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 at the time 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 enough 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..

On a day like today, "Beast with a Gun" was the best thing I possible could have stumbled on! Long and tiring day at work, depressing weather and no energy left at night to do anything else but watch a totally undemanding and adrenalin-rushing action thriller. Next time YOU feel this, watch this bonkers Italian 70's kick-ass movie! "Beast with a Gun" features non-stop raw and gritty violence, misogyny and gratuitous sleaze and an assemblage of the coolest villainous characters ever; led by the ultimate spaghetti bad-boy Helmut Berger. The plot is literally full of holes the size of shotgun bullets, but who cares when the film swiftly leaps from one spectacular action scene to the next? Helmut Berger plays the titular (ferocious) beast with a gun. Or the titular mad dog. He deserves all the bad-ass sounding a.k.a titles, because Berger truly is one of the meanest SOB to ever appear in a 70's exploitation flick. And, given the market supply, that must mean something, no? Nanni Vitali escapes from prison along with three other convicts. Well actually, the other three are too petrified to disobey Vitali's orders and help him eliminate the police informant who testified against him in court. He then literally commands a woman to sleep with him and help with a money heist. When that doesn't go according to plan, Vitali is so mad that he takes hostage police commissioner's Giulio Santini's sister and father. This is just a small listing of the main events in "Beast with a Gun", but there's a lot more going on. Every few moments or so, there's either a virulent beating or nasty gunfight going on, and Helmet Berger seems to get gradually more ill-tempered and rotten with every minute that passes. No wonder Quentin Tarantino referred to him and his character here in this film during "Jackie Brown". The dumbness of the script is quite often too bothering and, in all honesty, bring the overall quality of the movie down a little bit. How is it possible, for example, that an entire army of police officers cannot prevent that two people die during an anticipated heist and that all of the criminals get away with a van full of hostages? There are more senseless elements and defaults (like the fact that lead actress Marisa Mell entirely vanishes during the final act) but, to hell with it, I really don't feel like yammering about this 200% fun and exciting film. Oh and if you like Italian cult cinema, you WILL adore the terrific soundtrack by the relatively unknown (at least, in comparison to Ennio Morricone or Riz Ortolani) composer Umberto Smaila.

I'm not sure which title I like more but this film does indeed have a certain special charm to it. No, it is not outstanding or anything superlative like that, but it is rather enjoyable to watch as a crook/killer gets out of prison to wreak havoc and revenge on those responsible for putting him there in the first place. Helmut Berger is the best thing about this film as he plays a violent, sadistic psychopath with the best of them. He has no heart whatsoever and is quite something to see. His scenes in the abandoned warehouse and with newly acquired "moll" the beautiful Marisa Mell particularly stand out. Muscle-bound Richard Harrison, who you might remember from some older sword and sandal movies, plays the cop out to protect himself and his family. Like another reviewer noted, the script and plot have some obvious problems, but the pace and delivery more than offset those inadequacies. If you want some good, old-fashioned Italiam crime atmosphere then Mad Dog or Beast with a Gun is for you.

This vicious crime drama certainly scores points for sleaze, but it doesn't hold up for more discriminating viewers. Helmut Berger plays a handsome and cruel killer who breaks out of prison and leads his gang on a rampage of rape, murder, and kidnapping. Along the way he ravages Marisa Mell, who pretends to enjoy his impositions whilst plotting her own secret revenge with police inspector Giulio Santini (the incredibly wooden Richard Harrison). Though the film was shot in widescreen, cinematographer Vittorio Berini displays no talent for the 2.35:1 lens, relying on static centred shots throughout. The screenplay is brutally bad, with characters lacking motivation and no back story to explain why Berger is such a complete bastard, and the dubbed English track is awful. (A close viewing reveals that Beast With A Gun was probably shot in phonetic English, as the actors' lips do seem to approximate the words they're speaking.) The only saving grace of the film is Umberto Smaila's persistent and minimal score. Only for hardcore fans of Eurotrash.