This is a superb movie. I don't think it will ever become dated--not as long as little league baseball is in existence. I remember first seeing it at a drive-in when I was ten, shortly after my own little league season had finished. Walter Matthau is excellent as Buttermaker, the beer-soaked coach who takes on the unwanted task of coaching a team of misfit kids who were allowed to play in the league only after a civil action law suit was won in their favor. Tatum O'Neal shines as the team's recruited pitcher Amanda, whose mother once dated Buttermaker. A touching subplot involves the relationship between Amanda and Buttermaker which turns from distant to warm as the final game approaches. Vic Morrow gives a frighteningly good performance as the out-to-win-no-matter-what coach of the opposing team who was never happy with the fact that the Bears were allowed to play in the first place. Joyce Van Patten is also good as the butch, outspoken league supervisor.

It's the kid players that really give this movie the edge. All performances are top-notch, and director Michael Ritchie splendidly keeps the focus mostly on them and their feelings about the whole ordeal. Stand-outs include Jackie Earl Haley as the heroic Kelly Leak and Chris Barnes as shortstop Tanner Boyle. This film should be a warning to relentless adults who try to achieve stardom on the backs of their children, be it on the baseball field or on the ballet floor.


LOL, I know I stole that line from I love the 70's, but I just thought it was so true and that was my exact thought from the first minute I started watching The Bad News Bears. Now to the movie, The Bad News Bears is one of the funniest movies I have seen in a long time, I almost died laughing throughout the whole movie. I obviously heard about this movie from the show I love the 70's on VH1, way before the remake with Billy Bob Thorton. It always slipped my mind though when I wanted to rent it, but finally I remembered and I am so glad that I got the chance to see it, because this is one of the best comedies to come out of the 70's.

Buttermaker is a has been baseball player and now an alcoholic, he is given the job of a little league coach for the Bears since no other fathers are taking the job. But he's definitely taken back when he finds out that the team he is coaching are kids who are, well, I guess you could say "lacking" in the department of knowing how to play baseball. But he just wants to get paid and get the job over with, but when their first game comes along, the kids get creamed 26-0, Buttermaker is pressured to drop the team out of the league, but instead teaches the kids how to play and recruits a couple of new kids, a girl who's mother he used to date, and a rebel without a cause. The kids get better in each game, but it's a matter of Buttermaker getting his priorities straight when he lets the game get the worst of him... and he's an alcoholic!

The Bad News Bears is just so funny, Walter Matthau was just too perfect for this role as Buttermaker, he was so believable. I think my favorite Bear was Tanner, because the role could have been over done, but the kid did it just right, not to mention his last line of the film is just classic and fit the movie just right. I loved how the film wasn't your traditional your favorite team is always going to be out of no where champions, this was an awesome comedy that anyone would just fall in love with.

9/10


I'm surprised this film is not higher rated. This is a great film about America and certainly one of the great comedies. Walter Matthau was born for this role. The kids are impeccably cast. Hilarious, moving and inspirational.


Someone else mentioned that they were surprised this movie isn't rated higher. I feel the same way. This movie is very good. I too played Little League for many many years (like some other posters here) and I have to disagree with the posters that say this movie is a completely inaccurate depiction of Little League. I saw a fight or two in Little League and some drunk parents were ejected from games a few times. I have seen kids smoke pot in the dugout and smoke cigarettes at practice. Anyway, this film was magical when I saw it as an 8 year old in 1976. Back then, many of my friends and I wished we could be Tanner or Kelly; we wished we had the courage and independence to tell an adult to go to hell and say or do whatever we wanted. I love the final scene when the Bears lose and tell the Yankees to shove the 2nd place trophy you know where! This may be considered bad sportsmanship by some, but considering what the Yankees represent, the Bears do the right thing. I'm going to buy the DVD.


I enjoyed watching The Bad News Bears.At first though I didn't want anything to do with it.Seeing as how I'm not really into sports movies, I didn't feel like watching this at all, but I was forced by my friend, who has good taste, and he loved it, so I decided to give it at least 1 viewing.Well, I have to say when the movie started up, I was already dreading it.It just seemed to me to be very boring and plain, and I just kept getting more and more aggravated as the movie continued on.Suddenly, it's like the whole thing changed around.I started getting a bit more entertained, and it sort of changed up from how other sports movies are.I still didn't get what I wanted from The Bad News Bears, but in all fairness this was a really good and original movie, that wasn't as bad as I was thinking it to be.I especially liked the outcome of this movie, for it was very cool, and if you give it a chance like I did, I'm sure you will too.


I never was in the Little League. Probably it was just as well, as I never really got into any sporting activity until I discovered swimming. But my nephew was in the Little League in Connecticut, and his career was distinguished by being in the outfield, and enjoying looking at the sky and clouds, or the green grass, or the back wall - and rarely looking at the thing mattered most: the ball.

It has become a commonplace piece of knowledge that for many kids being on a baseball team in the Little Leagues around the country is a nightmare. The kids look forward to the fun of playing baseball games with kids their own age. The problem is that all too often the enjoyment of the game (and the teaching of good sportsmanship) are sacrificed for the sake of the grown-ups who are in the background (parents, patrons of the teams) and the managers. These grown-ups are only concerned about winning. They have taken the view that winning is the end-all and be-all of living, and that second or third or fourth place in the standings is worthless. Unfortunately too many grown-ups feel this way. After all, how many people are active fans of the real major league teams that constantly are in the cellar? Occasionally such a team (the old Brooklyn Dodgers of the 1920s - 1930s or the original New York Mets comes to mind) do have such a following, but that is a rarity.

THE BAD NEWS BEARS was the first film that tackled this problem of bad sportsmanship and enshrining winning within what should be the purest form of baseball. After all, Little League is for kids...isn't it?

There are similarities in the film between the character of Morris Buttermaker (Walter Matthau) and Tom Hanks' character in A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN, about the women's baseball league of the Second World War era. Hanks and Matthau have serious drinking problems. Hanks is in the majors with a Chicago team but is washing himself up with management - and takes this job managing the woman's team as a last chance to square things with his boss. Butterworth was a promising rookie in the minor leagues, who once (in a practice game) struck out Ted Williams. But contract disputes (he claims) prevented him from getting into the majors, and he takes the job managing the Yuma Bears for a salary. It is obvious that the parents behind this (led by a Councilman played by Ben Piazza) have little faith in his long dormant abilities - the Councilman even tries to palm off an unsigned check to Butterworth for his services at the beginning (a real sign of contempt). Subsequently the Councilman even drops supporting the team when it loses it's first game by a score of 26 to 0.

Certainly the team is full of misfits, an overweight kid with a loud mouth (Gary Lee Cavagnaro), a would be African-American militant (Erin Blunt), and two Spanish speaking kids (Jaime Escobedo and George Gonzales) being only a portion of them. And initially the opportunist in Butterworth makes his work as manager become second-rate (he rarely trains them when sober, and he even has them assist him in his job as a swimming pool cleaner). But their unhappiness at their first defeat is too much. Also there is the unasked for and patronizing advise of fellow Coach Roy Turner (Vic Morrow, in a good performance), who is stressing how embarrassing the Bears are, and how they have no place in the league, and should quit. Matthau takes such a dislike to him that he is determined to turn the team around.

He does this first by actually training the team, so they start cohering together (and start actually playing the game correctly). Then he goes after his one great discovery. When he was romancing her mother, Butterworth was training Amanda Whurlitzer (Tatum O'Neill) on pitching and fielding, so that she is a powerhouse (though not as good as a hitter). He manages to get her to join the team, agreeing to pay for her ballet classes and for a pair of European jeans she wants. Later he also manages to get another good all-around player, Tanner Boyle (Chris Barnes). The result is that the team soon is zooming up in the League to the point that it and Turner's "Yankees" are to play the deciding game of the summer.

Butterworth does not realize that Amanda's willingness to go along with him is based on the hope that he (a man she actually idolizes) will marry her mother. As for Tanner, he's a pint-sized hood who happens to decide to join the Bears only because he dislikes the self-important Turner (who keeps harassing him on the baseball field).

The final twenty minutes of the movie deals with the "price" the poor kids in both teams pay for the glory of the adults. Butterworth shows a mean opportunism that the kids resent on his team, while Turner manages to permanently louse up his relationship with his son and wife by humiliating the boy for not following his orders. By the way, Turner's son gets one of the best revenges on an adult I've ever seen in any movie dealing with inter-generational and family relationships. Let us just say Turner is not facing a happy future when the film ends.

A comedy about an area rarely touched until then in films (a scene in the James Garner - Kim Novak comedy BOYS NIGHT OUT was one of the few that dealt with Little League before this full study of it), THE BAD NEWS BEARS is a nice reaffirmation on what sports is supposed to be about: fun.


This movie is required viewing for all parents trying to relive their high school glory days through their kids. Only one adult looks good in this movie and it ain't Walter M. This movie is a classic example of how adults should not behave during their kids' sporting events.

This movie is probably rated higher than I normally would because it was one of my favorites growing up. I actually thought that music from "carmen" was original "the BNB's" song. Now watching it again after twenty-some years I see my tastes in movies has changed but it was still surprisingly good. It definitely made up my mind - I have absolutely no desire to see Billy Bob's version. The plot - stereotypical come-from-behind-feel-good-for-your-effort sports movie that I will admit this is one of the pioneers for that genre. The acting lukewarm - the dialog - forced, but it is still worth it to demonstrate what jerks we can all be trying to be supportive.


I played Little League way back when, and this movie is pretty true to my experience. The parents are all into it, and their competitiveness rubs off on the kids.

If a kid isn't good, he gets beat up by other kids.

Hey, this is what makes America great, right? It's a dog-eat-dog world out there, and hitting that home run is basically no different than selling that house, getting that raise, or getting into that country club.

Those considerations aside, baseball is a wonderful sport (much better, in my opinion, than football and basketball.) It has a grace and honor all of its own. And the lessons you learn playing as a team are what really count.

A highlight of this movie is the team manager's insistence on risking the championship by letting the "bad" kids play.

