amosduncan_2000 I think this film is a cut above the general response on the board, and interesting beyond it being the cause of Peter Falk's first (and interesting) lead performance. Unlike the more playful "Bucket Of Blood" this movie is down on the beatnik scene (in the way it's presented here, which may well have never existed) and tacitly blames it for the cruel mayhem at the center of the plot. The acting is fairly good overall. The plot contrivances bring the movie to a fast conclusion, but this is probably all for the best. Well worth seeking out by those who enjoy low budget films trying to work a little thoughtfulness into the mix.

Tom Willett (yonhope) This was released in 1959. It came out the same year as The many Loves of Dobie Gillis. Both productions feature a Maynard G. Krebs type character. Bob Denver's was a little more over the top and fun to watch. This movie is good. It is worth watching. Peter Falk does give a nice performance although it is doubtful this was a springboard for anyone. Maybe. Peter does his job well here as a bad guy who is the money man for a small group of criminals. This actually would have been a good vehicle for Elvis as the good guy trying to find the killer. Replace the poets and bongos with a tight 4 piece rock band. It is mentioned in the film that the long distance call is five dollars a minute so we can see some things have improved. This is similar to DOA and maybe both films as a double feature would be entertaining. This movie also needs more outdoor scenes with nice old cars that were new then. Also look at The Cheap Detective or Murder By Death if you like Peter Falk and detective yarns. A better title would have been easy to come up with, such as Burger Murder or Do You Want Everything on Your Burger?

manicgecko Nico, seller of dreams, off on an intellectual kick to give death a new meaning. OK nice premise but this movie is so SLOW. It makes me want to be square if this is what rebellion is like. There were some good parts, I can't believe I am saying this but I liked Peter Falk's character, the crime should have been perfect, and the over acting of Frances was even good for a few laughs. But I could never get into this movie. Maybe because the plot was so predictable Columbo could have figured it out without the "by the way" questioning. Perhaps I was expecting more gore since this was included in a Schlockfest movie pack called Gore and More. No, I think it is that I had to check my pulse repeatedly to make sure I was still alive, and had the snooze alarm set for every 4 minutes trying to keep me awake. I had to attempt 3 times to cover parts I slept through - Quite an accomplishment for an 1 hour movie. This is a completely forgettable movie - pass it over when you get the option.

sol1218 ******SPOILERS****** "The Bloody Brood" is a far better movie despite of how it's been packaged, something like "Psycho Beatnik Killers". It's a fairly good story about a thrill killing by two unstable as well as homicidal lunatics much like the infamous case back in Chicago in 1924 of Leopold & Loeb. The two thrill killers who murdered a young 14 year-old boy for kicks as well as trying to commit and get away with the perfect crime. Nico, Peter Falk, is a small time hood who supplies drugs to clubs that are patronized by mostly Beatnik types. Nico at the same time likes to hang out in the clubs to talk wisdom and philosophy to an admiring group of Beatnik's. The Beatnik's think that Nico is not only super cool but a genius as well. Nico's sidekick Francis, Ron Hartmann, is a disgruntled director of commercials on TV who feels that the world doesn't see and appreciate his great talent as a film-maker. Francis feels that The only one who's hip enough to see his great cinematic skills is non-other then the ultra-cool and super intelligent Nico. One evening at the club "The Diggs" as Nico was talking about the world situation and how screwed up it's because men like him aren't in charge old man Diogenis collapsed and fell dead. Nico is fascinated by Diogenis' death thinking that someone would die and then be totally forgotten like he never existed at all? All of a sudden an idea hit Nico about getting a real kick or high. Why not kill some nobody who'll never be missed!Later that night at a party at a friends apartment a messenger boy Roy, Bill Kowalchuk, arrives with a package and Nico sees in the messenger boy the nobody that he was looking for. Nico invites Roy into the party and gives him a hamburger to munch on thats laced with ground. Later Roy later fell ill and died of internal bleeding. There's one thing about Roy that Nico's gargantuan brain overlooked, Roy had a brother Cliff, Jack Betts, and that would turn out to be Nico's undoing. Cliff would leave no stone unturned until he found and then brought those that murdered his kid brother Roy to justice.What I liked about the movie is that it didn't put the Beatnik's in a bad light like you were led to believe by it's advertisements. Nico and his weak willed accomplice Francis were anything but Beatnik's but criminals and sick malcontents who used the unsuspecting as well as innocent Beatnik's for their own personal gains. Jack Betts was very good as Roy's big brother getting to the bottom of the matter and finding out who killed him. Barbara Lord as Ellie more then personified the kind of young people who fell into the beat generation back in the 1950's because of their alienation from their families as well as from society. Also effective in the movie was Nico's two drug suppliers Studs, Bill Bryden, and Weasel, Mitchell Zenon, who got too greedy and had to be terminated by Nico's boss Mr. Stephanex, Rolf Golstan. In the end Studs and Weasel ended up terminating Nico. But the best acting of all in the movie was that of Peter Falk. Falk at that time, 1959, in his career looked so much like one of todays top culinary stars of the Food Network Emeril Lagasse. If Emeril Lagasse were to kill someone with a hamburger it wouldn't be because he put ground glass in it, it would be because he packed it with too much salt and spices.