TrueJoshNight Truly Dreadful Film

Phonearl Good start, but then it gets ruined

Spoonatects Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

Ava-Grace Willis Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

zardoz-13 Dean Martin plays a serious, straightforward lawyer in "Marlowe" director Paul Bogart's "Mr. Ricco," a predictable but violent crime thriller set in contemporary San Francisco. "Mr. Ricco" constituted something of a change of pace for the "King of Cool." Unlike his frivolous Matt Helm espionage comedies, this Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer release followed the efforts of a conscientious lawyer to obtain justice for an African-American accused of murdering a white woman. Actually, nothing that Joe Ricco does on behalf of his client, Frankie Steele (Thalmus Rasulala of "Cool Breeze"), proves his innocence. Later, when Steele is on the run and Ricco catches up with him, Steele admits to him that he did indeed murder the white woman, but he explains that he didn't set out to kill her. Nevertheless, this revelation comes as something of a shock to Ricco. As it turned out, Steele won his freedom because the police had tampered with evidence in the case. Unfortunately, we're never told who was responsible for the tampering. No sooner has Steele been released that two uniformed policemen are gunned down by an African-American wielding a shotgun. A young African-American adolescent spots the shooter as he is fleeing the scene of the murder. The child goes to the police and gives them a description of the shooter that fits Steele's description. Later, Ricco finds himself the target of this same African-American shooter. This individual attempts to kill Ricco three times without success. Naturally, Captain George Cronyn (Eugene Roche of "Newman's Law") assigns a man, Lieutenant Barrett (George Tyne of "Sands of Iwo Jima"), to shadow the lawyer. Meantime, the police pursue a lead and nearly capture Steele at his place where he serves as an activist. It seems Steele has attained legitimacy as an outspoken racial activist with an organization that he created known as 'the Black Serpents." There isn't a trace of altruism in Steele's bones, and he wastes the funds that Washington provided him with to help poor, disadvantaged African-Americans. Moreover, when the San Francisco police raided his headquarters, they found two of his underlings on the premises, Purvis Mapes (Philip Michael Thomas of "Miami Vice") and his brother Calvin (Oliver Givens of "Trader Horn"), and Detective Tanner (Michael Gregory of "Total Recall") shoots Calvin in the head. Unfortunately for the gung-ho Tanner who is a dyed-in-the-wool racist, he discovers too late that Calvin was unarmed. Tanner grabs a shotgun and plants the weapon on Calvin. Initially, Captain Cronyn believes Tanner. Our hero defends Purvis in court and the charges against him are dropped. Consequently, Purvis tells Ricco where Steele is holed up and hiding. Ricco has to throw the police off his tail; he has his rental Mustang repainted to complicate their efforts to track him, and he finds Steele. Steele confesses about the murder, and Ricco punches him out. This crime melodrama taps into the racism of the day. Tanner believes that he should have been given a commendation for tampering with the evidence and later shooting Calvin Mapes. Meanwhile, Ricco is set up by his Cupid of a secretary, Jamison (Cindy Williams of "Laverne & Shirley"), with a woman, Katherine Fremont (Geraldine Brooks of "Johnny Tiger"), who is twice divorced. They sleep together after one date. Later, they attend an art auction for the ACLU that Purvis's sister Irene (Denise Nicholas of "Capricorn One") has set up. The shotgun-toting assailant strikes again, killing three police as well as shooting Katherine in the back and Lieutenant Barrett. Earlier that evening after the police arrested Steele, Ricco left a snub-nosed revolver in a drawer at his residence because he felt like he no longer needed the gun. He retrieved Lieutenant Barrett's revolver and shot the killer to death. The catch here is that Bogart wanted audiences to think that Steele was out to ice Ricco. Of course, why would Steele want to kill the man who got him cleared of a murder charge. Everything comes out of the wash during the final twenty minutes. "Mr. Ricco" is a believable, conventional, but entertaining crime mystery, and Martin gives a restrained but convincing performance. Lenser Paul Stanley who photographed "Mr. Ricco" makes it look smooth and elegant at the same time. The film's only stab at humor involves Ricco's horny dog Hank who eventually knocks up a neighbor's dog. Altogether, "Mr. Ricco" qualifies as an above-average movie.

kapelusznik18 ***SPOILERS*** Dean "Dino" Martin in his last staring role is San Francisco attorney for the hopeless and downtrodden Joe Ricco who ends up getting involved in a double murder of two SFPD police officers by a former client of his black militant Frankie Steele, Thalmus Rusulala, that he earlier got off on a murder charge. Steele claiming innocence is on on the run and later tracked down at his headquarters in the Haven's Point district.That leads to a shoot out with Steele's friend Calvin Mapes, Oliver Givens, gunned down by policeman Tanner, Michael Gregory, as he was peacefully taking a dump in the john. Ricco who's not only hated by the police in letting the cop killer Frankie Steele go free in a previous case Steele's alleged victim Marie Justin's brother Justin, Robert Sampson, also has it in for Ricco in feeling that Steele murdered his sister Marie that he got off Scot-free on a technicality!Ricco who himself has become a target of the elusive cop killer in him trying to get Steele-The #1 suspect in the cops murder- to surrender himself to the police who's confronted by him at a local church who in the heat of the moment admits that he in fact did murder Marie Justin! That's after her catching him red-handed breaking into her apartment! That has Ricco flip out and slug it out with the much younger and stronger Steele that has him barley survive with his life. Now feeling that he let a murderer off the hook Ricco tries to apologize to Mr. Rustin who lets him have it in what a creep he is in him, a big shot lawyer, not realizing that his client was guilty!***SPOILERS*** It's at a party at the San Francisco Art Museum that the man who's been stalking Ricco all throughout the movie makes his grand appearance taking a number of pot shots at Ricco and hitting one of the visitors as well as tree security guards at the museum killing them. With Mister Ricco now taking it upon himself to catch the killer he ends up in a wild gun battle thus, after being hit himself, taking him down only to discover his true identity that shocks the living hell out of him! Not your usual Dean Martin movie but far better the the light comedies and self engaging drama he made throughout his long and successful career that showed that Martin can really act as well as sing and dance. P.S After the tragic death of son Dean Paul in a 1987 plane crash Dean Martin stayed away from the spotlight and became a virtual hermit living on a daily plate of pasta and a bottle of whiskey until he passed away on Christmas day 1995.

LeonLouisRicci The Only Reason for a Dean Martin Fan to seek out this Unremarkable Movie is to See Dino in His Last Starring Role in a Major Motion Picture. Dean, as well as the Film itself, is not a Pretty Picture.Gone is the Playful Playboy, Gone is the Charming Boozer, Gone is the Suave Aloofness of His Persona that was a Schict He Employed for most of His Career, Gone is the sometimes Very Effective Dramatic Actor, Gone Baby Gone, as witnessed here, is Dean Martin. The Movie is a Bland, Boring, Turgid Story of a Lawyer and Defender of the Underdog that is Never Quite Fleshed Out. It's a Clunky Film with a TV Look and at times is Unprofessionally Acted, Shot, and Edited. There is a Twist Ending that Falls Flat as is most of the Movie and the Characters within. Humorous Scenes Bomb, the Mystery is Muddled, the Action is Pedestrian, and none of it is the Least Bit Intriguing. This Thing can be Summed UP in One Word......Tired.A Film Best Forgotten and Ignored, because there is Nothing to See Here that is the Least Bit Pleasant and Borderline Embarrassing for Anyone Involved in the Production.

the_great Dean Martin's final lead role has somehow managed to slip under the radar of his fans and 70s crime thriller aficionados. Watching this, I expected to find some critical flaw that accounts for it, but found none. Maybe playing against genre expectations hurt the reception. To me that is not a flaw.Like others have said, this is a very 70s movie. This time the renegade is not a cop but a defense lawyer. Cop is not the law, he's there to enforce it, is the running theme. There are delightful gags involving Ricco's dog that could be from Columbo, and Dino makes fun of his own golf playing. Cindy Williams plays a spunky aid that Ricco tries to help find a man. Philip Michael Thomas of Miami Vice fame has a memorable early performance.Inspite of the mellow insider group, pay attention to the case. The action is on the streets. Not much happens inside a courtroom. You may think you are about to see an open and shut case, but there are twists and turns. There are clues as well. To avoid spoilers, avoid Robert Ebert's review that misses the point.