Another highlight is a kid deliberately letting the opposing team get a home run after his father/coach loses it and hits him on the field.

The juvenile delinquent kid trying to pick up the ballerina was a classic scene.

One of the charms of this movie is that the kids -- many of whom look so innocent and angelic -- are foul mouthed, talking back to the adults and making racist and sexist comments.

Why is this not offensive? Why is it refreshing?

Because we live in a politically correct (read: dumbed down and hateful) age in which the ultimate sin is to offend anyone -- even those who have it coming. But only because of that.

Walter Matthau is perfect as the alcoholic coach who finally cleans up his act a little bit and gets back in the spirit of winning.

The classical music that goes along with movie is wonderful, even though that might seem to be an odd choice of music for a movie like this.

There is really no way to convey the delight of this movie through words. You just have to see it.

Would I show it to my kids? Mmm. Don't know about that. But it sure is fun viewing for adults!


An all-time favorite past-time: Baseball! I've always loved the sport. With this movie, I love it even more. "The Bad News Bears" is a classic movie about the love of the sport. This team of misfits lead by the drunkard coach(Walter Matthau, 1920-2000) who whips the team into shape by having a female pitcher(Tatum O'Neal) to help them be winners. They have a young kid with a short fuse, and a foul-mouth. One named Abdul(Erin Blunt) who's not ashamed to say anything, but in one game, his "jewels" take some real punishment. In the final game against the Yankees, the foul-mouth team member said his stuff to them. Now that's team spirit! The comedy, the drama, and plot is all there. The cast are great. This movie to me is a home-run, you can steal bases, steal hearts, or even slide into home. You need to require more than just popcorn. You'll need all the munchies you can have. And a phone if you bust your gut! 5 stars! A homer!


I was 9 went it was released and I still have more emotional attachment to it than any other movie of childhood, even over Rocky or Star Wars. We had a "second run" theater nearby where you could see films for a dollar or 50 cents before 2 o'clock, so I know I saw it at least a dozen times (it played at the theater for about 3 months). My Father coached little league for years for my older Brother and myself. Both are now deceased and I finally took a view at the DVD this week after not having seen it in more than 2 decades. To call it memory evoking is an understatement.

Dad was neither a Buttermaker or a Turner as a coach. He would come right from work to the field and would be knocking out balls for fielding practice with his dress pants, Florshiem shoes, and always puffing that pipe filled with Middelton's cherry-blend tobacco. We won our share of games and he always made it a priority that everyone played, and that the game was first and foremost, fun. We had our share of "Turner's" in our leagues, and dad disliked those types to no end. I don't know how many times later in life when meeting someone and they heard my last name, they would ask "Did your dad coach little league? I had him one year as a kid, he was such a cool guy to play for." Dad thought that BEARS was a bit over the top with the drinking and language, but always admitted that gave him more laughs than any movie he had seen.

I never saw any of BEARS sequel's, the TV show, or the 2005 remake. There was just no point. Without Matthau, O'Neal, or Morrow, I'm sure they are as substandard as can be.

BEARS really pushed the envelope for it's time, forever shattering the Disneyesque mode of kid-films. What was inappropriate for 1976 is now intolerable, and deservedly so. But it is those attributes that makes the film so unique.

I think the character that stands out the most for me is Roy Turner, having been the son of a "coach-dad". I always left the theater loving dad even more for not being like him. Turner gave us a look at what I call "Lombardi-isim". Vic Morrow was such a great actor. It was hard seeing him playing a villain character when I always thought of him as the heroic Sgt. Saunders of COMBAT. When the championship game is over and the Yankees win, I picture that huge trophy sitting in an apartment years later, collecting dust and being just about as worthless as the wood and plastic it's made of. Still in the possession of a bitter old lonely man wondering what happened with his family.

Some time back, I spent a lazy Sunday just driving around and came across a league game of 13-14 year olds. I felt compelled to stop and watch a few innings. Oh how things have changed. The "game chatter" has been replaced with vulgar trash-talking. I saw a verbal exchange between a pitcher and hitter that led to a head hunting pitch. Nothing was done about it, and on the next pitch the batter took one to the helmet. The batter ended up being OK (I guess helmet technology has come a long way thank goodness), and the pitcher was ejected. I left the game feeling pretty disgusted, and for a brief moment I asked myself where was Roy Turner when you need him.


For many of us growing up 30 years ago when "The Bad News Bears" first came out, this is the film that peeled back the suburban sheen of middle-class American life and used that anchor of conformity, Little League Baseball, to lay it all bare: the false values, the fear of mediocrity, coming to grips with the hard truths of life. Like many gut-punch films, like "Great Dictator" and "The Graduate," it takes the form of a comedy, a pretty funny one that dares to show kids swearing and being themselves.

The Bears' arrival is bad news for the West Valley League of southern California, forcing them to accept kids deemed not up to their high standard. There's a shrimp named Tanner Boyle with plenty of fight but no coordination, a fat kid named Engelberg who smears chocolate on the ball when throwing it back to the pitcher, a pair of Mexicans no one understands, a bookworm who keeps track of foul balls but can't hit for beans, and Timmy Lupus, a painfully shy small fry who Boyle calls a "booger-eating spaz." Coaching the team is ex-minor league pitcher Morris Buttermaker (Walter Matthau), now reduced to cleaning pools and drinking himself into semi-consciousness.

Making no bones about telling Buttermaker he's not wanted is the manager of the West Valley powerhouse Yankees, Roy Turner (Vic Morrow): "It's not us. It's the boys. The boys themselves want it that way, and that's the way they want to keep it." Buttermaker just wants his check, but he finds himself regaining a fighting spirit as others shove their arrogance down his throat and those of the boys he is charged to look after.

When the team tries to quit after getting pasted by the Yankees in their first game, 26-0, Buttermaker delivers a line that resonates, like so much in this movie, down through the years: "This quitting thing, it's a hard habit to break once you start." Matthau is terrific, creating a wisecracking but poignant center. Director Michael Ritchie and screenwriter Bill Lancaster knew what they were after and deliver it, a pitch-perfect social satire dressed as a sports film with a cast of mostly unknown kids who lack for professional finesse but seem to lay their souls bare to the camera.

It's not perfect. "The Bad News Bears" struggles at times to keep things funny as Buttermaker's self-loathing and the falsity of the other adults threatens to overwhelm the thin comic casing. Buttermaker's solution to overcoming the Bears' respect problems also feels a bit of a dodge: He brings in a couple of ringers, Amanda Whurlitzer (Tatum O'Neal) and Kelly Leak (Jackie Earle Haley), both of whom add to the film, but water it down some, too, diluting the connection between Buttermaker and the original Bears.

But there's a lot of depth to the film, depth of a dark but compelling kind. Buttermaker and Amanda try and fail to patch up their long-ago relationship as substitute father and daughter. Roy Turner, a fundamentally decent man who just lost sight of what's important, deals with the realization he has probably lost his son to his all-or-nothing winner's mentality. Timmy Lupus tries to melt into every background God gives him until called upon to do something special like mixing a martini for Buttermaker. Baseball may be treated as a joke in this film, but there is something vital to it, too, a rite of passage very different to the kids themselves than to the adults, who like Turner look at the scoreboard and miss the bigger picture.

"You didn't come into this world to sit in a dugout all your life," is the way Buttermaker puts it to Timmy Lupus. I identified with Lupus, which is probably why I winced through the movie watching it in a theater in 1976 and embrace it now. It's a real slice-of-life film with all the discomfort that implies. You may go in thinking you are going to see a nostalgic, foul-mouthed spectacle of spunk and charm, and you are, but you may well leave like I did wondering if there's a little of you still lying on that baseball field, too.


The Bad News Bears is one of the biggest "Don't judge a book by it's cover" movies you'll ever see, yeah it's one of those "Team of Missfits Coming Together" kind of movies that you see all the time, but this one is different, it's the original, no predictable victories or Disney clichés'.

The movie is about an alcoholic low key unfriendly pool cleaner named Morris Buttermaker who is payed to coach a team of little leaguers after one of the kid's Dad sued the league for the right to play, the team is of course a team of underdogs, the kind of kids who you wouldn't want playing on your team in gym class; with Toby: The Nice guy who's gonna finish last Lupous, the shy one Tanner, the short- tempered, overbearing, runt Ahmad, the token black kid Engleberg, the fat kid Rudi Stein, the uncoordinated awkward guy Ogilvy, the smart one Jimmy, the curly top Jose and Miguel, the foreigners and Regi, the redhead with an overbearing sports Dad One thing I liked the best is that they give each kid a reasonable amount of screen time, some (Amanda, Kelly, Tanner,)more than others, but each a good amount, so you can know each member all pretty well, unlike most sports movies, where you only get to know a couple players, while the rest are pretty much extra's.

together, they do not make a good team, but after Buttermaker's ex- girlfriend's daughter, Amanda joins the team to prove to Buttermaker she can still pitch and the local bully "lone shark" (as Ahmad said), Kelly Leak joins the team to tick off the A$$hat Yankee's coach, Roy Turner, the Bear's eventually get their act together and become a great team, going to the championship (and losing), still think it's sounds boring? Trust me, it's not, it has just the right amount of physical and subtle humor with the right added drama and is -somewhat- realistic

to make a classic movie, heck, I had to almost literally drag my Mom to see this movie, and she liked it, so once again, just cause it's one of those movie's that has the most reused plots ever, doesn't mean it'll suck.


Watching this classic again now that I am well into my thirties reminds me just how bland and painfully sanitized movies of today are. Can you even Imagine a movie made today in Hollywood, with a PG or even PG-Thirteen rating, coming anywhere close to the wonderfully political incorectness that this film had? Just off the top of my head I have made a list of the PC no-no's that this film gleefully rips to shreds. 1. Coach Morris Buttermaker (Walter Matthau). Constantly smoking cigars and downing more beer than a super bowl party held at A sports bar; in front of and in plain sight of little leaguers. My god, he even has, in one scene, one of his players mix him a martini as he lounges back on a lawn chair. If thats not enough, at the end of the movie he breaks out a cooler of bottles of beer and starts passing them around to the kids to drink! Remember these are not 17 or 18 year old high school kids, these are 11 and 12 year olds grade school kids! Yet nobody in the movie makes a terrible stink about it. Don't get me wrong, I do not in anyway condone underage drinking, but this is just a movie and I got to admit the way it was done was funny to watch. My point is that there is no way in hell you could pull that off today in a PG, PG-13, or maybe even R rating film.

