Tomas Milian Movies
Born in Cuba, but raised in the United States, actor Tomas Milian (born Tomas Rodriguez) started out on the New York stage following training at the Actor's Studio. He appeared on the short-lived television series Decoy in 1957. Milian traveled to Italy and performed Jean Cocteau's pantomime The Poet and the Muse at the 1959 Spoleto Festival. Filmmaker Mauro Bolognini spotted him and cast Milian in La Notte Brava (1959). The actor subsequently appeared in two more of the director's films and went on to star or play character roles in Italian crime thrillers, spaghetti Westerns, and straight dramas, where he was typically cast as a psychopathic murderer or villain. During his 30 years in Italy, Milian received two major awards for his contribution, the Antonio de Curtis Award for Comedy and the Coppa Del Consiglio Dei Ministri from the Italian government. Milian returned to the U.S. in 1989 and has since appeared in American-made films, including Oliver Stone's JFK (1991), The Cowboy Way (1994), and Fools Rush In (1997). Milian has also worked on television and continues appearing on-stage. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide- Starring:
- Tomas Milian
- Starring:
- Tomas Milian
The exploits of three young Roman criminals are chronicled in this socially conscious drama. The young men commit petty crimes all day begin with arms theft, and culminating with a night with three streetwalkers. After their pleasure, the boys try to cheat the hookers, but they ladies are smarter than that and have stolen their cash ahead of time. The punks then return to the city for more crimes. Exploits include the harassment of three homosexuals, and attempts to seduce some women. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Laurent Terzieff, Jean-Claude Brialy, (more)
The idle lives of the rich or famous or both are depicted from an aloof and uninvolved perspective in this standard though uneven drama by director Francesco Maselli. Claudia Cardinale appears in one of her early screen roles as Fedora, a member of the elite and privileged in a provincial Italian town. The seedy underside of illicit affairs, quick flings, betrayals and deceptions, and other, similar pasttimes of the "in" circle slowly become apparent when a young outsider tries to gain acceptance into the exclusive group. As the plot weaves in and out of the various liaisons in a cool and remote manner, the motivation for wanting to take part in it all is hard to fathom. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Claudia Cardinale, Gérard Blain, (more)
Directed by the comparatively unknown Mauro Bolognini, the Italian Bell' Antonio is distinguished by its screenplay, cowritten by directorial giant Pier Paolo Pasolini. Marcello Mastroianni and Claudia Cardinale are happily married until she finds out he's impotent. It takes her a year to find this out, which ought to give an indication of how seriously we're supposed to take this film. Also risible is the fact that Mastrioanni bears the reputation of a fabulous lover, as do practically all the members of his family. Nonetheless, he stands by like a dummy when Cardinale's father forces her to annul the marriage and wed another. It's all nonsense, of course, but Pasolini and his collaborators weave their tale so persuasively that one forgives the film's utter lack of credibility. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marcello Mastroianni, Claudia Cardinale, (more)
L'Improvisto is a suspenseful, effective drama by Alberto Lattuada about the careful planning and execution of a kidnapping. The "ringleader" and instigator of the clever plan is Tomas, a professor from a provincial town. His two cohorts are Claire (Anouk Aimée), his wife, and Juliette (Jeanne Valerie), his mistress. The trio make a rather different ménage à trois with objectives ranging far afield from the romantic. The circumstances of the preparation and carrying out of the deed keep tension coiled throughout. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tomas Milian, Anouk Aimée, (more)
Released in the US by 20th Century-Fox, Boccaccio '70 is a compendium of short subjects directed by three of Italy's top filmmakers. Each story is written in the style of the famed Italian essayist Boccaccio, albeit told in contemporary terms. First up is "The Raffle", written by Cesare Zavattini and directed by Vittorio De Sica: Sophia Loren (wife of Boccaccio '70 producer Carlo Ponti) plays the sexy operator of a shooting gallery, who offers herself as first prize to the best shot. In "The Job", written by Suso Cecchi D'Amico and directed by Luchino Visconti, Romy Schneider carries a torch for her philandering boss Tomas Milian. The final segment is "The Temptation of Dr. Antonio", directed by Federico Fellini and scripted by Fellini, Ennio Flaiano and Tullio Pinelli; in this one, Anita Ekberg is an image on a poster who comes to life for the benefit of a drooling middle-aged professor (Peppino De Filippo). A fourth episode, "Renzo and Luciana", directed by Mario Monicelli, was cut from U.S. release. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sophia Loren, Luigi Giuliani, (more)
In this effective though still slightly uneven drama about mental illness, the worsening condition of a highly disturbed son wreaks havoc on the rest of the family. Dario (Thomas Milian) has episodes when he becomes violently insane yet his mother (Madeleine Robinson) refuses to put him in an institution where he can be professionally helped. Her desperate clinging to the belief that Dario will get better starts to wear away the equilibrium of the two other members of the family, the father (Tino Carraro) and Dario's brother, Gabriele (Nino Castelnuovo). In the end, the continued presence of Dario and his mother's near-fanatical insistence that he will recover create tragic consequences for everyone. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tomas Milian, Nino Castelnuovo, (more)
Disorder was a French/Italian co-production, released as Le Desordre in France and Il Disordine in Italy (somebody was in a rut). This leisurely paced modern fable stars Renato Salvatore as a poor young man, struggling to pay for his mother's medical bills. Virtually everyone whom Salvatore approaches for help fails him: An industrialist reneges on a promise, a well-to-do friend laughs in his face, and a priest is defrocked before he can do any good. When the young man is finally able to raise the necessary money, he discovers that the ex-priest has sold all his possessions in order to help Salvatore's mother. Thus it is the film's one Good Samaritan whose life ends up in "disorder." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Renato Salvatori, Louis Jourdan, (more)
In a theme which seems to have been popular at this time in Italian cinema (as in La Parmigiana, for instance), country-born-and-bred woman Daniela (Daniela Rocca) comes to the big city to look for a wealthy man. Her dream is to one day live in a penthouse, that ultimate urban symbol of having "arrived" financially. Putting her ideal before all else, even her moral standards, she goes from bad to worse as she tries to realize her dream. This otherwise routine drama is interspersed with a few comic moments and sharp observations. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daniela Rocca, Tomas Milian, (more)
Leo (Rod Steiger) is an aristocrat whose family fortunes have plummeted in this downbeat melodrama. He seeks to reverse his money problems by courting the wealthy Mariagrazia (Paulette Goddard), throwing over his former lover Lisa (Shelley Winters) in his quest to continue his posh lifestyle. Mariagrazia is too caught up in the attention of the charming, conniving Leo to notice that he also makes a play for her daughter Carla (Claudia Cardinale). Mariagarzia continues to want Leo even after he gains control of family fortune and property. Meanwhile, Carla's brother Michele (Tomas Milian) takes up with the jilted Lisa. Finally, in a most poignant scene, the ailing matron finally realizes she has been used by Leo. Excellent performances all around. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Claudia Cardinale, Shelley Winters, (more)
Adapted by Philip Dunne from the novel by Irving Stone, The Agony and the Ecstacy is the story of the 16th century war of wills between Renaissance artist Michelangelo (Charlton Heston) and "warrior pope" Julius II (Rex Harrison). Commissioned to paint a religious fresco on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, the independent-minded Michelangelo balks at the assignment. He is virtually strongarmed into accepting the job by Pope Julius, who wants to leave something for future generations to remember him by. Director Carol Reed deftly juggles screen time between the Pope's activities on the battlefield and Michelangelo's slow, arduous completion of his monumental task. The film also gingerly approaches the subject of Michelangelo's sexual orientation vis-a-vis his relationship with the Contessina de Medici (Diane Cilento). Too long and limited in subject matter to score at the box office, The Agony and the Ecstacy holds up pretty well when seen today, especially when viewed in a wide-screen print. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlton Heston, Rex Harrison, (more)
Prostitutes from Athens are transported by truck for the pleasure of the occupying Italian Army in this World War II drama. The 15 women are driven by a young lieutenant who gives a ride to a fascist major. Tension mounts between the two soldiers as the truck is attacked, and some of the women are killed. Love blossoms between one of the prostitutes and the lieutenant, and he encourages her to return home knowing he will never see her again. Two versions exist: the 136-minute original and an obviously chopped up 97-minute version. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mario Adorf, Anna Karina, (more)
Maddalena (Catherine Spaak) masquerades as a heroic male named Teodoro and joins the army to gain insight on men in this costumed comedy satire. She falls for an officer (Tomas Milian) but he is naturally unable to act on his impulses because he believes she is a man. Other men also make passes at her in hopes she is really the man she claims to be. The situation allows for plenty of sight gags and situation comedy from the battlefield to the bedroom. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Catherine Spaak, Robert Hossein, (more)
Jonathan Corbett (Lee Van Cleef) is one of the top lawmen in the State of Texas. He's so good at what he does, that he's been approached by Brokston (Walter Barnes), a wealthy speculator and power-broker, about running for the United States Senate. But there's one job that needs doing first which, if Corbett can finish it, will put him in an unchallengable position -- he has to hunt down and capture (dead or alive, with the emphasis on "dead") Cuchillo Sanchez (Tomas Milian), who's wanted for raping and killing a 12-year-old girl. Corbett does what he does best, pursuing Sanchez relentlessly and on his own level of intense brutality, past the border and into Mexico -- but along the way, Corbett learns what life is like for peasants like Sanchez, and what men like Brokston have to do with it. And he discovers that Sanchez may not be the murderer that Corbett thinks he is. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lee Van Cleef, Tomas Milian, (more)

