Luciano Martino Movies

A bounty hunter is hired by a wealthy man to rescue his kidnapped daughter. But the bounty hunter likes the prospects of the kidnapper better--the two team up. After the kidnapper betrays him, though, the bounty hunter throws his lot back with the wealthy landowner, resolving to bring the girl back to her father. ~ Rovi

In this espionage drama, an American CIA agent must find the whereabouts of valuable microfilm that was smuggled over by two Russian scientists who had been hoping to defect. Unfortunately, they died for their efforts and the film fell into the greedy hands of a Lebanese business magnate who is also killed. In desperation the agent convinces the dead man's niece that he needs that film and she tells him where it is located. Just as he is about to get the film, a Russian spy grabs it, tells him that he is a double agent, grabs the niece, and rushes off in a stolen speed boat. Fortunately, a helicopter is nearby and the good agent jumps in and flies off after the fleeing spy. In the end the CIA agent gets it all and saves the Western world. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In this flashy giallo from Italian filmmaker Sergio Martino, Julie Wardh (Edwige Fenech) is a lovely but jaded woman who is no longer satisfied in her relationship with husband Neil (Alberto de Mendoza), a wealthy but emotionally cold man of privilege. However, as she ponders the fate of her marriage, her thoughts often turn to her former lover Jean (Ivan Rassimov), a cruel libertine with a taste for inflicting pain. Julie meets handsome George (George Hilton) at a wild party and discovers he's attracted to her just as she's drawn to him. Julie and George are soon involved in a torrid affair, but it's Julie's poor fortune that Jean attended the party where they first met and knows about her new infidelity. Even worse, Jean is willing to blackmail Julie to get what he wants, forcing her into a desperate situation. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A sultry new teacher ensures that school attendance spikes to an all-time high in this classic Italian sex comedy starring irresistible screen sirens Dagmar Lassander (The Legend of the Wolf Woman, The House by the Cemetery) and Femi Benussi (Hatchet for the Honeymoon, Strip Nude for Your Killer). And to think that staying after class used to be a punishment. When this teacher speaks, every boy in class listens with rapt attention. Meanwhile, a hormonal young lad and his lecherous father get their thrills by spying on the boy's voluptuous aunt. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A robbery goes awry and results in a hostage situation in this tense Italian drama set during a long afternoon in a Rome suburb. It begins when two inept robbers botch a heist at a tobacco store. One of them is shot by the owner and captured. The other, Claudio, runs into a nearby apartment and ends up taking its resident, the wheelchair bound Esther, hostage. Claudio is a human warhead ready to detonate and Esther is rightly terrified, especially when the local police surround the building and begin their waiting game. In time, the police begin making their move, accusing Claudio of raping his hostage. This only makes him more unpredictable and confused about what he should do. It is Esther, who has spent her life feeling sorry for herself and watching TV, who provides the solution. At her suggestion Claudio demands that he be given an interview with the host of the popular show "Where the News Is Born", in which real problems are resolved on the air. He is interviewed and promised a light sentence in exchange for giving himself up in front of the cameras that night. The day drags on while they wait. Soon Esther and Claudio begin developing a strange bond. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

The scene is a remote Mexican sea village. Four local fisherman reluctantly agree to play "surrogate daddy" for an orphan. They come to realize the wisdom of their decision as their lives undergo profound and wondrous changes. As the title indicates, the film has its share of religious overtones. Those who might be put off by this are advised that there's also a generous supply of comedy. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Steve Reeves clone Richard Harrison stars in the sword 'n' sandal Giants of Rome. The Eternal City is threatened by a modernistic doomsday weapon. Harrison decides to investigate, cutting a swath through various well-armed antagonists. It turns out that the horrible weapon turns out to be little more than an outsized catapult. There was a huge built-in audience for this sort of fare back in 1964, so it hardly matters whether or not Giants of Rome is any good...though it is better than most of its kind. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Cast in the epic tragedy mold, this is the story of a thirteenth century romance. Jack Palance is the son of Genghis Khan and Anita Ekberg is his mistress. Battle between Khan's forces and those of the rebels rages around them but, when peace is finally achieved, Ekberg kills Khan so that her lover, his son, can become the new ruler. He must then lead the Mongol forces into battle himself. A classic case of a romance begetting a murder with greed, tragedy and war all thrown in to make this minor historical adventure. ~ Tana Hobart, Rovi

Romolo Guerrieri directed this well-constructed thriller from a screenplay from genre specialist Ernesto Gastaldi. Returning to Geneva from their honeymoon, newlyweds Deborah (Carroll Baker) and Marcel (Jean Sorel) meet a man named Philip (Luigi Pistilli), who blames Marcel for the suicide of his girlfriend. Spaghetti-western star George Hilton appears as an artist-neighbor with a secret, and Evelyn Stewart (aka Ida Galli) also appears. The plot has many twists and turns, but Guerrieri manages to keep it on track until the intriguing conclusion. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

Before making the string of cannibal adventures which made him notorious, Umberto Lenzi directed three kinky giallo thrillers starring Carroll Baker (Baby Doll). This one is a bisexual round-robin, in which chemist Jean (Jean-Louis Trintignant) is married to Danielle (Erika Blanc), a lesbian who may be sleeping with Baker, who may in turn be sleeping with Trintignant. Baker is being stalked by a mysterious killer, Helga Line might be sleeping with any of them, and then there's Horst Frank, who may or may not be the killer. Everyone wants to kill everyone else, as in Trintignant's previous La Morte Ha Fatto l'Uovo (1967), and although it may not be quite as all-out bizarre as that film, it's still a lot of fun for genre fans. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

This hokey Italian monster movie -- distributed in the U.S. through Roger Corman's New World Pictures under the title Screamers -- was rescued from certain cinematic obscurity thanks to New World's hilariously misleading one-sheet campaign, which boldly declared "WARNING! You will actually see a man turned inside out!" Caveat Emptor, viewers... there is nothing of the sort on display in the film itself. All that's available is a silly sci-fi story about diabolical mad scientist Joseph Cotten busily turning the inhabitants of a remote island into water-breathing "fishmen" to serve the island's sadistic overlord (Richard Johnson), who is trying to uncover the lost treasures of Atlantis. On hand as the nominal sex interest is Barbara Bach as Cotten's daughter, who possesses some sort of telepathic contact with the fishmen, but mainly just poses as seductively as possible while feeding and tending to the rubber-suit mutants. Corman inserted some new prologue footage with Mel Ferrer for the New World print, as well as a few gory scenes intended to snag some R-rated exploitation appeal, but the end product is still laughable as ever. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

In the last stages of his career, veteran American director Robert Z. Leonard dabbled in international productions. One of the best-distributed of these was the Gina Lollobrigida vehicle Beautiful But Dangerous. Lollobrigida is cast as Lina Cavaliari, an earthy Italian peasant who becomes a world-renowned opera singer. She also matriculates into something of a mantrap, making up for all the years that she was spurned and ignored by her "betters." One of Lina's many swains is played by none other than Robert Alda. Originally titled La Donna piu bella del mondo, Beautiful But Dangerous benefits immeasurably from Mario Bava's sumptuous cinematography. And as a bonus, La Lollo does her own singing! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi