Franco Nero Movies
Handsome, blue-eyed Italian actor Franco Nero was a film leading man from 1965. Nero starred in the popular spaghetti western Django, and later played the chop-socky leading role in Enter the Ninja (1980). Never trepidatious about playing non-heroic or psychologically complex roles, Nero has been seen as the villainous Esperanza in Die Hard 2 (1990) and as the "outed" gay ship's captain in the French Querelle (1982). Nero's most famous American screen roles include Abel in John Huston's The Bible and Sir Lancelot in Joshua Logan's Camelot (1967); his romantic relationship with Camelot leading lady Vanessa Redgrave resulted in a son named Carlos. On American television, Nero essayed the leading role in The Legend of Valentino (1975). More recently, Franco Nero both wrote and starred in the 1994 theatrical feature Jonathan of the Bears. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 2009
A retired Mafioso takes the misstep of a lifetime -- and inadvertently triggers a most inconvenient love affair between two complete strangers -- in this zany German-language farce from Teutonic director Sebastian Niemann. The hermetic (Don Enrico Puzzo) (screen vet Franco Nero) may have put the bulk of his professional life as a godfather behind him, but he mistakenly reasons that this will permit him to publish his tell-all gangster memoirs sans consequence. Instead, it draws both fear and concern from a vast number of people whose lives and safety will be at stake if news of Enrico's exploits hits the presses. One of those concerned, mafia middleman Pepe (Bud Spencer), tries to prevent the publication of the book by having cocky, loudmouthed hit man Toni Ricardelli (Rick Kavanian of Manitou's Shoe) rub Enrico out. Meanwhile, Enrico fails to turn up at a press conference, which prompts the publisher of the book to send his editor-cum-girlfriend, Julia (siren Nora Tschirner) to Enrico's with a $500,000 check meant to pull the mafioso out of hiding. Minutes before Julia turns up at Enrico's place, Toni visits Enrico and ices him -- leading to a comically inconvenient and awkward meeting between hitman and editor. In seemingly no time at all, Toni and Julia fall in love, which creates enormous complications, given the conflicting nature of their ambitions. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rick Kavanian, Nora Tschirner, (more)
- 2002
From Hungarian director Gábor Koltay comes this epic retelling of the history of Hungary. Beginning after the death of the nation's founder Istvan, the film follows the ascension of King Laszlo I to the long vacant throne in the 11th century AD. From there the film is a barrage of battle sequences, political conspiracies, and loves stories as Hungary rises to its position as a mighty European kingdom. Produced to coincide with Hungary's 1,000th anniversary, Sacra Corona was funded by the Hungarian government as part of the national celebration. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Attila Szarvas, Peter Horkay, (more)
- 2001
The true natures of love, commitment, and reality are called into question in this offbeat drama. One night in bed, Tomas (Tomas Arana), a magician, begins telling a story to his wife Desire (Marit Nissen) about Emma (Iaia Forte) and Sal (Tommaso Ragno), a married couple whose love life has gone stale. In order to fire up their relationship, Emma and Sal begin playing an increasingly elaborate series of role-playing games, in which they assume different personas -- Sal saves Emma as she is tied to railroad tracks, or Emma must seduce another man to pull her husband out of debt. But the question soon arises -- are Emma and Sal real? And who really holds the power in their lives? Chimera also features Franco Nero as one of the participants in Emma and Sal's sexual fantasies. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Iaia Forte, Tommaso Ragno, (more)
- 2001
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
- Starring:
- Franco Nero, Eleonora Brigliadori, (more)
- 2000
Algerian-born filmmaker Rachid Benhadj directs this bleak drama about the aftermath of wartime rape. Set in an unidentified Balkan nation, the film focuses on ruff, world-weary Kalsan (Vanessa Redgrave), who heads an isolated mountain farm with her 24-year-old soon-to-be-married granddaughter Elena. Their world is turned inside out with the appearance of 10-year-old Mirka (Karim Benhadj), a foreign child looking for his mother. Soon Elena realizes that the child is actually hers, reopening old wounds. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Barbora Bobulova, Gérard Depardieu, (more)
- 1999
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
- Starring:
- Kevin Isola, Adam Hann-Byrd, (more)
- 1998
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
- Starring:
- Franco Nero, Steven Bauer, (more)
Helen Mirren played the title character in the two-part British miniseries Painted Lady. In the throes of poverty and drug abuse, Irish folk singer Maggie Sheridan (Mirren) pulled herself together when her wealthy and well-connected landlord was murdered and robbed of several valuable works of art. Posing as an art dealer, Maggie not only wreaked vengeance upon the thieves, but also had time left over for a torrid interracial romance. And, as a bonus, the heroine ended up a Countess, no less. Debuting over British television on December 7, 1997, Painted Lady made its American TV bow on April 26, 1998. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Helen Mirren, Franco Nero, (more)
- 1997
In a working-class neighborhood of post-WWII Turin, Italy, 10-year-old Anna (Tresy Taddei) lives with her mother, Lidia (Antonella Ponziani), a secretary in a factory typing pool. As a partisan during the war, Anna's father died a hero. Anna's Catholic teacher (Maria Monti) awards a medal to the best pupil. Anna hopes to earn the medal, but her mother's politics and activities as a union organizer could prove a stumbling block. Shown at the 1997 Venice Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Antonella Ponziani, Franco Nero, (more)
- 1997
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
- Starring:
- Vanessa Redgrave, Dennis Farina, (more)
- 1997
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
- 1994
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
- Starring:
- Franco Nero, John Saxon, (more)
- 1991
In Italy, Gloria is so dismayed to find that her husband has been carrying on an affair behind her back that she takes her two boys and goes to visit a sister in the U.S. who lives in St. Louis. The lads are intrigued to discover that their cousins are young women with very distinct attractions: one is blond, difficult and a bit of a hussy; the other sister is a brunette, very nice and sympathetic, but rather plain. Reviewers suggested that this film was shot in order to take advantage of the U.S. working visas that director Pupi Avati arranged in order to shoot the heartland jazz biography Bix, and they felt that this was not an especially successful effort. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Franco Nero, Anna Bonaiuto, (more)
- 1991
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
- 1990
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
- Starring:
- Franco Nero, Laura del Sol, (more)
- 1988
When a secretary comes up missing after she witnessed a murder taking place, an unlikely couple of "relative-sleuths" (a duke and his uncle) team up to find the kidnapped woman. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1988
This biographical costume drama from director Franco Zeffirelli covers the early life of Arturo Toscanini and stars C. Thomas Howell as the famous composer. When Arturo lands a job with the orchestra of Claudio Rossi (John Rhys-Davies), he soon finds himself bound for a tour of South America and lands in idyllic Rio. Arturo is given the task of convincing the famed prima donna diva Nadina Bulichoff (Elizabeth Taylor) to rehearse for an upcoming show with the orchestra, but in the process, Toscanini attempts to change the minds of both Nadina and her lover, Brazilian Emperor Don Pedro II (Philippe Noiret) on the issue of slavery. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- C. Thomas Howell, Elizabeth Taylor, (more)
- 1988
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
- 1987
Django was a successful and highly influential "spaghetti western," spawning over 30 pseudo-sequels that borrowed the name and the main character's bloodthirsty ways, but Django 2: Il Grande Ritorno (aka Django Strikes Again) was the first follow-up to feature Franco Nero reprising the title role from the original film, and the only one made with the participation of the director of Django, Sergio Corbucci (though only in an advisory capacity.) In this story, Django (Franco Nero) has spent a decade in a monastery, trying to live down his violent past as a gunman. However, Django is forced to renounce his vows when word gets back to him that a villainous slave trader, Orlowsky (Christopher Connelly), has kidnapped his daughter. Enraged and determined to bring the abductors to justice, Django digs up his old Gatling gun (literally - he had buried it in a graveyard, under a headstone with the name "Django" on it) and once again begins cutting a swath through the countryside as he seeks to free his daughter. Django 2: Il Grande Ritorno also starred Donald Pleasence, William Berger and Robert Posse; some prints are missing a five minute prologue sequence. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Franco Nero, Donald Pleasence, (more)
- 1986
A short and strange storyline emboldens this thriller with sci-fi overtones by Didier Grousset. Albert (Michel Galabru) is an electronics genius who gets the ax from his company and then goes over the edge. At first he packs off to his attic, turns on the television, and opts for vegetating. But he gets a little irritated by what he sees on TV and is especially miffed at some inept announcers. So his solution is to invent a "ray gun" that can travel through the TV screen and the camera in the studios and kill the idiots, one at a time. A detective (Richard Bohringer) starts to figure out how the murders are happening and develops a scheme to eliminate the unknown, attic assassin. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Bohringer, Dominique Lavanant, (more)
- 1985
In this fast-paced actioner, mobsters fight each other as well as the law with no one clearly winning either way. Judge Falco (Franco Nero) has been sent to Palermo under heavy-duty security to investigate mob bosses. Older Mafiosos are in a deadly war for power with the up-and-coming younger men, and in the middle of all of this, Judge Falco is supposed to bring law and order. When a gang member in New York makes his way back to Palermo to confront some of the Dons about monies due him, his sidekick Vanni (Tony Musante) considers testifying before the Judge's tribunal -- if only to indict his own enemies. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Franco Nero, Tony Musante, (more)
