italians dancing. Not bad---but not enough to keep a sane person interested. There is a few scenes where Kinski is being a total malicious killer and he thinks much like a wild animal killing anything for his own greed and no human emotion is felt by him. I wouldn't bother with this one leave it and go do something constructive with your time like watch your laundry in the dryer.

Scott Part groovy Italian exploitation and part gangster movie, about the only enjoyable part of this movie is studying the young Klaus Kinski. I suppose this was made before Klaus became unbearable to work with due to the fact this was one of eight movies he made in 1969 alone. He's young, strong, and takes direction well. Only a minor performance from Franco Citti (Bruno) whom you can also find in the Italian segment of The Godfather (1972) as Michael's bodyguard and in Pasolini's Decameron (1971) though not much elsewhere unless you like more Italian crime films. The rest of the cast played well, but the movie lacked direction from the beginning. At only 89 minutes, it felt that at 40 the movies should have already been finished. After the robbery and flashback portion, the movie ran out of steam and regressed into droll segments highlighting each robber's downfall. Ending with ineffective shootouts and car chases, I was squirming in my seat for the movie to wrap up what I already knew was going to happen. Aside from short scenes of dancing in a night club that was shot and edited in a decidedly "groovier" style than the rest of the movie, I don't recommend renting or buying this Italian-made crime/revenge caper.

Luca-Canali! I was surprised to see that there weren't any comments posted on this neglected Euro Crime gem. The plot revolves around a heist at a bank that goes horribly wrong, especially when they arrive at their meeting point to split the cash between them - typically for this genre, it appears that there is a double crosser within the fold! Comparisons to Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs are plentiful - including opening the film with a heist gone wrong and injured robber in the back of the vehicle, the loosely assembled gang, the double cross at the rendezvous point etc. Klaus Kinski is excellent as usual as the smug, suave but highly dangerous Renier, Franco Citti (who can also be seen in The Godfather) gives a very likable performance as Bruno - the most sympathetic character here and Maurice Poli (Rabid Dogs) is brilliant as Quintero, every scene with him (especially his getaway towards the end) is great, the guy has quite a bit of screen presence. A lot more character development than usual for this type of film, with us witnessing flashbacks from each of the main characters from inside the getaway truck until it abruptly cuts back to screeching tyres and police sirens and bringing us back to the present. Needs a decent widescreen DVD to be fully appreciated and highly recommended for fans of Euro crime, Italian cinema and of course Klaus Kinski!. (PS Don't be fooled by some of the rubbish cover art that accompanies most versions of this film! Most of the artwork I've seen has nothing to do with the film whatsoever!)