Franco Nero

Auteur Silvano Agosti wrote, produced, directed, edited, and photographed this spicy Italian comedy about a husband trying to rekindle his marriage. A filmmaker (Franco Nero) is worried that the spark has gone out of his marriage to Anna (Eleonora Brigliadori), an attractive blonde several years his junior. The director isn't certain if Anna's disinterest in the bedroom is due to his infidelity, their inability to have a child, or simple depression on her part, but he starts to wonder if their 15-year marriage may be coming to an end. One night, the filmmaker hears his wife murmuring a number of erotic suggestions in her sleep, and he's more than willing to comply with her wishes when she awakens, whether it means an all-green wardrobe or seducing her during the next rainstorm. Silvano Agosti actually decided not to write the score for La Ragion Pura himself, instead allowing veteran composer Ennio Morricone to provide music for the film. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In this combination sequel and prequel to the surprise box-office success The Omega Code, one man becomes the leader of an evil empire that could destroy the world, and his brother must rise against him in the defense of good. Stone Alexander (played as a child by Gavin Fink) is a moody, dark-tempered child whose parents died shortly after he was born. The mother who adopted Stone died several years later while giving birth to another son, David, and Stone is unable to forgive his brother for unwittingly taking his mother from him. Stone goes so far as to attempt to murder David, and their father, prominent businessman Daniel Alexander (David Hedison), responds by shipping Stone off to military school. There, Stone falls under the tutelage of The Guardian (Udo Kier), an instructor at the school who is actually an emissary of Satan. While the enmity between Stone (played as a teenager by Noah Huntley) and David (played by Chad Michael Murray) cools a bit with time, Stone once again finds himself in a bitter rivalry with his brother when they both fall in love with the same woman, Gabriella (played as a teenager by Elisa Scialpi). Stone eventually wins Gabriella's hand and they marry, as Stone (played as an adult by Michael York) rises to power as the ruthless leader of the military arm of the European Union; David (played as an adult by Michael Biehn), meanwhile, becomes a powerful figure in American politics, and is elected to the office of Vice President. What neither David nor Gabriella (played as an adult by Diane Venora) fully understand is that, under the influence of The Guardian, Stone has taken on the role of the Antichrist, and he attempts to curry his brother's favor (and arrange events that will make David president) in a bid for world domination. When it becomes clear to David that the goal of his brother's campaign is to put the world in the power of Satan, David realizes America and its allies must join forces against Stone's troops in a battle in Megiddo, Israel -- predicted in the Book of Revelations as the place of the final battle of good versus evil. Megiddo: Omega Code 2 also features Franco Nero, R. Lee Ermey, and Gil Colon. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Vanessa Redgrave, Eli Wallach, and Franco Nero appear in this courtroom drama about the bloody slaying of a New York businessman, his wife, and their children. Tony Grasso (Kevin Isola), a loner who has a long-running obsession with the mother of the slain family, is arrested based on questionable circumstantial evidence. A cynical, ambitious lawyer (Nero) is uninterested in whether his client actually committed the crime. Instead, he wants to make sure that Tony can construct a convincing narrative to explain his whereabouts, and he therefore has Tony go over the central events of that night. The rest of the film, presented in flashbacks during the courtroom proceedings, explores Tony's sordid past. Uninvited was screened at the 1999 San Sebastian Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

The hunt is on with this story of the investigation into the murder of fashion mogul Gianni Versace (Franco Nero). Based on the true story, Steven Bauer stars as FBI agent John Jacoby as he conducts the manhunt for spree serial killer Andrew Phillip Cunanan (Shane Perdue). Miami Beach heats up as California's notorious killer starts a cat-and-mouse game with Jacoby that ends in a nationwide investigation. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide

It is perhaps a little-remembered fact that Attilla the Hun devastated not only the steppes of Asia, but extended his conquests well into the center of Europe including France and Italy in the middle of the fifth century. In this story, his ninth-century Magyar descendants led by Prince Arpad (Franco Nero) leave their highland homeland and fight their way westward to what was later to become the mysterious land of Hungary, in a region that had been in the middle of the famous Attilla's domains. Of all the peoples they encounter, the inhabitants of this region are the only ones who openly welcomed the descendants of the great marauder. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Lynda La Plante (Prime Suspect) scripted this TV miniseries about the family life surrounding a Mafia don. Sicilian magnate Don Luciano (Dennis Farina) and his wife Graziella (Vanessa Redgrave) live comfortably at Villa Rosa in Palermo, Italy. Their son Michael (Michael Hayden) has an affair with Sophia (Nastassja Kinski), leaving her pregnant but unmarried. After Luciano refuses to traffic drugs, angry U.S. mob boss Carolla (Tony Lo Bianco) retaliates by having Michael killed. When Sophia secretly gives birth to Luka, her child by Michael, she then marries another Luciano brother and bears twins. Later, Carolla unwittingly adopts the teenage Luka (James Marsden), who is unaware of his own past. Carolla's vengeance continues through the years, and he passes the hatred on to Luka -- who sees that all males in the Luciano family are eliminated. Despite the slaughter, Luca charms the unsuspecting Luciano widows when he arrives at Villa Rosa, claiming to be the son of a wealthy, concerned American. How long before they learn the truth? Film director Peter Bogdanovich is seen in the role of Luciano's American contact, Giancamo. Bella Mafia first aired 11/16/97 and 11/18/97 on CBS. The feature-length video version was edited down to 117 min. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

With a nod to Sergio Leone, this film, bills itself the first "borscht Western," It was photographed in Russia with a cast of Russians, Italians, and Americans. The story follows the past and present life of Jonathan. When he was only six, Jonathan watched while thieves killed his parents. The orphan found a playful friend in a bear-cub. He was then found and adopted by an Indian chief who preferred Jonathon to his own son, Chatow. The rivalry between the boys continued into adulthood. The adult, Jonathan became a legend for his prowess with the bow and arrow and his gallant rescues. He still searches for his parent's killers. Fred Goodwin leads a gang of greedy oil-claim jumpers who terrorize a town. When Goodwin finds oil in the Indian burial ground where the chief lies buried, a vicious war begins. Jonathan comes to town trailing a captured Indian maiden and ends up being crucified by Goodwin. He is saved by a former member of the gang. Jonathan exacts his bloody revenge. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The physical and emotional wounds suffered by tubercular Italian veterans from WW II living in a sanitarium provides the basis of this episodic psychological study. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The made-for-cable costume drama Young Catherine is the story of Catherine the Great (Julia Ormond). As the film begins, Catherine is a teen-aged German girl who marries into the Russian royal family of the 18th century; by the end of the long production, she has ascended to the throne of Russia. Though the film looks fantastic, it is slightly too long and slowly paced to be consistently compelling. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide

Martin Sheen stars as an American newsman in Rome who begins to investigate the appearance of several corpses found throughout Europe with their hands cut off. He soon uncovers not only plots of plutonium theft, but also of nuclear arms deals and dark political schemes. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide

Amelia (Laura del Sol) lives with her sister in a lovely house in Valparaiso with a view of the harbor. She is comfortably well off, but for some reason during an evening outing, a doctor named Fernando (Franco Nero) takes her to be a prostitute. Already smitten with him, she allows him to take her where he will and pay her for her attentions, never letting him know that he is her only "customer." This goes on for some time. Later, however, the sisters' finances take a turn for the worse, and Amelia puts her amateur hooking skills to good use, that is until tragedy strikes. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Windmills of the Gods was adapted for television by John Gay from a best-selling novel by Sidney Sheldon. Jaclyn Smith plays an American college professor, appointed US ambassador to Romania. While attending a peace conference, Jaclyn's life is placed in jeopardy by an all-powerful secret organization. Whom can she trust: American president Michael Moriarty, Rumanian top dog Franco Nero, fellow scholar David Ackroyd, or confrence chairman Ian McKellan? Or none of the above? This wide-ranging romantic adventure was lensed in several exotic locales, from Bucharest to Chile. Originally presented in two parts, Windmills of the Gods debuted February 7, 1988, directly opposite the ratings-busting TV-movie Elvis and Me. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide