Best known for the TV series 'Mission: Impossible' at the time, Peter Graves is similarly in charge of a mission here: rob half a million in gold from a heavily fortified / guarded train. This currency will go towards funding the revolutionaries during the time of the Mexican revolution. Of course, "The Dutchman" (Graves) will need to assemble some men for the mission. They will include a strongman (Bud Spencer), a gambler / explosives expert (James Daly), a samurai (Tetsuro Tanba), and a former circus acrobat (Nino Castelnuovo).
While "The 5-Man Army" isn't always that credible (uh, they should be able to *see* you guys hiding under the train, for one thing), it has a wonderful spirit of adventure and excitement. Wonderfully shot by Enzo Barboni, it has just about everything: a good sense of humor, some genuine poignancy, a fair amount of tension, and well executed action. As you can expect, the climactic train robbery doesn't go that smoothly. One of the men will fall off the train, and have to haul ass across the country in order to get back on. And Daly will drop some of his supplies along the way. Some people may feel that the film is too lacking in story, but it shows its audience a good enough time that it doesn't matter all that much. The screenplay is credited to Marc Richards and future director Dario Argento, who actually did some work on this film, and who would make his official debut with "The Bird with the Crystal Plumage" the following year. Although American filmmaker Don Taylor ("Escape from the Planet of the Apes", "The Final Countdown"), a former actor, is given sole credit as director, lovely co-star Daniela Giordano maintains that producer Italo Zingarelli was responsible for much of that task. Composer Ennio Morricone once again displays great talent by coming up with an effectively rousing score. It may not be destined for iconic status, like some of his other work, but it's still enjoyable to listen to.
This eclectic team at the heart of the picture is really fun to watch. Graves handles himself with style. Daly has one memorable speech where he feels that he and his comrades won't survive the mission. Spencer is quite amusing, and gets to show off a truly healthy appetite. Young Castelnuovo is a delight as the mouthy Luiz. And Tanba never gets to say much, but he doesn't have to. He still has an effective presence on screen.
Highly charged entertainment, with a truly uplifting ending.
Eight out of 10.
While "The 5-Man Army" isn't always that credible (uh, they should be able to *see* you guys hiding under the train, for one thing), it has a wonderful spirit of adventure and excitement. Wonderfully shot by Enzo Barboni, it has just about everything: a good sense of humor, some genuine poignancy, a fair amount of tension, and well executed action. As you can expect, the climactic train robbery doesn't go that smoothly. One of the men will fall off the train, and have to haul ass across the country in order to get back on. And Daly will drop some of his supplies along the way. Some people may feel that the film is too lacking in story, but it shows its audience a good enough time that it doesn't matter all that much. The screenplay is credited to Marc Richards and future director Dario Argento, who actually did some work on this film, and who would make his official debut with "The Bird with the Crystal Plumage" the following year. Although American filmmaker Don Taylor ("Escape from the Planet of the Apes", "The Final Countdown"), a former actor, is given sole credit as director, lovely co-star Daniela Giordano maintains that producer Italo Zingarelli was responsible for much of that task. Composer Ennio Morricone once again displays great talent by coming up with an effectively rousing score. It may not be destined for iconic status, like some of his other work, but it's still enjoyable to listen to.
This eclectic team at the heart of the picture is really fun to watch. Graves handles himself with style. Daly has one memorable speech where he feels that he and his comrades won't survive the mission. Spencer is quite amusing, and gets to show off a truly healthy appetite. Young Castelnuovo is a delight as the mouthy Luiz. And Tanba never gets to say much, but he doesn't have to. He still has an effective presence on screen.
Highly charged entertainment, with a truly uplifting ending.
Eight out of 10.