Grizzled cop Richard Harrison faces off against psychotic escaped con Helmut Berger in this tense and nasty action thriller.
BEAST WITH A GUN certainly feels far more amateurish than anything put out by Umberto Lenzi, Enzo Castellari, or Sergio Martino at the time. Half the movie is out of focus, the 180 degree line gets crossed left and right, certain scenes drag on way too long, and the final fight involves the two most obvious stunt doubles this side of Star Trek. There's so many strange goofs in the first scene alone that MST3K certainly could have had a field day. Unfortunately I doubt that this could ever have run on TV owing to the heavy load of mean-spirited violence and semi-consensual sex/rape scenes involving Berger and Marisa Mell.
Marisa Mell, a far way off from DANGER DIABOLIK and starting to look every bit like the wreck she was starting to become off-screen, plays victim to Nanni Vitale's evil schemes. This unfortunately mirrored real life as Berger and Mell did supposedly have a drug- addled fling which took both their lives even further into a spiral. I can't say Berger, who's creepy, somewhat childish perversity was always his biggest strength as an actor, fares much better with his pretty face starting to puff up. Here, a 37-year-old Mell and a 33- year-old Berger both look about like Peter O'Toole did around when he was 34 or so in NIGHT OF THE GENERALS... as though the heavy helpings of partying, drinking, drugs, and general excess were starting to take their toll even at a relatively young age.
The real interesting story here has more to do with the behind the scenes drama. As a movie, BEAST WITH A GUN could hardly be more routine with no real narrative surprises and not really enough action to drum up excitement. Richard Harrison gets unfortunately totally wasted as a nothing character while mostly the movie revolves around Berger and his antics, unfortunately with the edge taken off by his banal and clichéd dialog. In my mind, the most memorable (and comical) moment comes late in the film with the shooting of the two slow motion police officers. All the shots of the cops are in slow motion while Berger with his hostages and henchmen waiting for them are in normal speed. They trade plenty of annoyed glances while the cops SLOWLY advance on them, giving the impression that they're wondering what's taking so long.
I must admit that it's all given a certain scuzzy charm and character by the soundtrack, which is B-movie gold in its simplicity. Good luck ever getting that one out of your head..
BEAST WITH A GUN certainly feels far more amateurish than anything put out by Umberto Lenzi, Enzo Castellari, or Sergio Martino at the time. Half the movie is out of focus, the 180 degree line gets crossed left and right, certain scenes drag on way too long, and the final fight involves the two most obvious stunt doubles this side of Star Trek. There's so many strange goofs in the first scene alone that MST3K certainly could have had a field day. Unfortunately I doubt that this could ever have run on TV owing to the heavy load of mean-spirited violence and semi-consensual sex/rape scenes involving Berger and Marisa Mell.
Marisa Mell, a far way off from DANGER DIABOLIK and starting to look every bit like the wreck she was starting to become off-screen, plays victim to Nanni Vitale's evil schemes. This unfortunately mirrored real life as Berger and Mell did supposedly have a drug- addled fling which took both their lives even further into a spiral. I can't say Berger, who's creepy, somewhat childish perversity was always his biggest strength as an actor, fares much better with his pretty face starting to puff up. Here, a 37-year-old Mell and a 33- year-old Berger both look about like Peter O'Toole did around when he was 34 or so in NIGHT OF THE GENERALS... as though the heavy helpings of partying, drinking, drugs, and general excess were starting to take their toll even at a relatively young age.
The real interesting story here has more to do with the behind the scenes drama. As a movie, BEAST WITH A GUN could hardly be more routine with no real narrative surprises and not really enough action to drum up excitement. Richard Harrison gets unfortunately totally wasted as a nothing character while mostly the movie revolves around Berger and his antics, unfortunately with the edge taken off by his banal and clichéd dialog. In my mind, the most memorable (and comical) moment comes late in the film with the shooting of the two slow motion police officers. All the shots of the cops are in slow motion while Berger with his hostages and henchmen waiting for them are in normal speed. They trade plenty of annoyed glances while the cops SLOWLY advance on them, giving the impression that they're wondering what's taking so long.
I must admit that it's all given a certain scuzzy charm and character by the soundtrack, which is B-movie gold in its simplicity. Good luck ever getting that one out of your head..