- 1967
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In this spaghetti western, a cowboy rides into a town that two gangs have taken over. One of the gangs wears black leather and rides white horses. The other gang belongs to a storekeeper. The stranger and the two Indians who assist him manage to survive a massacre between the two rival gangs. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tomas Milian, Raymond Lovelock, (more)
Death Sentence is the literal English translation of Setenza di Morte, the original Italian title of this spaghetti western. Robin Clarke stars as a vengeful frontiersman whose brother has been killed. In the tradition of the Budd Boetticher classic Seven Men From Now, Clarke methodically hunts down the four men responsible. Hollywood's Richard Conte is second-billed as one of the culprits. Tomas Milian steals the show as an albino gunman prone to epileptic fits. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
This Italian western contains subtle political undertones as it chronicles the exploits of a tubercular history professor who journeys to the American Southwest to recuperate. There he becomes fascinated by an outlaw who befriends him. The intelligent prof uses his brains to assist the outlaw. Violence ensues until the prof kills the outlaw who has been oppressing and taking advantage of him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
A skillful thief with a penchant for knives attempts to outwit a slew of bloodthirsty treasure hunters in this brutal Italian Western from director Sergio Sollima. The gold they seek may be enough to finance the Mexican Revolution -- depending on who gets to it first and what they intend to do with it. Whether it's the thief Cuchillo (Tomas Milian), his passionate fiancée, the sheriff-turned-bounty-hunter, the ruthless bandits, or the fearsome American agents who end up with the gold, two things are certain -- the stakes are high and the competition is literally cutthroat. Run, Man, Run! also features music by Bruno Nicolai and the legendary film composer Ennio Morricone. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
The Mexican Revolution binds together the lives of a group of men. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
This gripping crime thriller from director Carlo Lizzani was based on a true story. A daring gang of bandits pull off a series of risky heists in Milan, murdering several innocent bystanders in the film's exciting opening getaway scene. Lizzani then moves the story backwards in time, painting a portrait of Milan as a seething hotbed of vice. Gian Maria Volonte gives an increasingly flamboyant performance as the gang's egomaniacal leader, whose Nazi-like belief in his own superiority proves to be the flaw which foils his plans. Tomas Milian, in a rare nonvillainous turn, shines as the dedicated young police inspector who brings Volonte down, and gun moll Carla Gravina has an amusing (if stereotypical) scene in which Volonte teaches her to drive. The thrilling car chase is among the best in the Italian crime genre, and even Riz Ortolani's typically annoying musical score does not detract from the film's appeal. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gian Maria Volontè, Don Backy, (more)
In this spaghetti western, based on the Marvin H. Albert novel The Bounty Killer, a bounty hunter swears he will bring in a notorious Mexican outlaw. The outlaw is captured, but then, with the help of a pretty lady, escapes and goes to his hometown. There he enlists the aid of the locals and gets his old gang back together. The bounty hunter eventually catches up, but he is immediately captured and tortured by the outlaw who then robs and kills a few of the hapless townsfolk. This causes the woman to reconsider her actions. She frees the bounty hunter, and a violent shoot-out ensues. In the end, all of the bad-guys are slain, and the bounty hunter finds himself a rich man. There are no likeable or heroic characters in this film that is unfortunately marred by poor English-language dubbing. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Wyler, Tomas Milian, (more)
When his farm is destroyed by the Brazilian Army, peasant Milian establishes a group of guerrilla fighters eventually joined by mercenary Pagliani who had been hired to capture Milian, but changes his mind. ~ All Movie Guide
In this 1968 Italian production, Francesco Maselli directs this light-hearted and fast-paced caper comedy with Rock Hudson as New York City police captain Mike Harmon, who becomes involved with sex bomb Esmeralda Marini (Claudia Cardinale). Esmeralda, using the ploy that Harmon was an old friend of her father, convinces him to help her return some hot jewels to their former owners. Soon enough, Harmon and Esmeralda are jetting to Austria, where Harmon disables the victims' home-security system and sneaks the jewels back into their rightful place. But Esmeralda has tricked Harmon into replacing the real gems with fake ones, and now Harmon is a jet-set thief along with Esmeralda. Harmon, having gotten a taste of criminal high life, wants to split fifty-fifty with Esmeralda on the next heist. Esmeralda, however, wants to call it quits and get married. Harmon, doesn't see it that way, and Esmeralda, a one-man woman all the way, follows him as he heads off to his next nefarious adventure. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rock Hudson, Claudia Cardinale, (more)


















