Chase_Witherspoon
Highly entertaining Antonio Margheriti heist film stars Lee Van Cleef as the self-assured former safe-cracker lured into one last job for the sake of the son (Albert) of a former close associate. Only problem is Albert is apparently in over his head and various sinister interests are pitted against one another as the heist goes fatally awry.Bares more than a little resemblance to "The Mechanic" in many respects, but that's not to say it doesn't hold up in its own right with a few neat plot twists and turns to keep you guessing. Van Cleef is well supported by Albert as the young buck with a plan to steal millions in diamonds from flamboyant crook Roy Brocksmith (in his film debut), while the 'black fist of fury' Ron Van Clief has a prominent supporting role as one of Brocksmith's goons, showcasing his karate talents in one memorable fight scene.Karen Black's role conveys more depth than it appears, and its really her presence that suggests this crime-caper is better than the average tripe. Her role brings an entirely different dimension to the picture, and more importantly, adds a very satisfying and memorable plot twist to savour. Great cast, plenty of violence and explosions typical of a Margheriti picture, shouldn't be easily dismissed.
Wizard-8
After the spaghetti western craze in Italy died out in the mid-1970s, Lee Van Cleef still found himself wanted by Italian filmmakers for several years afterwards, "The Squeeze" being one of his post-westerns. Although Van Cleef was in his 50s when this movie was made, he still had the stuff that made him a star, and he gives a solid performance here. Another good performance in the movie comes from Karen Black, who is pretty convincing as a kind of ditzy neighbor who enters the life of Van Cleef's character. The movie also has better than average production values for an Italian production for the time, with on-location filming in New York City that gives the movie an authentic feeling at times. However, despite all this good stuff, the movie is still somewhat of a struggle to watch. It's very talky, with long stretches with nothing happening. A few more action sequences would have helped considerably. There are a couple of twists in the final few minutes, but it's too little too late. In short, the movie is probably only for die hard fans of Lee Van Cleef during an unusually slow night.
dbborroughs
Edward Albert tracks down a friend of his father's, Lee Van Cleef, and tells him that he's in trouble and needs his help as a safe cracker to get out of it. Van Cleef agrees and soon is in the middle of crosses and double crosses. Okay New York City set crime drama is a bit too slack for my tastes. Other than during the occasional moment the film is never truly griping as sequences seem to work in pieces but not as a whole. The robbery for example seems run of the mill until there are a couple of twists towards the end. Part of the problem is that the film trades off many of its characters in such away that we're not sure who the film is about. Is it Van Cleef? Is it Albert? What of Karen Black, highly billed but not showing up until about half way into the film.The film seems to be making it up as it goes along. Yes there are twists which work for a while, but at the same time I'm going to guess that you'll have worked out the ending some time in the final fifteen or twenty minutes. Worth a look if you run a cross it, but not worth going out of your way to see.(The New York street scenes are great if you like seeing how the city used to be)
hengir
Lee Van Cleef plays an ex burglar who comes out of retirement from his ranch at the request of the son of a friend to do one more last job. Things don't go as planned. It sounds a standard kind of film but a few things lift it above mere ordinariness.It is mostly filmed in New York and the city does look atmospheric, lively but seedy as befits the plot. The plot itself has surprising twists and turns and your suspension of disbelief is mainly determined by the acting, principally the kookiness of Karen Black and the charm of Edward Albert. If you believe in their characters then the ending of the film packs quite a wallop. It did me anyway. The two veteran actors, Lee Van Cleef and Lionel Stander ease into their roles very well. Van Cleef was not a great film actor but in this kind of film is fine. He is very creditable as an ex-criminal as the God of Cinema blessed him with a villainous looking face.
AD