2. Tanner Boyle AKA The little Bigot. I have got to tell you, the character of Tanner Boyle was so UN-PC by todays standards that I am amazed that they got away with it 30 years ago. This kid is a hotheaded foul mouthed little punk that berates everyone and is always spoiling for a fight. Worst of all is his unabashed use of using several racial slurs to impune his fellow teammates. I will not repeat what he says but suffice to say that it strikes you with all the subtlety of a bucket of Ice water. However, just like the alcohol, they way the movie handles it is funny. I think the reason it works is that it doesn't pull any punches when it come to showing children in different lights. Kids are as diverse and complicated as adults. Some are kind, friendly, intelligent, caring, some are shy, troubled, frightened, introverted, and like it or not, some, just like this kid, are mean, nasty, foul-mouthed, and yes bigoted. You could NEVER get this kind of dialouge or this type of little racist in a PG or PG-13 movie today. Once again, I don't condone what the character is saying, But looking back on my childhood, I Knew a good number of "Tanner's" who acted just like this kid. Like it or not.

In Conclusion, Bad News Bears is a very funny movie. Some people may be put off by its Political Incorectness, for the reasons I have already given, but I urge you see the film as a brutally honest portrait of not just kids in sports, but kids in general. My whole point was to illustrate how movies of today have lost there edge when it comes to dealing with delegate subjects, exspecally when kids are involved. All you have to do is look at the remake of The bad News bears a few years ago. While it did have some residual elements of the original, It was horrificaly gutted and cleaned up for todays crowds. Is that a good thing? Are the Un-PC moments I have mentioned here not better to do without completely? Well....It boils down to a matter of opinion. In my opinion, as I have stated before, it depends on how it is handeld. To me, if its honest or trying to make a point, it should not be hidden just to spare our feelings. I think we go to the movies to be entertained, yes, but remember one persons idea of what is "Trash" can also be another persons "Tresure". The Bad News Bears While being rough around the edges is a unpolished gem.


I just watched this film for the first time in many years (thanks TCM), and it's still very funny. It's also touching, as the portrayal of early-adolescent personalities is often quite moving, between gut-busting guffaws. The stereotyped "Little-League parents" are drawn very realistically as well, and Joyce VanPatten's turn as the bitch of an equipment manager is superb.

Having been unathletic as a child, I still get damp around the eyes every time Timmy Lupus catches that fly ball. Even though I would've hated him if I'd known him in school, I now admire the spunk and tenacity of Tanner. There are lots of great lines in this script, and I look forward to seeing the film many more times. Bears rule!


A former minor-league pitcher (The late Oscar-Winner:Walter Matthau), who is now a pool cleaner and he's also a grumbling beer-guzzling man. He's been hired to coach a team of kids, which they are a band of half-pint misfits. Which these kids hardly played baseball in their young lives. The coach decides to add two new players in the team, am smart talented young pitcher (Oscar-Winner:Tatum O'Neal) and an trouble-maker (Jackie Earle Haley), who can play catch and hit the ball. Which could bring them to the championship game with the help of two new players, who could actually play the game.

Directed by Michael Ritchie (Cops and Robbersons, The Coach Trip, The Golden Child) made an believable, original, cleverly funny baseball film. Matthau is good in the lead, O'Neal is amusing as Matthau's former father figure and now coach. The Kids are also fun in this movie. Some of the major appeal of the classic 70's film was hearing the kids cursing. The movie manages also to have some strong dramatic moments (especially the late Vic Morrow as Matthau's rival in a standout scene towards the conclusion). The language may be lost on television but it's always worth seeing in it's original version.

DVD has an good anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1) transfer, which it is also grainy at times but always sharp in the picture quality. DVD also has an fine digitally remastered-Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound (Also in the original Mono soundtrack). Sadly, this DVD doesn't have any features including the original theatrical trailer. This movie was a major surprise back in 1976 and it was also one of the top grossing films of that year. This film is followed by two sequels, t.v. series and a 2005 remake (Which is fairly faithful to the original). Written by the late:Bill Lancaster (John Carpenter's The Thing). (****/*****).


I always tell people that this is my favorite "sports movie" of all time. Inevitably someone will say something like "but what about a serious sport's movie?" That ticks me off, because this is a serious film. The story centers around a bunch of leftovers from the Little League draft. One of the "rejects" not drafted by a Little League team, has a father who is also a City Councilman, can you say lawsuit? So the League is forced to take all of the kids that nobody wanted and put them on a new team, the Bears. A drunken pool cleaner who used to kick around in the minors is chosen to lead them. Well, the coach and kids soon learn that sports is not that fun when you are the laughingstock of a very competitive league. So, the manager has to start making moves off the field to change the way things are. The movie deals with all kinds of sensitive topics, like elitism, racism, alienation, despair, etc. Yes, I know it is a comedy, but seeing a Coach strike his kid on the mound, seeing players from the rival Yankees degrade the misfit Bears' players, seeing Buttermaker push away one of his players because she wants him to be a father figure, there is real drama at work here. Of course, the revenge angle is at play here as well. Moreover, the actual revenge is quite different than most suspected it would be. Of course, I love the wonderful comedic lines and comedic performances turned in by all. And for my money, there will never be a better closing line in a movie than the one given by Tanner to the Yankees. Walter Matthau and Tatum O'Neal made movie history with this one, a classic movie.


Walter Matthau, one of Hollywood's greatest curmudgeons, is in fine form as the star of "The Bad News Bears," playing the grousing, beer-swilling coach of a misfit little-league team that has sewn up last place since their formation. A former ballplayer reduced to cleaning swimming pools, needless to say he has invested little of himself to make the scrappy team any better...until he recruits a foul-mouthed star pitcher in the form of a young girl (Tatum O'Neal).

With that perfectly craggy, blood-hound mug of his, the droopy shoulders and sluggish couch potato' demeanor, Matthau is just great  flipping out sardonic remarks as casually as he flips open a beer tab, and looking like he hardly has the energy even for that. Mixing it up with the tykes here, he evolves into a perfectly reincarnated W.C. Fields.

Tatum O'Neal showed that her performance in "Paper Moon" wasn't just a fluke. Displaying the same wise-ass mien that won her an Oscar three years earlier (with more generous outpourings of profanity), she more than holds her own against the veteran Matthau, even teaching his character a lesson or two about team spirit and sportsmanship, while evoking sympathy on her own as she is forced to confront more personal, off-the-field problems.

The runt-sized, ethnically disparate team is a fun, motley little crew that could have come right out of a McDonald's commercial. Chief rebel but much more coordinated is one small, hell-raising fireball, Jackie Earl Haley, who shows more grit than his sneakers after the bottom of the ninth. Though his open defiance and teen-cool stance masquerades a need to be liked and wanted, he still provides a mean spark before coming into his own.

Vic Morrow shows off his formidable macho as the typically underhanded opposing coach, while Brandon ("The Courtship of Eddie's Father") Cruz, who plays Morrow's star pitcher son, has a nifty, poignant scene as a kid who finally stands up to his father's belittling bully act.

Set smack dab in small-town, flag-waving America, director Michael Ritchie, who scored critical points the year before in the little-seen but dead-on satire "Smile," hits a box-office home run this time, always keeping things popping and managing to toss in a few interesting curve balls in the plot to keep it from falling into a typical "root for the underdog" comedy. More importantly, Ritchie never sacrifices the humanity of the characters for sure-fire comedy

This highly, immensely popular film spawned a couple of sequels and a brief TV series. But beware, they are foul balls compared to this winner.


Rewarding for both adults and children, this funny and astute movie revels in poking the ribs of Little League Baseball whilst casting a cautionary eye of the obsession some have with winning. An on form Walter Matthau stars as Morris Buttermaker, a now washed up ex minor league player who, prompted by a financial carrot, becomes manager of a multi-racial team of Little League misfits. It's originally a rough road as Buttermaker is more concerned with drinking beer, while the kids themselves don't know which end of the bat to hold. But things start to pick up when Morris enlists his talented daughter Manda {Tatum O'Neal) to pitch for them. Not only that but the town rebel, Kelly Leak (Jackie Earl Hayley), with points to prove, has also been prompted to join.

Directed by Michael Ritchie and written by Bill Lancaster (yes, Burt's son), The Bad News Bears never sinks to being a preachy fable. It also delightfully doesn't resort to type for its finale. Making this a very clever and aware film from a genre of film so often troubled by safe playing and a too frothy approach. It would spawn two so so sequels in the next two years, inspire an imitation, get a TV series make over and was remade in 2005 with Billy Bob Thornton taking on the role of Buttermaker. 7.5/10


If any of the kids in "The Bad News Bears" were your child, or if you had any acquaintance with a youth sports coach even remotely like Morris Buttermaker, you'd be outraged and embarrassed. At the same time, the film delivers a message that all involved with youth sports probably couldn't hear enough of. In other words, do as "Bad News Bears" implies, not as it says or does and take the foul language and poor behavior at comedic face value only.

Walter Matthau stars as Buttermaker, an drunken former minor leaguer who coaches a little league team because his job as a pool cleaner isn't exactly lucrative. His job is to coach the Bears, a group of untalented misfits, most of whom have attitude problems. Basically from Buttermaker and the other adults involved in the league all the way down to the rebel kid, Kelly (Jackie Earle Haley), who tears up the field with his motorcycle, not a character has respect for another. Kids talk back to adults, adults yell at kids -- it's an ugly scene. How "Bears" redeems itself is something of a feat.

You can't deny "Bears" its heart. Every lesson there is to be learned from youth sports finds its way into this film. At the very beginning the Bears give up 20 runs in the first and forfeit. Quitting and adopting a counter attitude is present from then on. Then there's the balance between winning and playing the game, something many parents and coaches still lose sight of even today. Despite filling its cast with rotten blonde kids and insensitive adults, "Bears" sneaks this in naturally. The film nearly gets dramatic at times considering the extent to which the disrespect does become a serious part of the story.

