Machine Gun McCain
Machine Gun McCain
PG | 29 October 1970 (USA)
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After serving 12 years behind bars for armed robbery, tough guy Hank McCain finds himself the pawn of a ruthless mob runt's rebellion against a high level don. When McCain discovers that he's been betrayed and abandoned by his new employer, he retaliates with a high stakes Las Vegas casino heist that erupts into all-out war on the streets of Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York. Neither blood, nor lust, nor wedding vows can come between McCain and his money ... or his machine gun.

Reviews
Infamousta brilliant actors, brilliant editing
Ezmae Chang This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.
Taha Avalos The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.
Allissa .Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.
ma-cortes This mobster film titled ¨Gli Intoccabili¨ or ¨Machine Gun McCain¨ (1969) talks about a just-released gangster called Hank McCain played by John Cassavetes who is pitch-perfect and Britt Ekland has a big part in this suspenseful movie . As a tough criminal called Hank (John Cassavetes) goes out from prison (it was shot at San Quentin Prison without permits) , being received by his son . One time being released from jail , two-fisted criminal Hank hooks up with his son Jack , who has assembled a gang for one robbing . As they attempt to rob a Mafia-controlled casino in Las Vegas . Unbeknownst to Hank , Jack is also involved with a mobster (Peter Falk) who utilizes Hank as a pawn so he can gain control of Vegas territory that's ordinarily being run by the boss Don Francesco De Marco (Gabriele Ferzetti) ; at the same time , the latter is under orders of Don Salvatore (Salvo Randone) . In the meantime , Hank falls in love for a young woman called Irene Tucker (Britt Ekland) and marries her in a rapid wedding in Las Vegas . This stirring film contains suspense , action , sharp-edged set pieces , thrilling situations and terrific performance by a plethora of known main actors as well as sensational supporting cast . A very moving plot with a misfit group planning a suspenseful heist . A realistic treatment glamorizes nothing and implicates the small-time thieves , capos , and big bosses . Including some car pursuits that were shot in two days without permits using rented automobiles . The movie is slickly narrated in original manner by means of various twists , red herrings , puzzles , jigsaw , in which the main protagonist has devised a daring plan that goes awry and it finally results to be a total disaster . The picture displays usual elements noir cinema like the fatalism and tragic fate , twisted intrigue and loser characters . But the movie belongs to John Cassavetes as the public enemy who earned the alias 'The Machine Gun MacCan' , also named Hank McCain who gets released from prison after serving twelve years for armed robbery . Montalvo realized for Paramount this ¨Machine Gun MacCan¨ along with ¨Grand Slam¨ that bear remarkable resemblance , both of them deal with spectaculars hold-ups . These films received great recognition and were widely appreciated by the international public , getting big box office . Filmmaker Montalvo usually worked with an international cast , and in Machine Gun MacCan reunites some of the best actors that worked in the sixties and seventies . John Cassavetes is the first among equals from extraordinary cast . The cluster of magnificent players give extraordinary interpretations . As exceptional acting by Peter Falk as volatile and ambitious mob capo Charlie Adamo , a ringleader marvellously incarnated by Gabriele Ferzetti , Tony Kendall as ruthless killer , Florinda Bolkan , Luigi Pistilli , Val Avery , Salvo Randone as Don Salvatore and there stands out Gena Rowlands , as a lovely ¨Femme Fatale¨ . Colorful cinematography in Techniscope , but a perfect remastering being necessary . Special mention for musical score by maestro Ennio Morricone who composes a rousing and sensitive score , including wonderful ballads , adding the catching song titled ¨the ballad of MacCan¨ sung by Jackie Lynton . The motion picture was professionally directed by Giuliano Montalvo who realizes an adequate piece of film-making , though has some flaws and gaps . Montavo is a good craftsman whose films have been shown in several nations , and won various Festival Awards and Emmy Awards . Other prizes worldwide for cinematography , production design and costumes were received in his movies , throughout a long career . His beginnings were as a directing assistant , as he made the second unit of Pontecorvo's masterpiece ¨The Battle Of Algiers¨ . After having filmed for Paramount the heist movie ¨Ad Ogni Osto¨ (1967) and this ¨Machine Gun MacCain¨ in the US, then Montaldo went back to Italy to direct ¨Gott Mit Uns¨ or ¨The Fifth Day Of Peace¨ (1969). Montalvo's experience reveals a turning point in his work in the famous politic film : ¨Sacco E Vanzetti¨ , it stars Gian Maria Volonte and Riccardo Cucciolla , that participated in competition at Cannes Film Festival , where it won Best Actor 1971 and ¨Giordano Bruno¨ (1973) also starred by Volonte . These pictures were well acclaimed by the reviewers , achieved awesome critiques and great successes at various film festivals around the world . The theme of the Resistance underlined ¨L'Agnese Va A Morire¨ directed by Montaldo in 1977 . In 1980 the director engaged in the production of a television series about the exploration of ¨Marco Polo¨ with Ken Marshall that was filmed in Italy, the Middle East, Tibet, Mongolia and China ; being an international co-production with RAI, BBC and NBC . Other films he directed are ¨Circuito Chiuso¨ that was in competition at the Berlinale in 1978 , ¨Il Giocattolo¨ , ¨Gli Occhiali D'Oro¨ or "The Gold Rimmed Glasses", ¨Il Giorno Prima¨ or ¨Project¨ , ¨L'Industriale¨ , ¨Tempo Di Uccidere¨ or "Time to Kill" and ¨Demoni Di San Pietroburgo¨ or " The Demons of St. Petersburg" .
