Product Details

• Actors: Richard Harris, Edmond O'Brien, Bradford Dillman, Ann Turkel, Constance Ford
• Directors: John Frankenheimer
• Format: NTSC
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Fox Video
• Run Time: 98 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• ASIN: B0001AF018
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #331,321 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Undoubtedly one of the director's strangest projects, this film has garnered something of a cult following over the years. In a dystopian future where the laws of reality have been suspended, Harry Crown (Richard Harris) is a hit man who's been hired by aged Mafia don Uncle Frank (Edmond O'Brien) to eliminate Big Eddie (Bradford Dillman), a rival gangster who has been moving in on his turf. Big Eddie counters with his own enforcer, Marvin "Claw" Zuckerman (Chuck Connors). Perhaps an inspiration for INSPECTOR GADGET, the Claw bears a metal stump in place of one of his arms that can be fitted with a wide variety of weapons such as knives and whips as well as handy kitchen appliances. As the rival killers attempt to destroy each other, they engage in high-speed chases throughout an unnamed city of which they seem to be the only inhabitants. Often hilarious, this wild gangster parody veers from comedy to graphic violence, a combination that Quentin Tarantino and his progeny would harness with even greater effect two decades later.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Violent gangster melodrama apparently intended as a black comedy; if so, as clumsy as its title..., January 24, 2009

By 

Roberto Frangie "Robert" (Leon, Gto. Mexico) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 99 and 44/100% Dead (DVD)

Basically, the film is the age-old theme of a struggle for power between two rival gangs, one led by Uncle Frank (Edmond O'Brien) and the other by Big Eddie (Bradford Dillman). Uncle Frank hires professional killer Harry Crown (Richard Harris), while Big Eddie sends for Marvin "Claw" Zuckerman (Chuck Connors).

People get shot, dynamited, beaten up and blown sky-high... There's a whole bordello full of beautiful gir1s called "Dolly's Incorporated" and plenty of fighting between Harris and Connors...

The mixture as before? Well, yes, except that Frankenheimer has tended to film this as a satire on gangsters...

The gangster film has changed, because gangsters themselves have changed... Al Capone is long dead... The Godfather, Scarface, The Last Don, The Untouchables have taken his place... Edward G. Robinson has gone and Cagney too...

But the gangster film will continue. "Get this, pal - it'll kill you." It sure will...