So on one hand, you have a little blonde kid saying "Great, we have a team full of (insert racial slurs here) and now a girl!" and then you have examples of good sportsmanship winning out. It's tough to call "Bears" a family film or a kids film for that reason, but then again, some kids would really benefit from the values. Most of all parents of kids in youth sports need to see this movie as it really speaks at them.

As a comedy, a good chunk of that nastiness earns a good deal of laughs, especially when it involves the innocence of kids rather than the awfulness of the adults. If blurring the line between acceptable behavior in films and comedy is fine by you, "Bears" is as good a sports comedy as any. ~Steven C

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Walter Matthau stars as Morris Buttermaker, a ex-minor league player turned swimming pool cleaner who is hired to coach a misfit little-league team. Because of the clumsiness and shoddiness of their skills. He enlists the help of 14-year old Amanda (Tatum O' Neal) which causes irritation on and off the field. Buttermaker nevertheless has to whip them into shape for the playoffs. Vic Morrow also stars as rival coach Roy Turner whose team is more focused than the other. The movie spawned two sequels, a short-lived TV series(which was good), and a 2005 remake starring Billy Bob Thornton which is so-so, since it's a carbon copy of the original. Anyway, pass up on the remake and enjoy the original.


You can't not like it! THE BAD NEWS BEARS, with an acidic script by Bill Lancaster, is directed by the 70's premier satirist - Michael Ritchie. Like Ritchie's earlier SMILE, TBNBs pokes fun not so much at an American institution (in this case little league baseball), but at the frequent nitwits who run this type of thing. Walter Matthau, at the height of his acting power, is Buttermaker, a ne'er do well pool cleaner railroaded into coaching a team of troubled (and awful) little leaguers. He gets a lot more than he bargained for as he realizes the kids are actually quite a bit sharper than most of the adults. It's wicked and very funny. Alfred Lutter, Jackie Earle Haley, Chris Barnes, and best of all Gary Lee Cavagnaro (as Engelberg) fight to steal every scene they're in, including the ones they share! Vic Morrow as Matthau's tightly wound coaching nemesis is excellent and Tatum O'Neal is very good as Matthau's secret pitching weapon. O'Neal and Matthau have several great scenes together. Classic.


What made this movie so groundbreaking when I first saw it in the summer of 1976 was that kids were portrayed as they really were instead of as the innocent, sometimes mischievous cherubs that most movies presented. These kids were real. Real brats, but real nevertheless. They cursed, they acted like little jerks and psychos, that's the way many boy athletes are. Now, this doesn't pack too much of a punch because every movie in the world does this now. But it's still fun to watch. It's a hoot watching the high-spirited Tanner in action. You have to admire that kid for having guts. That little side story between Walter Matthau and Tatum O'Neal could have been left out without hurting the story. He simply could have found her somewhere, or maybe he was her daughter, but without all the issues. That business just seemed to get in the way of the story. Also, I half expected her to walk away from him when he threw his beer at her during a game or practice. It would have served him right if she did. Favoite line: PITCHER: Well, well, if it isn't Englepuke again.

ENGLEBERT: How would you like me to stick this bat where the sun never shines? I still fall apart every time I hear that line. The kids' exploits, though I am certainly not an advocate of them has lost its punch over the years. Still fun to watch, though. 7 out of 10.


Vic Morrow, as Coach Turner, gave some of the greatest lines..

Morrow to his young little league team in the dugout before the championship game, I don't want to talk to you about winning. I want to talk to you about losing....because if you lose you are going to have to live with it for the rest of your lives.

Morrow to his son, the pitcher...Joey, if you don't start pitching better than you are hitting, I'm going to take you right out of the game.

Morrow to semi tough kid Jack Earle Haley..This place is for ball players, and nobody wants you around here.

Morrow to opposing coach Matthau..What are you, one of those sadists or something? Joyce Van Patten to everybody..They win one game. Next they will sue to play at Dodger stadium.

Morrow to his son the pitcher after he strikes his son to the ground, Don't lie to me. Don't lie to me. You tried to hit that kid.

Joyce Van Patten tries to kick Haley's motor bike after he throws a lit cigarette at her after she tells him to get off an unused part of the ball field.


The Bad News Bears (1976) was a surprise hit of the seventies. It was also another starring vehicle for young and precocious Tatum O'Neal. Walter Matthau co-stars as the Bears' drunken and slovenly mannered manager. The ever shady Vic Morrow makes a guest star supporting role as the Bears' rival's manager. He's a pushy jerk who tries to relive his youth through his kid.

The movie is not a classic, it's just a fun film about youth baseball. Unlike the movies of today, the tone and mood is very realistic and it doesn't pull punches. The language is rough for the kiddies so be fore warned. I liked this movie when I was growing up and you know what? I still do. Take a chance and watch THE BAD NEWS BEARS. This film was so successful, it was followed by two sequels, a television series and a remake! Good cheesy family fun for all ages.

Highly recommended.


Few films have stayed with me like "The Bad News Bears". I first saw it when it was released in 1976 and, at the time, I played little league (well, the Canadian equivalent). It was easy to cheer for this gang of misfits back then. The surprising this is, I always find myself tuning in to catch it whenever it appears on TV. It remains a surprisingly accurate portrait of young ball players, snobby league officials and overbearing parents. Walter Matthau is Buttermaker, the coach assigned to lead this motley crew of talentless kids. Their fortunes change somewhat when Matthau convinces the daughter of an old girlfriend (Tatum O'Neal, just coming off a shocking Oscar win for "Paper Moon") to pitch for the team. Buttermaker taught her to throw a mean curveball prior to divorcing her mother. The Bears go from losers to winners when the local juvenile delinquent, Kelly Leak, joins the team. He's a virtual one-man team, swatting home-runs and catching everything in sight. The Bears end up going all the way to the championship game against the hated Yankees. The cast is excellent. Matthau is completely believable as a washed-up ex pro ball player who drinks too much. O'Neal is convincing as the star hurler, and Jackie Earl Haley ("Breaking Away") makes a strong impression as Leak. Ironically, this is one of the few movies where Haley is one of the bigger kids. In later roles, he would always be the short guy in the group. Vic Morrow is perfectly smug as the Yankees coach who can't stand to see the Bears succeed. It sets up a classic battle in the championship game. The Bad News Bears was the forerunner, of sorts, of The Mighty Ducks. The main difference is that The Bad News Bears gets the baseball details right, whereas few American films have portrayed hockey in a realistic way. I still cringe at the thought of "Youngblood". It also set the stage for two vastly inferior sequels (without Matthau or O'Neal). No, The Bad News Bears is a cut above most sports films because it helps you understand what it's like to compete at that age. It also makes great use of music from Bizet's Carmen. After seeing this film, you'll immediately think of the Bears when you hear the "March of the Torreodors".


I am not a sports fan. I remember watching this film growing up. I remember the great Walter Mathau as the grumpy coach and Tatum O'Neal as the female pitcher. I enjoyed the relationship he had with the team especially Amanda. I also loved the theme music in the movie. The movie was well-regarded for many reasons particularly it's smart writing, great acting, and direction. I enjoy classic and this one is certainly a classic to be remembered. It's funny yet realistic and touching as the former major league player becomes the most unlikely coach of a losing baseball team. Mathau was perfect for this role. O'Neal shows how she won an Academy Award and the cast is well memorable as well. The film would come up with a series that didn't last as long because the magic just wasn't there.


Modern Chinese History forms the backdrop for this sweeping portrait of the Soong Sisters, three siblings who married powerful men and used their positions to influence the politics of early 20th Century China. The film spans the period from the formation of the Chinese Republic in 1911 to the take-over by the Communists in 1949. The details of history take a back seat to the real focus of this movie, however, which delves into the intricate and intimate relationships these women have with their husbands, their parents, and each other.

Lushly photographed and superbly acted, the movie showcases the talents of three veteran actors of Asian Cinema. Michelle Yeoh, Maggie Cheung and Vivian Wu play sisters Ai-ling, Ching-ling, and May-ling Soong. All three seem well-cast and bring the full weight of their skill and experience to their roles. The move sizzles with electricity when these three beauties appear on screen together, as they do in several scenes. This is definitely a case where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Wen Jian gives an outstanding performance as father Charlie Soong, despite dying off half-way through the story. The death-bed scene, where he passes away in the presence of his wife and three daughters, is especially moving. Winston Chao and Hsing-Kuo Wu take sold turns as Sun Yat-Sen and Chiang Kai-Shek.

The story explores a number of themes in both a personal and social/historical context. Conflicts between father/daughter, old values/new values, old China/new China, and East/West all figure prominently in the plot. A shoe metaphor runs through-out the film, depicting the step-by-step movement of Chinese history, bringing to mind the old Chinese proverb, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step." This motif also reflects the increased role of women in Chinese social and political life, as they are liberated from the foot-binding that hobbled previous generations.

The movie is slow-moving at times, with some abrupt plot transitions. Director Mabel Cheung occasionally hits us over the head with that shoe to get her point across, and the script seems to contain some hints of political propaganda. Nevertheless, I found this to be a well-made and highly entertaining piece of Asian Cinema. Sadly, this movie is not likely to reach a wide North American audience because it's in Mandarin with English sub-titles. That's too bad, because it is just as accomplished as anything coming out of Hollywood these days, and well worth seeing.

****/5 stars.


I was able to view this film at its American premiere at an historic theatre in Macon, GA. Why Macon, GA? Because the Soong sisters were educated at Wesleyan College, in Macon, GA. I was a student at Wesleyan at the time and was already in awe of the "aura" of the Soong sisters. This film only increased that awe. Being a history major, historical films are often difficult to for me to watch whenever there are any inaccuracies. However, I was completely engrossed with this film from the first beautifully shot scene to the last. The artistic merit of this movie is enough of a reason to watch it. I can't recommend this film to everyone; it is long, about history, & has subtitles (which my husband would argue makes for a horrible film). If you like films which draw you in & leave you wanting more, this is a good addition to your collection.


9* out of 10

This stunning non-fiction epic is filled with cinematic splendour. Base on accounts of the social upheavals in various points and eras in Chinese history, it is filled with gorgeous cinematography, great score by Kitaro and great cast. Historically accurate if not, a few minor point may be incorrect, but as a whole, it shows you the big picture.

With some of the best stars there is from China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Maggie Cheung, Michelle Khan and Vivian Wu portrayal as the three sister are excellent. But the most powerful in performance are from the men. Jiang Wen (outspoken Charlie Soong) also a favourite actor of mine, Winston Chou (charismatic Sun Yatsen) and Kuo Chiuwu (commanding Chiang Kaishek) are powerful and haunting.

Despite an 18 minute footage cut from the original, still its a great direction from Mabel Cheung. As a loyal fan of great movies from China, in likes of directors Yimou, Kaige, XieFei and HePing, Soong Sisters to me will be one of my personal favourite masterpiece, one of the few from Hong Kong.

Genghiz


A romantic, yet tragic story about the relationship between 3 sisters which would ultimately shape the future of China.

Beautiful cinematography, excellent cast, even to the tiniest details about the lives of the sisters were well done.

A scene where the characteristics of the 3 sisters were laid out for all to see was the demonstration that they attended at a very young age. We recall how the father, Charlie Soong had asked them to throw away their dolls as they were foreign made. The youngest refused, so the second took her doll and her youngest sister and threw it into the raging fire. The eldest on the other hand hid her doll in her sleeve. A testament to the characters of the girls.

The show makes us love the second sister, Ching-ling for her passion and dedication to her country. It makes us look at all 3 sisters and feel that the luckiest was the one motivated by greed and thus married a banker. We cry as we see Ching-ling lose her baby, then her father, and finally her husband, as if it was the price she paid, for loving her country.

The show makes you feel sorry for the Communists as Chiang Kai shek went around persecuting them while Japan was fighting a war with China. Cries from his own party members to unite with the Communists to fight the Japanese went unheeded until he was abducted. One wonders if Chiang ever realised that his true enemy was himself, and not the Communists.

One feels sorry for Sun (acted well by Winston Chao, and he looks uncannily like the man himself), perhaps because his true vision of China was probably realised at a very heavy price, the price of freedom. While Soong Ching-ling remained loyal till the very end to her country, a question lingered long in her mind and the minds of her sisters...did they find the new China their father had wanted them to find? All 3 lead actresses displayed their acting prowess in the show. The youngest (played by Vivian Wu), who thought it was romantic of her sister to elope with Sun though life with him would have been very unstable, yet who had no qualms about standing by her husband in the quest for greater power. The role of the second sister was well played by Maggie Cheung as she showed her love for her country, her wit (when she said that both she and the plane were made in China, so why could they not trust made in China goods) and her loyalty to the memory of Sun (when she stepped down from the party, feeling that its true principles had been betrayed.

Michelle Yeoh acted well as the eldest sister, she even looks the part (as a mentor to her younger sisters). Her approval of the match between Chiang and May-ling showed that she let greed get the better of her. She knew Chiang would be powerful, and what better business deal to do than to strike one with the most powerful man in China? Hsing-kuo Wu did well as Chiang kai shek. Not only did he look the part, the manner in which he exude wickedness made you believe that Chiang is there at the scene in the movie! So one loved money, one loved power, and one loved her country. And the country's future depended on the relationship of these sisters. Is that why the story never truly ended?


Until seeing Mabel Cheung's "Song jia huang chao" ("The Soong Sisters" in English), I had never even heard of the Soong sisters. The movie does a really good job focusing on their childhood leading to the establishment of the Republic of China, and then the sisters' associations with important figures in China's history. Ching-ling (Maggie Cheung) married Sun Yat-sen, May-ling (Vivian Wu) married Chiang Kai-shek, and Ai-ling (Michelle Yeoh) married H. H. Kung, although his role is minimized. Large portions of the movie seem to be about the visuals, as we see the elegant setting in which the sisters grew up.

The film came out the same year that Hong Kong got returned to China, so it might have had the aim of getting the two off to a good start. Of course, they had to include lines very favorable to the PRC, namely: "Before, we were slaves of old China. Now, we are slaves of slaves of old China." Overall, this one could appropriately accompany a showing of Steven Spielberg's "Empire of the Sun". I certainly recommend it. Also starring Winston Chao, Hsing-kuo Wu, Zhenhua Niu, Elaine Jin and Wen Jiang.


It is interesting, and logical of course, that the reaction to this Hong Kong flick ranges from anathema to anthem, but, for overseas Chinese who neither speak the lingo nor are too familiar with the facts, this "Soong Dynasty" cinematic fable is more than watchable. That it is more fable than fact is readily obvious, yet the fable is more than entertaining. It is doubtful in the extreme, that Ching-ling survived miscarriage and 42 days sloshing through the marshes as portrayed, but until a more sober and satisfactory account of Mme. Sun's life and accomplishments are on the film record, this portrait will have to do. The production is super, even if the glib pictorials may off-put in their slick projections. And, finally, from this perch, one of the most engaging sidelights here is the wondrous staging of the opera house, wherein Chiang Kai-shek ogles and woos May-ling. I found myself wishing the principals would get out of the way to let the opera speak for itself in toto. Reminded me of how Hollywood always cut away from more interesting spectacle to zoom in on the treacly romance of the overpaid and under-talented "stars." Oh, well, you can't have everything, and there was enough of the opera and its stellar performers, inter-cut nicely with war footage. Soneone should make a film about Chinese opera, and I don't mean that saga about the two star=crossed Peking Opera stars, and especially not that impossible restaging of that improbable romance between a French diplomat and a cross-dressing starlet.


Yes. this film distorts history. And misrepresents one of the great leaders of WWII: the G'mo as the Americans called him. But, the imagery is extremely powerful. And so is all the acting. Especially the actor playing the father and all three of the daughters.

Keep the truth in mind (for example, Chiang did not capitulate at Xian when he was kidnapped) and enjoy this wonderful film.


One should not use the word "entertaining" to describe this movie. I watched the movie with unspeakable emotions. It is only when one can feel the awe at how the fate of the Soong sister was intertwined with the fate of modern China, that one can really appreciate the movie. It is my personal observation that the Soong sisters are also the 3 major representatives of the Chinese people today, but if only they could work together like the Soong sisters...

In terms of performance, the earlier part of the movie is spoiled by the horrid acting of Winston Chao. For the great father who liberated modern China from the rotten feudalism of the Qing dynasty, wasn't the producer obliged to find a more compelling actor for the role?


Hyped as The First French Sex-Horror Film "The Blood Rose" certainly delivers the goods.Lemaire plays an aging painter whose wedded bliss to gorgeous Anne turns to tragedy,when she nearly gets in a catfight with his former lover and falls into a fire in a pretty hilarious scene.She is of course horribly scarred.The great Howard Vernon plays a surgeon who may be able to return her to her former beauty,but he'll need a live victim to do it.So women are brought to the artist's château in order to get a face.The dwarfs,who were the painter's longtime servants,are charged with capturing the girls.Clearly inspired by Franju "Eyes Without the Face" "The Blood Rose" features lovely Gothic setting of French medieval castle, great-looking women and a healthy dose of sleaze.Rollin-esquire atmosphere is well-captured and the climax is fantastic.7 out of 10.


The first real film from a director who went on to do a lot of interesting work in the 1970's and 80's before his tragic death by drowning in 1986.

An avowed homage to Eyes Without a Face, the film unquestionably creates its own atmosphere and goes in a very different direction from its more famous model. Mulot's film has great cinematography, an interesting script construction and a very melancholic mood that marks it out from most low budget shockers of the period. Although not a costume piece as such, it is probably closer to the classic Mill of the Stone Women than to Franju's film.

The acting and direction are of a uniformly high standard. Anny Duperey and Philip Lemaire impart real depth to their characterizations and it's great to see Euro legend Howard Vernon once again. The film was sold as a mixture of sex and horror and the sex is provided by a bevy of stunning Euro babes including Valerie Boisgel and Michele Perello who went on to feature in Morgane et ses Nymphes before disappearing into the hinterlands of porn.

Well worth more than a passing look for any fan of classy Euro horror, this one has probably improved with age and repays repeated viewings.


Blood Rose is sort of a remake of "Yeux Sans Visage" (Eyes Without a Face). The story is that of a man who has married the woman of his dreams only to have her horribly burned and scarred and then finds a former doctor to restore her. Howard Vernon plays the part of the former doctor who went to prison for his attempts to operate on a child many years previous, and who is actually quite reluctant to participate in this new venture. This begins almost like a fairy tale, with voice-over narration. Of course, lots of potential donors are required for this particular operation and young ladies are lured to the château for this purpose. The burn victim is never shown entirely, just her eyes in some scenes, or filmed from the back, which is just as well, thanks. This has a good atmosphere & is fairly interesting but seems to lack some focus, and there's really not much sex to go with the horror. There are two strange little men, Igor & Olaf, that are the servants of Frederic, the tortured artist, that lend some extra weirdness to the film. This isn't particularly scary but it does have some creepy moments and is not at all bad. And what exactly is the Blood Rose? Well, I thought it was a plant that was introduced early in the story that has thorns that secrete poison & is responsible for the death of one person in the film, but that's just dropped and never heard from again. ?? Overall though, not bad, if kind of derivative. Now available on DVD from Mondo Macabro. 7 out of 10.


I had never even heard of this film before Mondo Macabro announced their upcoming DVD release of it, so I was surprised to find - after I had already ordered it online - that Leonard Maltin had in fact reviewed it in his Guide and gave it his proverbial *1/2 rating usually allotted to such sensationalist fare. Even more surprising is the fact that I found this to be so good and engaging, despite being the nth revamping of one of my all-time favorites - Georges Franju's EYES WITHOUT A FACE (1959). Also, I expected it to be much trashier  considering the dubious epithet "the first sex-horror film" that's attached to it; there is a reasonable amount of nudity here, but this is generally tastefully presented. Actually, it exudes a rather classy atmosphere (with cinematography by the renowned Roger Fellous) peculiar to French horror cinema  similar, in fact, to other Mondo Macabro releases such as MILL OF THE STONE WOMEN (1960), THE DIABOLICAL DR. Z (1965), GIRL SLAVES OF MORGANA LE FAY (1971) and SEVEN WOMEN FOR Satan (1974).

