Beast with a Gun (1977) User Reviews

Beast with a Gun Vs. Mad Dog

[BaronBl00d · 5/10 · 25 March 2008]

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

police are as dumb as usual

[christopher-underwood · 7/10 · 7 February 2013]

Known as Mad Dog Killer and Beast With A Gun, my print comes up with the title, Furious Mad Dog Killer and I have to say all titles are appropriate. This is not sophisticated film making by any means but does, as they say, what it says on the can. Little story, just an angry young man determined to do with his gun what he is going to do and even rape the co-star along the way. Helmut Berger is excellent in the lead and fully convinces as the near lunatic, Mad Dog or Killer of the titles. Marisa Mell is also effective and not quite as dumb as the females often seem to have to be in these Italian crime movies. The police are as dumb as usual, even if led by the charismatic, Richard Harrison. Tough. Mean and fast moving.

Not As Beastly As I Expected (And Neither As Good)

[Witchfinder-General-666 · 6/10 · 3 November 2009]

***Warning! SPOILERS!*** Sergio Grieco's "La Belva Col Mitra" aka. "Beast With A Gun" / "Mad Dog Killer" of 1977 is a cult-favorite to some of my fellow fans of Italian genre-cinema, but, personally, I cannot really see why. The film has the reputation of being one of the nastiest highlights of 70s Poliziotteschi/Italo-Crime cinema, but it isn't at all, really. The insanely brilliant score is the film's one truly outstanding aspect. Otherwise, it is pretty routine stuff with a pretty lame and illogical storyline, and actually below par for an Italian crime flick from the 70s. The film has the reputation of being particularly nasty and violent, but, for its time, country and genre, this just isn't the case. Italian 70s Poliziotteschi generally are ultra-violent and supremely stylish films, and while there is no doubt that "Beast With A Gun" has some genuinely nasty moments, it does in no way stand out in this respect. Many of the great Poliziotteschi by Umberto Lenzi, for example, are easily nastier than this one, and, which is more important, vastly superior in all regards.

Helmut Berger stars as Nanni Vitale, a psychotic criminal who goes on a murderous rampage after escaping from prison. After murdering a guy he deems a traitor, Vitale rapes and kidnaps his victim's sexy girlfriend Giuliana (Marissa Mell); in the meantime, Commisionner Giulio Santini (Richard Harrison) is out to get him...

Some people praise Helmut Berger's great performance as the villain here, but, in my humble opinion, Berger actually doesn't fit in the role of a thug at all. Berger is a good actor and may be predestined for the role of a psycho, but he isn't credible as a professional criminal - he simply doesn't seem proletarian enough; he looks and seems too bourgeois and vain, simply not 'tough' and 'working-class' enough for someone who is supposed to lead a life of crime. His sadism is believable, but then, there are many sadistic psychos in Poliziotteschi that are just so incomparably superior: Take, for example, the villainous roles the great Tomas Milian played in Umberto Lenzi's films, most memorably that in "Milano Odia: La Polizia Non Puó Sparare"/"Almost Human". Milian is brilliant in this role of the sadistic psycho - sadistic, yes, but also a typical, low-life criminal; nothing like the cocky, neat-as-a-pin Nanni Vitale, who always seems to be looking for a mirror to look at himself. Neither is Richard Harrison very memorable as the cop. The film has many plot-holes. Neither Nanni Vitale's nor the cop Santini's actions make the slightest sense: Nanni Vitale first lets the kidnapped Giuliana go in order to help him rob a bank. She goes to the cops who, instead of arresting Vitale where he is, wait at the bank he plans to rob. The Inspector even sends her back to Vitale, who is known to brutally murder anyone he considers a traitor. And she goes back to him. Now that makes perfect sense! The film is full of violent shootouts and action, including lots of cool-looking slow-motion. It doesn't get boring. Still, the ending is pretty lame for what we have hoped for, and makes the cop-character even more pathetic. In my humble opinion, at least, cops in Italian 70s flicks are supposed to take the law into their own hands, and not just 'arrest' evil-doers. My review of "Beast With A Gun" may seem a little too harsh - after all, it is a decent and entertaining film. But, due to the praises from some fellow Italo-Crime fans, I simply had high expectations for this film. As stated above, there is one truly brilliant aspect about the film: the ingenious score by Umberto Smaila, which ranks among the most captivating scores I've heard in Italian Crime cinema - and we're talking about a genre that tends to be greatly scored in general.

