Franco Nero Movies

Dante Matucci (Franco Nero), a counter-intelligence officer, uncovers a fascist plot to overthrow the Italian government, and as he begins to investigate, he has an ally in Bruno Manzini (Anthony Quinn), a man dedicated to hunting down war criminals. Bruno and other operatives, including the beautiful and frosty Lili Anders (Sybil Danning) report to Matucci as he coordinates their work. Most of the drama (not all) takes place off-screen, and Matucci essentially narrates the story -- making this one of the least exciting spy dramas around -- even the affair between Matucci and Anders is several degrees cooler than the norm. The inertia of the film continues through to the end, as the final denouement has all the suspects herded into one room (à la Agatha Christie or Dashiell Hammett) while Matucci and Manzini discuss the case. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

In The Man With Bogart's Face, an affectionate send-up of the Bogart detective films of the 1940s, Robert Sacchi plays a man who idolizes Humphrey Bogart so much he has his features altered to look exactly like his idol. He then opens up a detective agency under the name Sam Marlowe (an amalgam of the names of Bogart's characters from The Maltese Falcon and The Big Sleep). Sam hires the Duchess (Misty Rowe) as his secretary ("She looked like Marilyn Monroe and made about as much sense as Gracie Allen") and "Sam Marlowe, Private Eye" is in business. Sam gets a meager response until a shooting puts his picture in the paper and business starts to flourish. Particularly attracted to Marlowe's services are a collection of characters -- Gena (Michelle Phillips), an attractive Gene Tierney type; Commodore Anastas (Victor Buono), a Greek shipping tycoon and Sidney Greenstreet lookalike; and the mysterious Mr. Zebra (Herbert Lom doing a Peter Lorre imitation). They are all trying to find the famous Eyes of Alexander -- a priceless set of stones from a statue of Alexander the Great. Also on hand are old Hollywood pros George Raft, Yvonne DeCarlo and Mike Mazurki. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Set in 1919, this confusing, slow-paced, labyrinthian political drama focuses primarily on the confrontation between two military leaders, Konrad von der Berg (Franco Nero) and Erich von Lehner (Helmut Berger). The implication is that the outcome of their meeting will determine whether Germany will be dominated by the Nazis or not. As the two men confront each other in a deserted military camp, they display a wide range of emotions and a seemingly unflagging ability to talk. Flashbacks reveal the history of their relationship. In the end, one destroys the other but then he has to go back and face the rising Nazi menace. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

In this film, a tough shark hunter races to beat a group of gangsters to a fortune in sunken treasure. ~ Iotis Erlewine, Rovi

The Sahara becomes the scene of sabotage and suspense. ~ Rovi

In this tragic drama, the neglected wife (Lisa Gastoni) of a purveyor of antique glass finds sexual fulfillment with a brutish shop clerk (Franco Nero), who swiftly establishes a master-slave relationship with her. The relationship is satisfying for both of them until he begins making demands that she bring her teenaged daughter in to him for similar treatment. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

21 Hours at Munich is a grim reenactment of the darkest days of the 1972 Munich Olympics. A gang of eight Arab terrorists storm the Israeli dormitory, killing two and taking hostage nine athletes. The terrorist's demands include the release of 200 Arabs held in Israeli jails; Israel follows its standard policy in dealing with terrorism and refuses to capitulate. There can be only one way that this film will end, but the tragedy of the occasion is buoyed by isolated moments of inspirational heroism. William Holden and Franco Nero head the cast, while sportscaster Jim McKay, whose emotional coverage of the actual events has since become famous, narrates the film. 21 Hours at Munich first aired on November 7, 1976. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Half-breed Keoma (Franco Nero) returns to his border hometown after service in the Civil War and finds it under the control of Caldwell (Donald O'Brien), an ex-Confederate raider, and his vicious gang of thugs. To make matters worse, Keoma's three half-brothers have joined forces with Caldwell, and make it painfully clear that his return is an unwelcome one. Determined to break Caldwell and his brothers' grip on the town, Keoma partners with his father's former ranch hand (Woody Strode) to exact violent revenge. ~ Paul Gaita, Rovi

Legend of Valentino is a TV-shorthand retelling of the life and loves of legendary silent screen star Rudolph Valentino, here portrayed by Franco Nero. This TV movie was advertised as "romantic fiction," which was just as well since its only nods to the truth are the basic facts of Valentino's enormous screen fame and the national hysteria attending his early death in 1926 of peritonitis. Typical of Legend of Valentino's fabrications is the depiction of Valentino's first meeting with his future mentor, screenwriter June Mathis (played by Suzanne Pleshette). In real life, Mathis discovered Valentino by watching him play a string of supporting roles; in Legend, she confronts him in her living room while he's burglarizing her house! Despite its historical shortcomings, Legend of Valentino is a lot better than the 1951 and 1977 biopics of the "Latin Lover." ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Franco Nero here plays a film producer whose film is about to be seized by a stiff-necked Sicilian judge, but the judge is murdered before the seizure order can be given. This death has had an effect similar to kicking open an ant's nest, and the corrupt local politicians are all scrambling to do their best to confuse the investigation. Witnesses die in mysterious ways, and it looks at first as though some really heavy politics are behind the whole affair. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

A brave German Shepherd defends an elderly gold-mine owner against greedy baddies in this Arctic adventure. ~ Kristie Hassen, Rovi