Enzo Fiermonte Movies

In this political drama, the critically acclaimed Russian director Grigori Chukhrai -- who also wrote the script -- focuses on the nature of political persecution through his hero Antonio (Giancarlo Giannini), a taxi driver in the capital of a dictatorship. Running alongside the political theme is a love story between Antonio and María, a waitress in a local café. Antonio was booted out of the military for refusing to fire on a boat carrying women and children during the Angola civil war. His main objective now is to stay aloof and uninvolved -- until he meets María. She has him take a man to the airport one day, and Antonio soon realizes that this fellow is a revolutionary working to oust the dictator. The ride he gave the man is the excuse the Secret Police need to pick up Antonio, and they put him in prison where they abuse him, trying to find out about his passenger. But he truly does not know anything, and he would never implicate María. The other prisoners at first turn against him but change their attitude when they discover he plans an escape, and soon everyone is about to make a break for freedom. Chukhrai's first film, The Forty-First won a special prize at Cannes in 1957, Ballad of a Soldier was also a 1960 winner at Cannes, and Clear Skies a winner in the 1961 Venice competition. Although La Vita è Bella indirectly involves the war themes of these preceding movies, it is not really in their same category. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Charles Bronson re-teams with director Michael Winner -- sandwiched between their first pairing in the underrated Chato's Land and their seminal collaboration in Death Wish -- in this Lewis John Carlino-scripted actioner. Bronson plays Arthur Bishop, a "mechanic" or hired killer, famed for his efficient and unfeeling contract executions. The young and eager Steve McKenna (Jan-Michael Vincent) teams up with him, hoping that Bishop will teach him the bounty-hunting business. Imparting words of wisdom to Steve like, "Murder is only killing without a license and everybody kills -- the Army, the police," the two undergo a series of adventures as Bishop shows Steve the ropes. Between action scenes, Bronson's wife Jill Ireland makes an appearance as a sexy hooker. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

In this comic Italian Western, the third of the "Trinity" series, Trinity (Terence Hill) and his brother Bambino (Bud Spencer) abandon their law-enforcement duties and try to join the world of horse thieves and criminals. Despite their bad intentions, and their own unbelievable klutziness, they end up helping everyone they meet. Their deadpan earnestness in improbable situations helps make this broad comedy work. What happens when they visit a snooty French restaurant is one of the highlights of the film. The two men speak so little that language is no barrier to enjoying this production, even in its original Italian-language release. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

A tough adventurer and his sidekick find outlaws and rowdy women in this action-filled spaghetti western. ~ Kristie Hassen, Rovi

In this big-budget adaptation of Terry Southern's satiric sex farce (the sort of project that could get an immediate green light in the late 1960's and at practically no other time before or since), Ewa Aulin is Candy, a sweet young woman who doesn't seem entirely aware of the powerful sexual desire she brings out in men. While her father (John Astin) and mother (Elsa Martinelli) try to keep Candy in line, the task proves to be all but impossible, as she's seduced by a remarkable variety of men in her journeys, including a booze-addled poet (Richard Burton), a mystical guru who lives on a truck (Marlon Brando), a gardener from Mexico (Ringo Starr), a fanatical military man who refuses to leave his plane (Walter Matthau), a pair of uncomfortably high-strung doctors (John Huston and James Coburn) and even her own uncle (Astin, again). The Byrds and Steppenwolf contributed songs to the soundtrack; the screenplay was written by Buck Henry. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Clay McCord (Alex Cord) is a former outlaw determined to live the life of a law-abiding citizen. Colby (Arthur Kennedy) is the town marshall who keeps law and order. Not far from the peaceful town is a haven for criminals led by Kraut (Mario Brega), a trigger happy outlaw who welcomes those who are wanted by the law. McCord worries that he may have the epilepsy that plagued his father and hastened his demise. He battles the sadistic gunman while hoping for a pardon from the sympathetic governor (Robert Ryan). He also falls for the lovely Laurinda (Nicoletta Machiavelli) as he walks between the two worlds of the law and the lawless in this action-packed and often bloody western adventure. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