Overall, this isn't a bad film as such, but it certainly isn't the genre-highlight it is sometimes hyped to be. In case you want to see an Italian Crime Thriller that handles topics such as kidnapping and sadistic criminals, there are two masterpieces that top my long list of the recommendations: Mario Bava's "Cani Arrabiati" ("Rabid Dogs", 1974) and Umberto Lenzi's "Milano Odia: La Polizia Non Può Sparare" ("Almost Human", also 1974). Anybody who is new to Italian Crime Cinema is generally well-advised to check out any of the great films by Fernando Di Leo, Umberto Lenzi, Enzo Castellari and others before this one. All things considered, "Beast With A Gun" is worth watching for my fellow Poliziotteschi fans, but it's not one of the genre's greats.

As seen on Jackie Brown

[Roikale · 5 October 2004]

Remember the scene in Jackie Brown with Robert DeNiro and Bridget Fonda watching TV and then Samuel Jackson walks in and goes: "Is that Rutger Hauer?" and Fonda replies: "No, it's Helmut Berger."?

Well, it's this movie they're watching.

It's a typical low-key Italian gangster movie with a bunch of evil, skinny, mustached (except Helmut Berger) crooks driving around doing evil stuff. The violence scenes are very brutal but there are many moments where also unintentional humor is present.

Once again, I have a Finnish super rare version of this movie with Finnish title (roughly translated) "Death Obeys No Law" on the front cover and in the back cover it says "Best With A Gun", (obviously a typing error). In the opening credits it says "Furious" (or "Ferocious"). A movie with so many names can't be that bad, can it?

"He wants me dead! He wants me dead!"

[bensonmum2 · 6/10 · 20 February 2006]

Four escaped convicts, led by Nanni Vitali (Helmut Berger), go on a killing spree. Their main target is the man who turned them in. After he's murdered, Nanni kidnaps his girlfriend, Giuliana Caroli (Marisa Mell), and threatens to kill her unless she agrees to help him pull-off a payroll heist. She double-crosses Nanni and goes to the police. Now Giuliana's life is in real danger.

What Works:

• The Vicious Nanni. Nanni Vitali is one of those vicious, brutal, sadistic type characters that are necessary for this kind of film to work. The things he is capable of doing can be at times shocking. The ferocious way he beats-up the gas attendant for no real purpose at all is the perfect example. He's the kind of character you wouldn't want to run into in real life.

• Marisa Mell. Marisa Mell is another of those European actresses who may not have been much of a thespian, but she has a certain screen presence that's undeniable. It's too bad the decision was made to ignore her character for the final third of the movie.

• The Score. Until seeing Beast with a Gun, I'm not sure I had seen a film scored by Umberto Smaila. His main theme is one of those pieces of music that gets stuck in your head and you can't get it out. The rest is above average and adds to the drama and tension on screen.

What Doesn't Work:

• Unbelievable Plot Points. While I could write about several instances where the movie stretches credibility, I'll limit these comments to two. First, no real police would bungle a heist set-up as bad as the police in this film. They have inside information. They know where and when the robbery is to take place. They have their own people poising as factory workers. Yet two people are killed and the robbers make off with a van full of hostages. Second, while scouting the vast Italian countryside, the police just happen to select and climb the very electric pole that will give them a clear view of the killers' hideout. How lucky can you be!

• Originality. Beast with a Gun is a fairly standard Italian police thriller that offers very little in the way of innovation. It's all routine, run-of-the-mill, seen-it-before type stuff. A little more creativity would have gone a long way to making it a good film of its type.

In the end, if you're a fan of this kind of film, you probably won't see anything you haven't seen before. But what is presented is generally well done with some very nice accompanying music. And, Marisa Mell makes the whole thing worthwhile for me.

Scary Crime Thriller

[Rainey-Dawn · 7/10 · 26 October 2015]

This is surprisingly a decent crime thriller... really better than I was anticipating it to be. The film is a graphic violent crime-thriller - scary to watch.

Richard Harrison is the tough police inspector Giulio Santini. He's out to get a prison escapee named Vitali (Helmut Berger) and his gang. Vitali and gang goes on a spree of rape, rob and murder. The gang is very much afraid of Vitali and will do whatever he says - even things they do not care to do for they fear Vitali's violence against them.

I got this movie in the 50-pack Drive-in collection. It's one of the better films in the pack. I'm glad they added it, the film is good.

7/10

Nothing spectacular.

[HumanoidOfFlesh · 5/10 · 18 October 2003]

Helmut Berger leads a group of prison escapees on a rampage targeting cop Richard Harrison,who testified against him in court.After Berger rapes beautiful Marisa Mell("Danger:Diabolik"),then forces her to join the gang,Harrison hatches his own plan to stop dangerous Berger.The film is loaded with sleaze and violence,but it's not as nasty as it's reputed to be."Mad Dog" is well-acted,well-directed and has a fast pace from beginning to end.So if you're a fan of Italian crime flicks give this one a look-just don't expect something mind-shattering.

See it in italian with english subtitles

[Andreas_W333 · 7/10 · 30 October 2020]

Wow, I have seen this film a couple of times in the past but my earlier DVD version only had the english dub, which is much inferior to the italian track. Now seing it in italian on a wonderful 4k-transfer I realize how good this film is. Earlier I couldn't stand the dubbing and it really dragged the film down. Thanks to 88 films for giving the movie the justice it deserves. Now I hope they do the same with Sergio Grieco's even more extreme "Violence for kicks".

Watchable sleaze-fest .............

[merklekranz · 5/10 · 21 January 2010]

Helmut Berger gives a gritty performance as a sadistic killer. Unfortunately there are two kinds of punishment being dished out, Helmut's and that which the audience must suffer. The police work in "Beast With a Gun" is mortally laughable, and the stilted dialog in the dubbed version rivals that in the worst "Godzilla" movie. Berger's deranged killer, and a nice Morricone-like score save this from being just another Italian crime flick. So, if you can throw logic out the window, cringe a bit with each spoken word, and suspend disbelief, you might be ready to watch this gloriously sleazy tale of robbery, rape, and revenge. - MERK

Intriguing and violent Poliziesco in which a tough police inspector takes on a vicious killer and other cronies

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 26 October 2022]

La belva col mitra (1977) or Mag Dog Killer or Ferocious Beast with a Gun packs intrigue , violence , action-filled and being a really effective film . A thrilling movie with ordinary ingredients : thrills , chills, noisy action , plot twists , several villain roles with an extremely psychotic murderer , shootouts with high body-count and being middlingly entertaining from start to finish . Nail-biting thriller in which Comm. Giulio Santini (Richard Harrison) attempts to bring Rome's most powerful crime lord , an escaped sadistic killer named Nanni Vitali (Helmut Berger), to justice . Gripping and moving thriller set in Italy, the story is a fun mess starting with a sadistic , iconoclast , no-count killer called Nanni Vitali and three other equally brutish hoodlums getaway from prison and running on the lam , causing wreak havoc and going bersek . Vitali and his henchmen terrorize the populace and seek vendetta against those responsible for his incarceration , while a tough police inspector attempts to catch the maniacal , trigger-happy crooks . Along the way , Vitali even kidnaps the frightened hapless lass Giuliana Caroli (Marisa Mell) and he mistreats, defiles and rapes her . The commissioner pursues the revenge-obsessed series killer and his hoodlums and encounters he has more problems with him than he expected . In an effort to catch them at whatever cost , he'll stop at nothing to get it . Out of Prison ... Out of Control ... and Totally Out of His Mind! Inspector Santini makes Dirty Harry look like Mr. Clean! .He lives by the law - Santini's Law .. Whatever your reservations about Santini's expeditious methods we know he'll always vanquish , shooting in cold blood with his pistol . Vigilante enforcers - lurking in the dark... waiting to kill!

A violent and extremely nasty film in which foul foursome delinquents embark on a savage rape, murder, and robbery spree, meanwhile, rugged police inspector Giulio Santini strides grimly throughout the streets in pursuit the murderous , including an exciting final .Formula thriller deemed to be a ¨video nasty¨ with plenty of action , crisply edition , tension, intrigue , suspenseful and lots of violence in exploitation style . It turns out to be interesting and plenty of vivid action , suspense and thriller in which a stubborn inspector is determined to trap a despicable criminal . Compellingly directed by Sergio Grieco , this movie got a whole new life thanks to Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown. The character of Melanie : Bridget Fonda is watching television, along with Samuel L. Jackson's Ordell Robie, when the main star is on the screen, after having attacked the girl, Robie says, "Rutger Hauer?" and Melanie corrects him, "Helmut Berger." The film belongs to Poliziesco genre in which rule-breaking cops take on criminals -many of them detained but freed on legal technicalities- determined to bring them to justice , even if they have to break some rules and take the law into his own hands by utilizing his large pistols for killing baddies , acting as a judge , jury and executioner .Titles like Milano odia: la polizia non può sparare (1974), Free Hand For a Tough Cop (1976) , Roma a mano armata or Brutal Justicia (1976) , Brothers Till We Die (1978) , From Corleone to Brooklyn (1979) were the most popular and brutal of these thrillers . Fine main and support cast giving acceptable , though exaggerated interpretations . Stars Helmut Berger as a really ominous series killer and the always beautiful and mysterious Marisa Mell . Surprisingly , the usually wooden Richard Harrison gives a nice performance as two-fisted , rule-bending Inspector Inspector Santini , the tall and taciturn inspector. Futhermore , familar secondary actors as Nello Pazzafini , Luigi Bonos, Antonio Vasile and the father and daughter who are abducted are father and daughter in real life: Claudio Gora and Marina Giodana.

It contains an atmospheric cinematography by Vittorio Bernini shot on location in Lazaretto of Ancona, Ancona, Marche, of Prison break sequence, and Viale Bruno Giordano, Ancona, Marche, in street scenes outside the hotel . The soundtrack is also heard very loudly and adequate by composer Umberto Smaila . The motion picture was regular but professionally directed by Sergio Grieco . He was a good Italian artesan who made a lot of adventures, action and thrillers movies as ¨Sergeant Klems¨, ¨SOS agent 017¨, ¨The mysterious swordsman¨ , ¨Lucrezia Borgia¨, ¨La regina dei Tartaro¨, ¨Il Capitano di Ferro¨, ¨Pirates of the Black Hawk¨ and several others . Rating : 6/10 . Acceptable and passable Euro-thriller.

Oh, boy...

[mf976 · 1/10 · 24 May 2012]

Poor me. I was so eager to see this movie. It's a "poliziottesco", it inspired Quentin Tarantino nonetheless, plus the big plus of having been shot in my hometown. And what a defeat, my friends. Yes, good camera angles. Yes, great score. Right. I won't repeat the profanities I said while watching, just believe me: the rest is plain, full, big, fat, outrageous rubbish all round. Ridiculous plot, no investigative work whatsoever, sloppy and very short car chases. The dialogues? Never mind, you'll barely hear them among the smacks and pows. They had only two sounds recorded: one smack and one pow. The same for all the movie along. Smack! Smack! Pow! Smack! Everybody goes berserk for no reason. "Good morning". Smack! Pow! You remain openmouthed. After the jailbreak Vanni Vitali visits his sister to take care of her. "You need money?" asks the supervillain, "Take these. They're fake. I've millions of them. All fake." Pause. "Listen, will you give me some real money, won't you?" In a scene the detective leaves the police HQ on a truck, no kidding, with a telescopic ladder mounted on, then he reaches the countryside, stops by a pole, climbs the ladder, connects a telephonic device to the wires and...makes a call to the HQ! Not enough? After the robbery the crooks run away taking some hostages with them. A dozen. The crooks leading in the car, the hostages following in a minivan. Driven by a hostage. OK, sorry, gotta stop now, I'm laughing by myself. Choking actually. I want to just say...laughing again. I'm sorry. I rest my case. Wow...

Superbly nasty Italian crime flick!

[The_Void · 8/10 · 15 March 2007]

You can't get much cooler than an Italian crime film, and Beast With a Gun is yet another excellent example of this cult sub-genre! The film is quite a lot nastier than the majority of Italian crime films that I've seen, and at times it feels like it owes a lot to the exploitation genre! Naturally, there's the usual array of fistfights, shootouts and car chases; but here we've also got rapes and scenes of torture - among other stuff. So Beast With a Gun might not be everyone's cup of tea - but I think most people would agree that the nasty edge certainly gives the film a bit more 'bite'! The film begins with the escape of three nasty convicts. Their leader is a man named Nanni Vitali, and their first port of call after escaping from jail is killing the dirty scumbag that turned them in. However, when they catch up with him; Nanni takes a shine to his girlfriend, and proceeds to brutally rape her before killing the snitch. He also wants the girl to help them pull off a robbery; and she agrees to help them, but not before telling the police all about it...

The main strength that this film has is undoubtedly Helmut Berger. Berger is absolutely spot on with his role as the nasty criminal at the centre of the tale, and every moment he's on screen is completely gripping. He is joined by experienced Eurocult actress Marisa Mell, who provides the eye candy in style! Richard Harrison rounds off the central cast with the token 'cop' role and like his co-stars - plays it well. Beast With a Gun also features an excellent soundtrack, which goes well with the film and definitely adds to every scene it features in. Realism obviously wasn't big on director Sergio Grieco's priority list, however, as the film features numerous instances that don't make a lot of sense - the scene that springs to mind instantly is the one where a certain female cast member is shot in the leg...and then instantly diagnoses it as 'not serious' and barely bats an eyelid! I've got to say, if I got shot it would be VERY SERIOUS, no matter where it got me. However, this isn't important as Beast With a Gun does the important thing - that being entertain the audience - very well, and fans of Italian crime films won't want to miss it!

"You're a filthy hyena, but you don't even have the courage of one."

[Hey_Sweden · 7/10 · 16 September 2022]

Austrian actor Helmut Berger reigns supreme here as a truly nasty piece of work. He plays Nanni Vitali, a true foaming-at-the-mouth kind of bad guy who escapes from prison with three cohorts. They proceed to go on a spree of robbery, rape, and revenge; he even forces Giuliana (Marisa Mell), whom he assaults, into participating in his armed robbery. On the mad dogs' trail is the determined police inspector Santini (Richard Harrison).

Directed with verve by Sergio Grieco (his final directing credit), this piece of Italian crime fiction is notable for its mean streak, its efficient pacing (Grieco doesn't waste a lot of time here), and a sufficient amount of bloody violence. It's well shot in widescreen and strikingly scored by Umberto Smaila. In general, it's good fun: straightforward and with no pretensions about what it's doing.

It gets a lot of juice from the central performances of Berger and Harrison. Harrison is an engaging, charismatic good guy, but Berger ultimately dominates the proceedings as the villain who is a true force of nature. He has his flunkies dispose of an informant by roughing him up, then leaving him bloody and beaten in a puddle, dousing him with lime, and burying him. This character is just pure slime, and yet Berger does play him with an impressive amount of self-confidence.

Mell is very good as the frightened but equally determined rape victim who does seek help from the police the first chance that she gets. Claudio Gora & Marina Giordana also earned this viewers' sympathies as the inspectors' father & sister, who end up brutalized themselves by our merry maniac.

Good sleazy entertainment (with some fleeting nudity) for fans of Euro-cult flicks, with a fairly satisfactory ending.

Seven out of 10.

Extremely sloppy, extremely 70's, and even more Italian crime film pitting an American against an Austrian

[Aylmer · 5/10 · 31 July 2017]

Grizzled cop Richard Harrison faces off against psychotic escaped con Helmut Berger in this tense and nasty action thriller.

BEAST WITH A GUN certainly feels far more amateurish than anything put out by Umberto Lenzi, Enzo Castellari, or Sergio Martino at the time. Half the movie is out of focus, the 180 degree line gets crossed left and right, certain scenes drag on way too long, and the final fight involves the two most obvious stunt doubles this side of Star Trek. There's so many strange goofs in the first scene alone that MST3K certainly could have had a field day. Unfortunately I doubt that this could ever have run on TV owing to the heavy load of mean-spirited violence and semi-consensual sex/rape scenes involving Berger and Marisa Mell.

Marisa Mell, a far way off from DANGER DIABOLIK and starting to look every bit like the wreck she was starting to become off-screen, plays victim to Nanni Vitale's evil schemes. This unfortunately mirrored real life as Berger and Mell did supposedly have a drug- addled fling which took both their lives even further into a spiral. I can't say Berger, who's creepy, somewhat childish perversity was always his biggest strength as an actor, fares much better with his pretty face starting to puff up. Here, a 37-year-old Mell and a 33- year-old Berger both look about like Peter O'Toole did around when he was 34 or so in NIGHT OF THE GENERALS... as though the heavy helpings of partying, drinking, drugs, and general excess were starting to take their toll even at a relatively young age.

The real interesting story here has more to do with the behind the scenes drama. As a movie, BEAST WITH A GUN could hardly be more routine with no real narrative surprises and not really enough action to drum up excitement. Richard Harrison gets unfortunately totally wasted as a nothing character while mostly the movie revolves around Berger and his antics, unfortunately with the edge taken off by his banal and clichéd dialog. In my mind, the most memorable (and comical) moment comes late in the film with the shooting of the two slow motion police officers. All the shots of the cops are in slow motion while Berger with his hostages and henchmen waiting for them are in normal speed. They trade plenty of annoyed glances while the cops SLOWLY advance on them, giving the impression that they're wondering what's taking so long.

I must admit that it's all given a certain scuzzy charm and character by the soundtrack, which is B-movie gold in its simplicity. Good luck ever getting that one out of your head..

Not so hot

[jamesrippner · 6/10 · 28 July 2022]

By this time Helmut had lost his looks. What is funny is that he is screwing women. Actually he is screwing Bertelucci , mick Jagger, and many more men.check out his bio, he ue a german queen.

Now I've begun to think like a gun.

[ulicknormanowen · 6/10 · 22 July 2022]

For the time , it is an extremely violent film, Tarentino-like style ,with plenty of murders and rapes ; the director knows only one tempo :accelerated ,and Helmut Berger ,who had not forgotten his master Visconti's lessons is fascinating,terrifying ,almost without overplaying . His opponent , the cop played by Richard Harrison (in the sixties a habitué of sword and sandals and eurospy cheap flicks),is not really up to scratch opposite him ;the same can be said of ill-fated Marisa Mell .

This thriller includes melodrama elements : the killer's sister and the cop's father and young sister are involved ;but it's Berger who saves the film :cold,sadistic to the umpteenth degree , ruthless; too bad he never found another Visconti because he deserved better.

Unimaginative thriller

[JohnSeal · 4/10 · 29 May 2005]

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

Have a drink twit!

[lastliberal-853-253708 · 6/10 · 24 March 2012]

Aka Beast With a Gun, a good example of 70s Euro-trash.

Italian director Luchino Visconti is said to view Helmut Berger as the very image of his idea of a "demonic, insane and sexually perverted" man. That descriptions means he was perfect for the role of the mad dog killer in this film.

After raping a girl (Marisa Mell) and killing her boyfriend, he takes her along to help out on his plan to get money to leave the country. She turns the tables on him and joins with the Police Inspector, play by Richard Harrison, a ninja and sword and sandals veteran.

There's a back and forth between the cops and mad dog, and he even kidnaps the inspector's sister (Marina Giordana) and father (Claudio Gora) before it is over.

Cheesy dialog, of course, but that;s not why you watch.

Keystone Cops Meet Marquis De Sade

[ace-150 · 4/10 · 14 December 2021]

If the Italian police are really this incompetent, no wonder the mafia runs half the country. Over and over again, the police approach a psychopathic serial killer without bothering to draw their guns first. More poignantly, they know that he has a machine gun with him. And yet, over and over they seem to believe that they can just talk him into surrendering. In their defense, maybe they have no idea what's going on because the dialogue is so stilted.

The only thing that this film has going for it is that Helmut Berger chews up the scenery without holding anything back. He really nails the whole 'sexy sadistic killer' thing.