Lead Philippe Lemaire is appropriately debonair as the celebrated painter whose life and career take a nose-dive once his wife is no longer able to act as his muse; the actor later worked for Jess Franco and Walerian Borowczyk but, sadly, ended his own life in 2004. Anne Duperey is luscious and graceful during the early section of the film: the girl's loving relationship with her husband is presented in some detail, so as to render her subsequent bitterness (which even drives her to commit cold-blooded murder) both believable and poignant. The appearance of her scarred features, then, is subtly handled throughout (presented mostly as blurry POV shots) and the make-up itself quite well done. The actress eventually broke into the mainstream with PARDON MON AFFAIRE (1977), a successful comedy later Americanized as THE WOMAN IN RED (1984).

Howard Vernon provides a further link with the EYES WITHOUT A FACE prototype  since he played the title role in Jess Franco's THE AWFUL DR. ORLOFF (1961), a character to which actor and director would often return (the last time in FACELESS [1988], a viewing of which followed the next day). In THE BLOOD ROSE (released as RAVAGED in the U.K.), he again plays the surgeon who aims to graft the face off a live victim: here, however, he's blackmailed into the task and actually doubts his own success (his eventual fate, then, comes as a total shock). The dwarf manservants seen here may be something of a genre requisite, but they're actually well-integrated into the plot  their rape/murder of a captive girl (an intended, but obviously unwilling, face donor) and subsequent beating by their disfigured mistress seemed a gratuitous digression at first, but it does help set up the film's wild and completely unexpected final act! It's rather odd, however, that no revenge was visited upon the spited socialite who perpetrated Duperey's accident.

The catacomb-like design of Lemaire's art gallery complements the Gothic atmosphere of his family château. As for the film's deliberate pace, this is characteristic of the "Euro-Cult" style  typified by the scene in which an inquisitive girl is made to prowl the castle grounds for minutes on end. Unsurprisingly, Mulot (who tragically drowned in 1986) later dabbled in porn cinema  though the obscure crime film THE CONTRACT (1971) is considered as his best work. The DVD supplements include an interesting 23-minute interview with the film's assistant director (and Mulot's brother-in-law), and a reasonably informative essay about the history of French horror cinema over the years (going all the way up to the most recent examples).


Georges Franju's remarkable horror film had a deep influence on that kind of cinema:even Amenabar's "abre los ojos" is a good example of what Franju brought to the fantasy and horror movies.

The first sex-horror film!claimed the tagline.Well for that matter,Murnau's "Nosferatu" came first.Claude Mulot's script is thin,mean and lacks humor and substance.A poor man's "les yeux sans visage" indeed.But it manages to retain some -minor - interest.The castle where a lady who was disfigured in a fire (Duperrey) is waiting for a doctor who will give her back her beauty;but this man's methods -blackmailed by the lady's husband - are illegal to say the least for he needs warm young flesh,well you know the score.We never see the lady's horrible face ,only her eyes -like Rosemary's baby- ,and there's a lot of camera taking first-person point of view.Two sinisters dwarfs appear now and then .Claude Mulot sometimes manages to create a dreamlike atmosphere,but once again,his script is really half-backed.


The true story of Hiesman Trophy winner John Cappeletti and the touching relationship between his younger brother Joey pulls all the strings to jerk our tears and break our heart. This is a humble TV movie that intends to be more of a study of a brotherly bond rather than a study in Luekemia. Although it succeeds in both. It's a beautiful story that somehow was forgotten as a movie. It's well acted and well cast. These tearjerkers of the 70's were done so well. There was the element of cliché and certain scenes were just designed to tear our hearts, but it all worked. Worth seeing if you want to cleanse your eyeballs.


I watched this movie on ESPN Classic on Christmas day. I had never seen it before, and knew it was going to be sad. Because I knew what to expect however, I had just a few tears. The movie is classic 70's biography, the music, editing etc.. They just have that certain style. The story is a touching as they come. The Cappelletti family were extraordinary people. The kind of folks anyone would like to meet. The relationship between John and Joey, was special, and not the kind most siblings have. But of course the circumstances here, were anything but normal. I enjoy films about football very much, but the football is secondary here. Thats okay, it still tells you about one of the greatest players ever in college football. Most of all, you admire the extraordinary bravery of a young boy, who faces a terminal illness. He, his brother, and the story of the entire family will lift you, and inspire you. It is worth the tears.


I remember as a child of 10 years watching this movie. It was the first movie that really made me cry. This movie is a true inspiration. This movie can make you really appreciate life. Joey was truly lucky to have his big brother John, as was John to have Joey. The way the two inspired each other is remarkable. I would really like to find this movie and see it again. If you like movies that make you laugh, cry, and and everything in between you will like this one. I am sure for the rest of my life and for anyone who saw the movie, hearing the name John Cappeletti will always remind me of "Something For Joey". This movie should be released on DVD if it already hasn't. Great Movie. Bring you tissue this movie is a real tear jerker.


This film is about the family interaction after a boy is found to have leukaemia.

It is particularly striking that this film is able to detail the human emotions, and the bond between brothers so well. It portrays John and Joey as an inseparable pair of siblings, and they would do anything to make each other happy. John agrees to do the unachievable to make Joey happy, and this strive for success inspired by another person is something that is touching and remarkable. For a moment, I worried about sibling rivalry between John and joey due to the difference in ability, but fortunately this does not happen. The joy of the family when Joey walks again is so real and convincing. Of course, the final scene is so touching that sends me to tears.

It has a simple plot, but it is so effective in provoking feelings. It is so real, so human and it portrays something that is so close to our hearts.


MU ZAN E is an extremely rough Japanese gore/sexual violence film by anyone's standards. Anyone who doesn't find some of the scenes in this film disgusting is inhuman. That being said, since that is exactly what I was looking for - I wasn't disappointed.

I will give a brief synopsis, and this is what I gathered, since my copy has no English subtitles or dubs: A reporter is doing some research on underground sex films. She does interviews with various people in the "industry" and goes on-set during the filming of a production. During her research, she comes across some snuff material. Apparently she begins researching that type of stuff too, and when she gets too close, certain people aren't happy with her prying and decide to take action against her...

Honestly, this film is NASTY,NASTY,NASTY. I can't think of anyone who truly enjoys this type of material as entertainment. My main interest in seeking this film is that I'm always looking for the most "shocking" films available. Let me tell ya, this is one of 'em. Not only that, but the story (what I could make of it) seemed pretty interesting (and far superior and more straight-forward than Yamnouchi's other offerings...), and I hope that Unearthed Films will release an English subtitled version. As far as I know, they hold the rights here in the U.S. but have no ETA as to when it will be released. I give this film a pretty high rating because it does exactly what it's intention is to do - repel, repulse and sicken - but again, the story is pretty decent too, and even has an unexpected twist, which doesn't always happen in this new realm of Asian "super extreme" gore films. Recommended only for you truly sick f!cks out there!!! 8.5/10


Daisuke Yamanouchi's "Mu Zan E" is about a young journalist,who is searching for snuff movies.The film shows us a snuff/porn making underground industry ala "Last House on Dead End Street" or "Tesis".It's extremely grim and gory and it pulls no punches with its sheer nastiness.There are some incredibly revolting scenes of gore and sexual violence,so fans of Japanese pinku eiga sickies won't be disappointed.It seems to me that Japanese culture is loaded with sadism and bloodletting and this carries over into the realms of cinema and literature.Anyway,if you're a fan of the "Guinea Pig" series or "Cannibal Holocaust" you can't miss this one.However if you're squeamish don't watch it!


I agree with the previous reviewers that "Mu Zan E" is the nastiest and most disturbing piece of filth made by Japanese exploitation master Daisuke Yamanouchi. The film is often shot with hand-held camera that gives it a truly dirty and slimy look. Yuki Emoto plays a reporter in search of the snuff movies. During her investigation she meets a bunch of fetish/porno film-makers and finally she herself becomes a victim of merciless snuff gang. Plenty of sickening gore, sexual violence and menstrual sex for fans of such misanthropic sickness. Still the acting is fairly good and the climax is sadistically surprising. For fans of Japanese transgressions I'd also recommend "Flesh Meat Doll" series, "Niku Daruma", "Raping My Virgin Slave", "Death Woman", "Squirmfest" and some nasty Nikkatsu pinku eiga.


Going into Muzan E I was well aware that it's a nasty flick and that my copy had no subtitles. Well both are incredibly true. It's actually one of the most disturbing movies I've ever seen. During the first 15 minutes of so I was dying for subtitles. Nothing of great importance was happening visually, but there was a soft-spoken reporter talking pretty much nonstop. It definitely would have been nice to hear what she was saying. Anyways, it's not a difficult movie to follow and the story goes something like this: Female reporter investigating really nasty sex tapes. She eventually gets her hands on a big scoop, meaning a really, really nasty tape. Reporter and crew decide to delve deeper into the scene and nasty things follow. I was actually pleasantly surprised where they went with this film.

Muzan E is a sick film, that only people with weird tastes should watch. I'd describe the movie as pretty gory, but the weird thing is almost all the shots are blurred so you can't see much detail....thinking back on this it was probably a good thing. Anyways, the movie starts off slow, but steadily builds up speed and your attention. If you're looking for a f'ed up film, just check out Muzan E. 7.5 outta 10


At the forty-two minute mark, this gets really interesting. Easily Daisuke Yamanouchi's best and most mature production. I didn't care at all for his "Red Room" films or "Blood Sisters", so I wasn't too enthused about this, either. A female reporter investigates the existence of "snuff" movies (visual records or people being actually murdered) and ends up being in one. Before that, she visits a porn shoot where a man eats a bloody tampon from a woman's vagina and drinks her blood. She interviews the actors as they break for lunch, establishing the fact that for performers in movies of this type, acts considered obscene by some are mundane jobs for others. The actress in this scene is clearly in it because she's an attention whore. After our intrepid reporter meets a shady character in a park, things begin to darken and she finds herself in possession of a videotape in which an attractive woman is kidnapped and abused. Just as a TV crew investigated the source of a snuff movie in Toshahiro Ikeda's "Evil Dead Trap" by identifying on-screen landmarks, so does this film's protagonist hit the road to pursue the source of her tape. She finds herself in a poor, rural area where she is attacked and captured.

"Muzan-E" owes a great debt to "Guinea Pig", which owes a debt to "Videodrome", which owes a debt to the German "Pain" and "Violence" loops, which owe a debt to "Last House on Dead End Street", and so on, and so on. In other words, it's nothing original, but it is a toxic mix of extreme influences, and manages to create a disturbing mood, especially in its final section. The scene in which the reporter has her nipple ripped off is a keeper, as is the scene that follows. Yamanouchi's usually undisciplined style works to this film's advantage, and he shows restraint in the direction of the performers. The female lead is credible, and her ultimate state of insanity has a chilly edge.

It is unfortunate that only this director's much more inferior work is available in English subtitled, US editions. His mixing of hardcore porn and grotesque horror works well in this effort. 'Tis a shame he has never made anything else that comes close to this blood-drenched, nasty piece of horror. It's heartily recommended.


I checked this movie out for the same reasons as most others, I would presume. I wanted to see what has been hyped as "some of the nastiest sh*t out there." But sadly I was once again disappointed, as I have been many times before when that line has been used to describe a horror/gore/splatter film. The storyline is nothing more than a reporter following up a tape with snuff on it and gets too close to the people involved for her own good. I was expecting a lot of gore, blood and guts in this one, but there was definitely not as much as the hype had led me to believe. As most Japanese produced films of this kind, this one has gone through pixel censorship, meaning it doesn't show all the really nasty stuff which is really why you'd like to see this film in the first place. (If you're one of the very few people who would like to see it simply because of the storyline, I'd suggest you save your money for something better.) If you're not used to this type of extreme film, I bet this could be "the nastiest sh*t". But if you, like me, have seen quite a lot in the genre, this film really isn't any special in terms of "extremeness". For the fans of this type of films, I'd highly recommend Men Behind The Sun, Audition and/or Ichi the Killer instead!


The Camera-work on the film is complete crap, it looks like it was filmed on a second hand camera brought from a car boot sale in Tokyo, and edited on an old junk yard hard drive.

The actors look like they've been pulled off the street or are out of work porn stars,

The special FX consist of a fake knife, and some ketchup.

Its filmed in some kind of basement, with lousy shots of a city street.

In all, it serves only as inspiration to make your own low budget film, you could pick up some techniques,

other than that, don't bother watching it.


This film was actually one of my favorites at a student movie theater really many years ago. It was kinda cult and thus shown quite often and the audience could have been always the same. Like many of Corbucci's works it has frequent showings on German TV. IL MERCENARIO is very comparable to the better COMPANEROS which has particularly a much better cast. It's another buddy western with a Nordic (blond) and a Mexican guy where the first is cool and intelligent and the other hot tempered and rather low witted. Compañero Milian is much slicker than Musante who many times prevails just as a fool and is closer to Tuco Ramirez of THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY. Nevertheless Musante feels more realistic as a peasant than the grimacing Milian. Nero is more dominating in his role as the mercenary of Polish origin than as the Swedish Peterson of COMPANEROS. He is never really convinced of the revolutionary values. Curly/Ricciolo (Jack Palance) seems pretty superfluous for the plot and serves as a comic relief character with an extra portion of sadism. In the absence of a real lead villain he enters the final duel.

The pace of the film is fast and the excellent (maybe Morricone's best) and rousing score supports the generous action. Machine guns are roaring and counting the bodies falling seems pretty impossible. Impressing wide screen photography immerses the viewer.

9/10 with a slight nostalgic bonus. Top 10 Spaghetti Western.


Franco Nero, sporting a burly mustache and sideburns, stars as Segei `The Pollack' Kowalski, an angelic opportunist, who, for profit not nobility, helps a revolutionary, Paco (Tony Musante), overthrow the corrupt Mexican generals. It is a very good Spaghetti Western, with a nice pace, good action, and interesting characters playing off one another. Jack Palance is Curly, an obviously gay bad guy, whose prissy demeanor hides his ruthlessness- that is until he kills his own partner out of spite and blows a few men's heads off. The story starts with Nero establishing his badassness while catching a dice cheat, forcing the gambler to eat the dice and saying, "When you get them back, I suggest you dont use them again." He is then hired to help protect a trainload of silver make it through rebel territory to the States. Nero goes to the mining town only to find it overthrown by Paco and his gang, and the mine collapsed. Nero luckily finds himself able to offer his help to the rebels and guide Paco in the art of stealing, strategically avoiding, and attacking the corrupt army, eventually overthrowing it. But, mostly it is not a buddy-buddy relationship, Nero is in it for the money, Paco is in it for the righteousness, yet they both respect each other. (To give a good example, at one point, while crossing the desert, Nero makes Paco and the revolutionaries empty their canteens so he can have a shower while they go thirsty.)

Aside from nice bits of humor, it sports some religious allusions, such as, Paco begins with only twelve men + Nero (their Jesus), they masquerade at one point during a religious parade and attack while dressed as angels and virgin Mary's, as well as Nero being strapped to a t-shaped cross when captured. There is also a nod to Macbeth when Paco's woman uses his power drunk naiveté to convince him to turn against Nero. The film makes use of an obviously fairly high budget, with many large battles, crowd scenes, entire towns destroyed, planes bombing, and many locales. It has an interesting structure, since the bulk of the film is told in flashback before returning to the beginning and then reaching the grand finale. The Morricone score is great, and amazingly enough, very understated. Corbucci's direction has never been better.

(Any film that opens with a shot of a dwarf clown dressed like a matador, you just know is going to be good)


I recently got hold of the Japanese DVD print via ebay. This is of really high quality and I was amazed that this film is not more widely known or appreciated. What a brilliant film. In many ways it is similar to Companeros and if you liked that wonderful film you will also love this. The story is somewhat far-fetched but is very enjoyable and fast paced in a 'boys own' way. The machine gun makes its familiar appearance. Franco Nero, as always, delivers a superb performance and Jack Palance gives a very good performance as a very unpleasant killer. The music is brilliant and the duel in the bullring is incomparable and is perfectly choreographed to the wonderful music. If you are interested in westerns you have to see this film.


The second collaboration of Sergio Corbucci, the Italian Western's most important director besides Sergio Leone, and Franco Nero, one of the genre's greatest actors, after the ingenious "Django" from 1966, "Il Mercenario", a movie set in the time of the Mexican revolution, and therefore late for a Western, is a must-see for every fan of the genre.

Sergei Kowalski (Franco Nero) gets hired by short-tempered revolutionary Paco Roman (Tony Musante), in order to help his squad of unexperienced rebels with their campaign for a free Mexico. While Paco is a crook, but also an idealist, becoming more and more idealistic after his troop is joined by beautiful and idealistic Columba, a woman whose father was a revolutionary , the Polish is a typical anti-hero, witty and cool and somehow sympathetic, but mainly concerned on his own benefit.

The acting is great, specially Franco Nero as the Polish, and Jack Palance's performance as one of the villains. Another villain is played by Eduardo Fajardo, who played the villainous Major Jackson in Django. The score of this movie, composed by Ennio Morricone, is just brilliant (how couldn't it), the cinematography is great as well as the locations. My favorite film by Corbucci is still the incomparably brilliant "Il Grande Silenzio" ("aka. "The Great Silence") of 1968, "Django" of 1966 being my second-favorite due to its immense entertainment- and cult-value. Maybe not quite as brilliant as "Il Grande Silenzio" and not quite as influential as "Django", "Il Mercenario" is nonetheless an exceptional Spaghetti Western with a great sense of humor that I would recommend to everybody, not only genre fans. 9 out of 10!


One of Corbucci's better westerns. The story concerns a bandit (Musante) who wants the legitimacy of being a "revolutionary", but needs the help of a hardened professional (Nero) to do it. Palance gives the movie some of its best moments as a gay gunslinger ( a rival mercenary) out to revenge himself on Musante for humiliating him. Not much plot, but Corbucci's fluid direction keeps it from growing stale and the god performances from the stars make it worth watching. Also look for fun, cynical dialogue and story elements from genre expert Vincenzoni. Contains the dark undertones present in other Corbucci (and Leone) westerns, but not to as great an extent as his masterpiece, "The Great Silence".


Last week, I came across a sale of Italian DVDs of several Spaghetti Westerns; I managed to purchase 4 of them and, being one of 2 I hadn't watched before, this ended up as the first I checked out.

Actually, I had missed this on late-night Italian TV; considering that a similar 'political' Spaghetti Western directed by Corbucci and co-starring Franco Nero and Jack Palance, namely COMPANEROS (1970), had been a bit too much tongue-in-cheek for my taste, I expected this to be in the same vein. However, while certainly lighthearted in comparison with Corbucci's DJANGO (1966; which I should revisit again in a couple of days) and especially THE GREAT SILENCE (1968), it's a more balanced proposition than COMPANEROS (particularly with respect to Palance's performance - quietly menacing here as opposed to the campiness of the later film) and, thus, superior to it in practically every way.

Nero has already matured quite a bit from the youthful gunslinger in DJANGO; here, he's basically playing a variation on Clint Eastwood's iconic Man With No Name figure in Sergio Leone's "Dollars Trilogy" (incidentally, Nero's own voice resembles that of Enrico Maria Salerno - who used to dub Eastwood in those films!). Indeed, the ongoing game of cat-and-mouse revolving around Nero, Palance and Mexican revolutionary Tony Musante is clearly inspired by the tricky relationship that went on between Eastwood, Eli Wallach and Lee Van Cleef in THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY (1966)! This is most evident in the numerous scenes where the taciturn Nero gets the brash Musante out of trouble or, conversely, 'sells' him to the authorities...and even more in the rather splendid showdown between the three characters, undoubtedly the film's highlight - given another dimension by being set in a bullring with Palance sporting a wig (he's nicknamed Curly!) and Musante made up as a clown!!

Despite her belated entrance in the film, Giovanna Ralli makes quite an impression as a fiery Mexican woman who hitches up with Musante; Euro-Cult and Spaghetti Western regular Eduardo Fajardo is also on hand as the requisite figure of oppression (who, at one point, is made to eat a living lizard by Musante!). While the comedy never quite descends into spoofiness and the political content is thankfully downplayed, the action sequences are very well handled...and the film is further blessed with a memorable theme tune by the one and only Ennio Morricone (with a little help from his friend and protégé Bruno Nicolai).


This is one of the better Spaghetti westerns from the late 1960's. Franco Nero, Tony Musante, and Jack Palance are all in good form. My DVD copy is a cheap one and seems badly edited but the fun and vibrancy of the film still comes through. A cool political western the theme of which was continued in Sergio Corbucci's next film Companeros (another very good 'Spaghetti Western').


I was totally knocked out of my socks when I saw that this masterpiece was on TV. One of those many titles this movie has makes it hard to identify it in my TV magazine but still...

Why was I so curious about this movie? First, its famous for its music, composed by Ennio Morricone. Mainly, it's "L'Arena", the tune that was used in Kill Bill Volume 2, which gives me goes bumps every time I hear it. So that was the main reason I wanted to see it. The other: Directed by Sergio Corbucci (Django), starring Jack Palance and Franco Nero (Django). Produced by Alberto Grimaldi....

And what did I get? A high-quality, well-written, nicely filmed epic set in the Mexican revolution. The music perfectly fits the movie. Nero and Palance each have their own theme tunes, and there is a lot of Mexican tunes in the film. The movie as an awesome pace and its very nice to watch. I can really not understand why this movie hasn't gotten a proper DVD release yet. The available Full Screen DVD is really not worth wasting a buck on it, I even got to see the widescreen version on free-TV... This is one of Corbucci's finest works, and one of the best spaghetti westerns ever made, with incredible music, cinematography and mood. Don't miss this. Write down all those alternative titles so you don't miss it when it's on TV.


An Mexican outlaw, with the help of a hired Polish gunslinger go out to make an massive rebellious army to take back what they believe is an poorly treated Mexico that is run by crooked and rich upper-class folk. So now they are part of the growing revolution, but the two men seem to have their ups and downs on who really is in-charge here, as the Mexican peasant actually relies on the European cowboy most the time. While, the army might be on the rebels' tails, but also too is another gunslinger that has a score to settle with the two men.

I don't know how long I've had this for, but I nearly missed the opportunity of watching this more than decent spaghetti western. Basically I recorded it off TV some time back onto a blank DVD, which I was going to use, until I realised that this flick was ready to go. Phew, lucky I decided to check it before erasing it. Also after the opening credits the film actually went black and dead quiet for 3 minutes or so, and I was thinking maybe I wasn't meant to see it, but that was short-lived and I was back right into it.

Anyhow, away from my pointless ramble "The Mercenary" which is first I've seen of any Corbucci's films was an exciting gung-ho spaghetti western that doesn't let up on the violence and colourful characters. Although the violence isn't terribly graphic and sometimes it happens off screen, but these minor glitches don't take away anything from it. The actual characters might be hard to like as they come across as incredibly greedy and downright blood thirsty for violence. Which I say isn't too much of a bad thing for this type of flick, because that's one of the draw cards of this sub-genre, but it's just that the characters are expendable to it, well maybe not Franco Nero's easy going character. Sergio Corbucci direction is the key also because the story isn't planned out with any real sort of purpose but just to stage one comical scene or action packed moment. But at least those moments actually worked to make you forget the plot's shortcomings. Plus it was jokier than I thought it would be. From that point it did kind of reminded me of Leone's 'The Good, the bad and the Ugly', that was because of the buddy humour that they played around with and like another reviewer mentioned Paco Roman did have an uncanny nature to that of Taco from GTBTU. Other than that, you can see other influences from the dollar trilogy evident too. For me Nero's gunslinger has a striking resemblance and steady persona to that of Eastwood's character of Dollar trilogy and the showdown in a bullring you could think the same too. But that's enough about that.

What else it has going for it is the great and thunderous score that you come to expect by the ever-reliable Ennio Morricone and the cinematography gets some dynamic treatment. The script is filled with cynical humour and leaden dialog on that of the rich and poor, and how greed can blind you to true intentions. There an over abundance of sharp and witty replies and that's especially between Kowalski, Paco and Columba. The three leads Franco Nero, Tony Musante and Giovanna Ralli as ever gusty but beautiful Columba put in exceptional performances and Jack Palance as Ricciolo 'Curly' the gunfighter on the trail of the group brings the added venom to the villain role, but I thought he was vastly under-used and his agenda with Kowalski would've made for more interest than what is given.

We're thrown right into this baroque western with the backdrop splashing off the screen with such exuberant touches of flair and gusto. Corbucci paces the film swiftly by making it more compelling and surprising the further along it went, without letting you doze off because of some well stage scenes like a bank heist, bombing of an Mexican town and the final shootout. Actually it would be hard to doze off with the loud sound effects and bellowing score. Even so just when you think its finished and the climax feels like it came too early, there's even more to come afterwards. Overall, Corbucci takes advantage of this good rolling adventure, even if it does lack some sort of killer punch or impact to make it overly memorable and grand. But nonetheless it's swell escapism fun that's bursting at the seams with madness, double crossings, plentiful violence, promising performances and grit.

It's a more than decent way to the past time with. I see 'Companeros (1970)' gets praised a lot, so it looks another to hit my must-see list.


Corbucci is not known for any serious films and that this turned out to be one is maybe something of an accident - but there is no mistake about it, many scenes reveal the true nature of this film and especially the end, which is nothing less than gripping. To live for what is right and maybe dream but with open eyes. Often this film is mistaken for Two Comapaneros a much inferior effort although using some of the same actors. Whereas Tomas Milian is unreal in most of his films, so is not the case with Tony Musante and especially not in this film. It's a film about revolution but it does not neglect the hidden problems in all of us regarding this. There are traitors all around and some of them are given the right treatment in this film. All and all this is a film with a heart where you least expect it - right in the very center of what appears to be only a cheap "Spaghetti"-western. A film made in the very same times as the phony 68-movement but without being phony itself. Why did not this film receive a descent DVD-treatment instead of the much inferior "Two Companeros"? Your guess is not as good as mine - because I can tell You: American companies do not like truly revolutionary films. Yes, Criterion, this would be something for You to have a bite of!


In the late 1960s the Spaghetti Western boom entered a new phase, in which the Zapata Western became very popular. The Mercenary was key spaghetti director Sergio Corbucci's main contribution to the sub-genre.

Now that he was working with Alberto Grimaldi  producer of Sergio Leone's westerns  Corbucci was at last able to create a western with really lavish production values. The Mercenary features impressive sets, hundreds of extras and of course, being a Corbucci picture, plenty of huge explosions. He is also reunited with his Django lead man, Franco Nero (here speaking for himself rather than being dubbed, which is very welcome), as well as having prominent Italian actor Tony Musante and Hollywood veteran Jack Palance on board for his most high-class line up yet.

Another plus point for The Mercenary is that it does not suffer from the messy plotting of Corbucci's previous westerns, having instead a very tight storyline from Franco Solinas with screenplay by another Leone collaborator, Luciano Vincenzoni. Like Bullet for the General and Big Gundown before, it's another political western in which the hero has to make a choice between material gain and revolutionary commitment. It's an example of this bizarre, almost puritan form of Marxism that seems to be in all Solinas' stories, and it does grate a bit. However the story is well constructed, and the dialogue isn't too bad when compared to Corbucci's previous efforts and the majority of spaghettis made at this time. Crucially there is greater subtlety and tautness, a good example being in the first scene at the mine where we cut from Tony Musante realising the gang boss's pistol is within reach straight to the scene in which he and his comrades are holding up the mine owners.

On more solid ground as far as production and script go, Corbucci appears to have taken the time to work out ideas and plan shots. There is some great camera work here and again there is some nice subtlety in the way in which things are revealed to the audience. For example, in an early scene the camera focuses on Jack Palance's nonchalant mannerisms while his henchman is killing a man off screen. The old Corbucci would have shown the killing itself in full gory detail.

There had also been a growing use of symbolism in Corbucci's pictures and by this point he was become almost arty. There's a very clever moment at Paco and Columba's informal wedding, in which Giovanna Ralli is shown behind a net curtain. When she and Musante kiss the camera moves so that she is no longer obscured by the net, referencing the lifting of the veil at a traditional wedding.

One of the reasons Corbucci really stands out as a spaghetti western director is that he has his own very distinct style, rather than simply copying the master Sergio Leone. The Mercenary does however contain one very obvious Leone rip off  a drawn out, tense final duel, complete with a circular arena set and rhythmic editing between close-ups. But it's forgivable, since he does it so well  it is in fact one of the best sequences he ever filmed  and there's a great twist to it which I won't reveal. The Morricone piece which accompanies this stand off  a triumphant Mexican march which would later be plundered by Quentin Tarantino for Kill Bill  is also comparable to that composer's work with Leone.

When you get down to it though, Corbucci is still really just a simplistic action director who likes explosions, last-minute escapes and indestructible heroes. Often the over-the-top abilities of the protagonists don't sit well with the more earnest moments, and it's actually profoundly un-Marxist to pretend that revolutionaries are some kind of invincible supermen. Some poor attempts at comedy don't quite get off the ground, and good actor as he is, Franco Nero is frankly (no pun intended) annoying as the obnoxious title character.

Corbucci, Nero and Palance were to tread the same territory again in Companeros (1970), which is so similar as to be virtually a remake. The Mercenary however is fresher and stronger, by far the better of the two. While this was probably Corbucci's most finely crafted film to date, his next  The Great Silence  was to be his masterpiece.