Perfectly adorable

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

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..

I picked up "Beast With A Gun" based on its reputation, hoping for a gritty exploitation thriller, and got something OK but not especially impressive or memorable. Problem number one is the casting: Helmut Berger is obviously a talented actor, but his male model looks, hair, and stylish clothes undercut the menace and aggression the movie tries to imbue in the character. He's just too sleek, slick, and polished to be credible as a tougher-than-nails psychopath (although some of his cohorts look somewhat more convincing). Also, whoever dubbed him in the English-with-no-subtitles version I saw didn't have much vocal range or dynamics - every line basically came out the same way, which ended up being boring. Problem number two is the cheapness of some of the action scenes. For instance, when the Beast breaks out of prison with 4 of his gang members, they are pursued by ONE (1) subcompact car with Richard Harrison at the wheel instead of the pack of police vehicles such an event would justify. Hal Needham could have made that chase exciting, even with these constraints, but this one is somewhat underwhelming.Problem number three is that the essence of the movie is supposed to be an epic conflict between Berger and his Nemesis (Richard Harrison), but the police are singularly ineffective and unimpressive in this movie. It's as if Berger's character is unstoppable only because the plot requires it. The best feature of the movie is definitely the soundtrack, which has an insistent, brutal quality that sticks in the mind long after the movie is over and adds heft and definition to some scenes that really needed the boost.If I were in a different mood (or a different stage of my movie watching life), I might have enjoyed this more. I am sure its fans can argue for a direct, spare, straight to the point screenplay that offers what the title promises with no filler or frills. And I wouldn't argue with them. So - not a bad film at all - just too simple minded and no fun to watch. Your mileage may vary.

Aka Beast With a Gun, a good example of 70s Euro-trash.Italian director Luchino Visconti is said to view Helmut Berger as the very image of his idea of a "demonic, insane and sexually perverted" man. That descriptions means he was perfect for the role of the mad dog killer in this film.After raping a girl (Marisa Mell) and killing her boyfriend, he takes her along to help out on his plan to get money to leave the country. She turns the tables on him and joins with the Police Inspector, play by Richard Harrison, a ninja and sword and sandals veteran.There's a back and forth between the cops and mad dog, and he even kidnaps the inspector's sister (Marina Giordana) and father (Claudio Gora) before it is over.Cheesy dialog, of course, but that;s not why you watch.

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.