Competent but overrated

[lemon_magic · 5/10 · 6 December 2015]

I picked up "Beast With A Gun" based on its reputation, hoping for a gritty exploitation thriller, and got something OK but not especially impressive or memorable.

Problem number one is the casting: Helmut Berger is obviously a talented actor, but his male model looks, hair, and stylish clothes undercut the menace and aggression the movie tries to imbue in the character. He's just too sleek, slick, and polished to be credible as a tougher-than-nails psychopath (although some of his cohorts look somewhat more convincing). Also, whoever dubbed him in the English-with-no-subtitles version I saw didn't have much vocal range or dynamics - every line basically came out the same way, which ended up being boring.

Problem number two is the cheapness of some of the action scenes. For instance, when the Beast breaks out of prison with 4 of his gang members, they are pursued by ONE (1) subcompact car with Richard Harrison at the wheel instead of the pack of police vehicles such an event would justify. Hal Needham could have made that chase exciting, even with these constraints, but this one is somewhat underwhelming.

Problem number three is that the essence of the movie is supposed to be an epic conflict between Berger and his Nemesis (Richard Harrison), but the police are singularly ineffective and unimpressive in this movie. It's as if Berger's character is unstoppable only because the plot requires it.

The best feature of the movie is definitely the soundtrack, which has an insistent, brutal quality that sticks in the mind long after the movie is over and adds heft and definition to some scenes that really needed the boost.

If I were in a different mood (or a different stage of my movie watching life), I might have enjoyed this more. I am sure its fans can argue for a direct, spare, straight to the point screenplay that offers what the title promises with no filler or frills. And I wouldn't argue with them.

So - not a bad film at all - just too simple minded and no fun to watch. Your mileage may vary.

Helmut Berger for Gangster President!

[Coventry · 9/10 · 3 May 2010]

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

Police nasty

[BandSAboutMovies · 4/10 · 9 November 2021]

Released in the U. S. as Beast with a Gun, The Human Beast and Mad Dog Killer, this movie probably had more people see it when it was the film that Louis Gara (Robert De Niro) and Melanie (Bridget Fonda) watch in Jackie Brown.

Nanni Vitali is a maniac. Played by Helmut Berger (The Damned, Salon Kitty), he's set his sights on horrifying revenge, escaping jail and killing the man who set him up, raping his woman Giuliana (Marisa Mell, who pretty much will do anything in any poliziotteschi movie, as well as being the female patron saint of these Mill Creek sets) and then going after everyone and anyone.

Richard Harrison is the only man that can stop him, as he tries to kill Giuliana, as well as Harrison's father and aunt. Man, you'd really have to convince me that Mell wasn't shot for real, because her dedication in these movies is near-death match wrestler in its intensity.

Somehow, of all the Italian police movies filled with mayhem, this is the only one that made it to the video nasty list. It's listed as Street Killers on the Section 3 chapter of that infamous list.

You got the wrong guy

[nogodnomasters · 4/10 · 1 September 2017]

Vitali (Helmet Berger) and three of his friends escape from prison. Their plan is to change cars, get money, get papers, and leave the country...after they enact revenge on the snitch and the judge etc.

The restoration wasn't there. The plot had wholes and the characters all came across as idiots. How did Rome conquer the world again? Worth a pass.

Available on a 50 DVD pack.

Guide: F-word, rape, sex, nudity (Marisa Mell, Marina Giordana)

The greatest film of all times!

[Don Zucchini · 10/10 · 4 June 2000]

An excellent cast, a perfect bad guy (Helmut is so awesome as Nanni Vitale) and the best director you could get are responsible for this fantastic movie. Not to mention the soundtrack, which is a catchy tune from the first moment on. (An oscar to the composer, he´s a true genius!) A film full of magic moments (the rapture of Marisa Mell), brutal action scenes (like the scene where Helmut is beating up a gas station attendant) and great artwork (the identikit pictures of Nanni). But the best thing is the german dub version ("Lies das, Hure!" "Ich bin Nanni Vitale, der wahnsinnige Moerder, der gefährliche Verbrecher!") Very, very recommendable, one of the true highlights of the italian cinema, should be in the list of the 100 best films ever. Helmut Berger is god!!!!

A dog with real bite.

[morrison-dylan-fan · 8/10 · 18 May 2011]

When a friend of mine recently passed over two Giallo films to me,I was surprised to find that they had also passed me a third film,which I had heard nothing about.After having asked my friend about what this film is,I was thrilled to find out that it was an Italian Crime film.During my viewing of the film,I became extremely intrigued by the surprisingly different execution of the films story,which makes it really stand out from some of the other Italian Crime films that I have seen.

The plot:

With having been given a twenty three year prison sentience for murder, (after his girlfriend and some of his "friends" have given valuable evidence to the police,which they used to prosecute him) Nanni Vitale decides that he does not want to spend the next twenty three years of his life in prison.So when Vitale and three other prisoners see an opportunity to escape,they instantly jump at the chance.This leads Vitale and the gang grabbing a prison officer,and using him as a hostage.Although some of the other officers try to grab Vitale as him and his gang drive away,they,and the hostage all end up getting left for dead.After having (for now) gotten away Scott-free,Nanni Vitale becomes extremely determined that he and his gang our going to show all the "rats" that betrayed him,that they will never be able to get away from him,until they are dead.This leads to Vitale getting hold of one of his former "best friends".When he gets a hold on his friend and his friends girlfriend,Vitale orders the rest of the gang to "stay back" so he can have all the "fun" with them on his own.Whilst Vitale beats the life out of the rat (who ends up getting an acid-type substance poured on him),he decides that killing the girlfriend,is a far too "soft" option,so he instead brutally rapes her,whilst her battered boyfriend has to watch.Mean while,Commisionner Giulio Santini becomes very nervous about Vitale striking back at the people that put him in prison,especially due to the fact that Santinis dad was the judge that sentenced Nanni Vitale to jail.With hardly any leads,Santini struggles to find out about any of Vitales plans.Suddenly a girl walks into the police station,who tells Santini that she is being kept as a "helper"/hostage for Vitale to help him succeed in getting a huge amount of cash,out of her very wealthy dad.Realising that time is of the essence,Santini feels that he has to make a move for Vitale as soon as he comes out to commit the crime,but with Nanni Vitale having his wits (and guns) on him,it is going to be a far from easy aeriest..

View on the film:

For the screenplay to the film,writer/directer Sergio Grieco makes the film firmly stand out in its genre,by giving the movie a completely different structure to most of the Italian Crime film that I have watched before.Unlike the other films,which spend the whole of there running time following the criminals and focusing on their activates,Grieco instead divides the film into two,and gives an equal amount of time showing the stories of the criminals and the cops,which really help to increase the tension of the film,due to Sergio showing us Comisionner Giulio Santinis increased desperation in nabbing gang leader Nanni Vitale.Happily,along with the entertaining plot,Grieco is also able to make this film stand out by injecting a strong "Grindhouse" element into the action and violence of the picture.And although some of the slow-motion and Foley sound effects in the film,slightly take you "out" of the movie,due to them seeming to have been pasted on from a very rusty old Kung-Fu film!,the blending of the genres (mostly) works very well,with the ending scenes of Vitale holding a gun and,later on a knife to the chest and throat of a woman,whose father ruined Vitale life by giving him up to the police,being very gripping and extremely intense.Whilst Sergio Grieco does deserve praise for the movie,the film would not have been half as fun without the terrific performances of Helmut Berger and Richard Harrison.As Vitale,Berger gives an excellent enchanting performance,with Helmut showing that due to Vitale feeling completely betrayed by all of his close friends,he now feels that the only way that he can get back at them is to ruin their lives,so they can feel (just before he kills them) as much hopelessness as they have given to Vitale.Although his character is no where near as ruthless as Berger,Harrison is still able to give a fun performance as Santini,whose macho side really comes out as he gets closer,and closer to getting his hands round the neck of Nanni Vitale.

Final view on the film:

A fantastic Italian Crime/Grindhouse hybrid,that stands out in the Italian Crime film genre due to a very intriguing screenplay,an insanely catchy score and excellent performances from Berger and Harrison.