Joe Dante's Fleapit Flashbacks
The Film Bulletin Reviews, 1969-1974
THE ITALIAN CONNECTION
DEADLY CHINA DOLL
Substandard kung fu action; OK for the appropriate markets but less excitement than usual. A better co-feature might help. Rated R.
DEADLY CHINA DOLL—Angela Mao again—
is a modestly serviceable and strictly routine kung fu import which lacks the novelty value of its pre- decessor, LADY KUNG FU, primarily since the karate clobbering is equally divided in this sequel between the athletic Miss Mao and her leading man Carter Huang. The only added attraction is a little nudity, a rare commodity in this genre which shows how important the US market is becoming to Asian filmmakers. Otherwise the going is more tedious than usual, with a torpid plot casting Huang as a Chinese government agent out to stop an opium shipment with the aid of undercover agent Angela, who poses as a waitress. Plenty of inscrutable extras bite the dust before the deadly duo have wiped out two rival gangs and burned the opium, the lingering aroma from which might account for the comparatively lethargic performances and direction.
1972. Hei lu. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists release. (Panasia Productions), Metro-Color, Scope [2.35:1]. 95 minutes. Angela Mao, Carter Huang. Directed by Huang Feng.
No official release, but a low quality bootleg DVD culled from an extremely worn MGM 35mm print is circulating.
14
Ballyhoo values and strong promotion of the title will help get this third-rate European gangster import off to a fairly good start, but it needs speedy playoff to avoid eventual lowercase dualler slotting. Rated R.
On the heels, if not in the tradition, of the
French and Chinese connections, we now have THE ITALIAN CONNECTION, a low-grade Italo- German gangster saga with enough exploitable pummeling, shooting and running around to perform moderately well in lower-class action markets and serve as an adequate lower-berth item for dualler houses and drive-ins. Cast pres- ence of Henry Silva and Woody Strode will help somewhat, though their roles are of brief dura- tion and both performances are probably the worst of their careers. Most of the Milan- locationed film deals with Mario Adorf, a greasy but lovable pimp who finds himself the target of imported New York syndicate killers Silva and Strode because he’s been set up by shifty local godfather Adolfo Celi. Adorf, however, is not without his own defenses; his specialty is knock- ing people silly by butting them with his head, like a goat. He gets plenty of opportunities as numerous hatchet-faced mobsters try vainly to kill him, but when Adorf’s wife (Sylva Koscina) and child are run over by a milk truck, he really
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84