MisterWhiplash As another film in a long-line for Cassavetes, much like Orson Welles did for many years, done more-so to pay the bills for the next feature film as director than for any kind of real 'passion' for the project, Machine-Gun McCain acts, walks and talks like a gangster genre picture. And from Italy no less.It has a similar kind of beat to it like Point Blank where you have a real tough guy gangster (Cassavetes) who is out of jail and has some payback to deliver to a super-criminal organization and based more on principle than anything else. He decides to pull a rather crazy casino-heist job, but not with the same kind of crew or expertise that Ocean's Eleven might've had. No, instead, when not laying his hot Euro-girl (Britt Eklund), he's preparing by himself to bomb the s**t out of the casino and make off with the cake in a rather twisted premise.Giuliano Montaldo's film is spare on character exploration - this is not the kind of film that Cassavetes would make himself, not in a thousand years - but is good on making things 'cool' in the heist-movie sense. The little we know about Hank McCain is just enough to keep the story going.There is some supporting character stuff with Peter Falk's gangster who is in some heat over some bad business going on behind the scenes (lots of tense shouting going on in some of these scenes, it looks fun to play but who knows on the freewheeling Italian productions), and absolutely nothing really to Eklund's character. I wondered throughout the film why she would go on with all of this what Hank was doing. Who is she and what is he to her? I guess who cares ultimately except as someone to carry the explosives and drive the car in a clinch.More interesting in the film, though sadly underused, is a character Gena Rowlands plays (both Falk and Rowlands being Cassvetes regular players) who was an old flame of Hank McCain's way back when, and Rowlands gives this character a lot of unexpected depth in just five minutes of screen-time.She shows up since Hank needs some help in the last act of the story, and their chemistry on screen (notwithstanding being real life husband and wife) is electrifying, and she has a dangerous quality that speaks of being a femme fatale but a really good egg to the right people. A scene right after this when she's being questioned by some hoodlums on the trail of McCain is perhaps the best scene of the movie; how much of this was some decent direction or just Rowlands way about the scene I don't know.Cassavetes, too, thankfully, helps anchor the film when it could get into a lull. He has some kind of concentration about him, whether he's scoping a joint out or gambling at a casino table or if he's talking with a few lunkhead lowlife criminals who are plotting a caper that they want to include him on, that makes Machine Gun McCain so enjoyable.The story itself is just okay, it moves along at a decent enough pace, but it's mostly just an excuse for the action to take shape - which, admittedly, once you see what McCain has in store in this heist, it's really one of the more incredible and daring scenes in heist movies from the time. But with the star there, it's an odd but compelling presence that makes the film itself much tougher. There's one scene especially where McCain pulls out his machine fun (hence the name), and it's a scene of dark, intense power, mostly from him saying little at all.
Woodyanders Tough criminal Hank McCain (superbly essayed with simmering hard-boiled intensity by John Cassavetes) gets released from prison after serving twelve years for armed robbery. Hank hooks up with his wormy small-time son Jack (an effectively sniveling turn by Pierluigi Apra), who has devised a daring plan to rob a Las Vegas casino. Unbeknownst to Hank, Jack is also involved with volatile and ambitious mob capo Charlie Adamo (a fine performance by Peter Falk), who uses Hank as a pawn so he can gain control of Vegas territory that's currently being run by the formidable Don Franceso De Marco (smoothly played by Gabriele Ferzetti). Director Giuliano Montaldo, who also co-wrote the absorbing and intricate script with Mino Roli, does a bang-up job of creating and maintaining a serious take-no-prisoners tone throughout, stages the tense and gripping big heist with considerable flair and skill, and punctuates the picture with jolting moments of sudden brutal violence. Cassavetes' edgy presence keeps the movie humming throughout; he receives excellent support from the lovely Britt Ekland as Hank's sweet and loyal girlfriend Irene Tucker, Florinda Bolkan as the shrewd Joni Adamo, Tony Kendall as sly hit-man Peter Zacari, and, in a rather small, but bravura part, Gena Rowlands as Hank's helpful two-fisted old flame Rosemary Scott. The last third with the gangsters organizing a massive manhunt for McCain totally smokes, with a stirring car chase set piece and a startling bummer ending that packs a bitterly powerful punch. Erico Menczer's handsome widescreen cinematography gives the film an attractive glossy look. Ennio Morricone's funky syncopated score hits the right-on rousing spot (the ending credits ballad is a real beaut!). Well worth seeing.
Willy Thatcher I just recently got Drive-in Classics channel and it was the best decision of my life. Why? Because I get to see rare movies from the genres and eras long forgotten by most. This was one of those movies. Peter Falk stands out most in this movie just like he does in any of his movies. He's a mobster, a ruthless one at that and takes the cake for number one on my list of bad asses. If you ever get a chance to pick this up in a store or see it on TV then watch it and enjoy it. You'll never regret that decision.For style, Ennio Morricone's great score and Peter Falk. I give this movie 10/10.
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