There's a few million dollars' worth of star power and a nickel's worth of plot in the lavish race-car melodrama Grand Prix. Among the participants in this annual cross-continent competition are characters played by James Garner, Yves Montand, Brian Bedford, and Antonio Sabato. Interested parties include Toshiro Mifune (his voice dubbed by Paul Frees), Adolfo Celi, and Claude Dauphin, while the women who agonize on the sidelines include Eva Marie Saint, Jessica Walter, and Françoise Hardy. The racing sequences are top-rank, cleverly utilizing those 1960s devices of helicopter angles and multiple screens. Oscars went to editor Frederic Steinkamp (among others) and the sound-effects supervisor Franklin E. Milton. Filmed on location, Grand Prix made back its cost about half a week into its run. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Also known as Snow Devils and Devil Men From Space, this Italian melodrama is a muddled mixture of two popular film genres. Part of the story is given over to a search for the destroyers of a Himalyan weather station. When the search party reaches their destination, they are captured by what seems to be a tribe of abominable snowmen. We soon learn that the blue-tinted beasties are actually the vanguard of an invading army of extraterrestrials. Heading the cast of Snow Demons are Jack Stuart (also known as Giacomo Rossi Stuart) and Amber Collins (aka Ombretta Coli); the director was Anthony Dawson (aka Antonio Margheriti; do we detect a pattern here?) The film was originally released as I Diavolo della Spazzio. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Dan Vadis plays a very husky, somewhat headstrong Hercules (closer to some aspects of the legend than many other portrayals) in this sword-and-sandal adventure tale, which combines elements from several legends and two interesting twists involving magic. The king of Mycene is murdered by his army commander, Milo (Pierre Cressoy), who seizes power and vows to marry the king's daughter, thus solidifying his rule. The king's dying words send his loyal subjects in search of Hercules, who helps lead an uprising, but Milo has a weapon of his own, given to him by his sorceress mother, a magic dagger that conjures up seven metal warriors who can slay anything in their path. When Hercules bests them in battle, Milo goads him into killing an innocent man, which causes his father, Jove, the king of the gods, to strip him of his god-like strength. It is a mortal but still very powerful Hercules who is captured and must defend the life of the princess (Marilu Tolo) from a horrible death planned by Milo. The denouement is surprisingly similar to that of Terminator 2, with Hercules having to figure out which woman is the princess and which is her enchanted imposter. The script also works in some unusual comic relief as Hercules goes hand-to-hand with the metal-skinned guards, pounding away with weapons that would be unthinkable to use on men, all to a certain humorous effect. Also, part of the plot involves a pair of appealing thieves and pickpockets who are not beneath helping the rebels, thus adding an odd wrinkle or two to the plot where the magic dagger is concerned. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi

In this swashbuckling tale of action and adventure, a dashing, muscle-bound sultan's son struggles to single-handedly stave off Queen Victoria's army of invaders and thereby save his father from kidnappers. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Joseph Losey's turbulent melodrama concerns a phony writer, Tyvian Jones (Stanley Baker), who has recently sold the film rights to his autobiography as a Welsh coal miner (actually penned by his deceased brother). Tyvian is engaged to Francesca (Virna Lisi), an alluring screenwriter, but then Eva (Jeanne Moreau) walks into his life. Eva and her lover had sought shelter from a thunderstorm in his apartment and Tyvian is immediately attracted to her. He follows her to Rome, where Eva demands an elaborate hotel suite, tons of gambling money, and a bonus for sexual favors. When Tyvian assents in gratifying her wishes, Eva just laughs at him. Tyvian then has to rush back to Francesca, since they are going to be married. But Tyvian forsakes her on their honeymoon and takes up with Eva again. Finding Tyvian and Eva together, Francesca is heartbroken and she commits suicide. After the funeral, Tyvian sets his sights on killing Eva, but, when he sees her, he finds that he is still obsessed with her. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

In this sword and sandal adventure, Aeneas and his Trojan warriors take on the evil Etruscans to preserve the honor of their hometown. The tale is also known the Last Glory of Troy. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi