My movie year (so far)

Ricco aka Mean Machine (1973 - Italy), starring Christopher Mitchum. Yes, that's Bob's son, and he's absolutely terrible. And there isn't a moment in this otherwise swell crime pic where he looks remotely like he does in this poster. Instead, young Chris looks like he's trying out for The Monkees, complete with Peter Tork 'do. Not only is his acting non-existent, but he ruins some good action scenes, mainly because he punches like a girl (in one fight scene, he even cringes when the other actor fights back).

But it doesn't really matter, because the rest of the movie is a near-perfect early '70s Euro thriller, which means that it's even tougher than American crime movies of the era. In fact, it has a castration scene the likes of which I never want to see again-- let's just say the victim is forced to, er, lose his "cake" and eat it, too. And then he's dumped in a vat of acid-- that's tough! (American actor Arthur Kennedy, drowning in hair dye, plays the vengeful mob boss directing the sadism.) Recommended for fans of '70s bad guy movies.

Girl Gang (1954), starring Timothy Farrell. A lean and surprisingly entertaining drug exploitation pic (pro- or anti- is a hard call) that moves fast with lots of funny dialogue. Today it's reefers, tomorrow the mainline, both of which suits Joe the pusher, who makes out with all the girls and shoots up the boys enough to make them his henchmen. (That's him in the poster with the babe in the nylons-- "Girls like it in the leg, where the mark doesn't show.") Throw in an alcoholic doc who operates on kitchen tables, an initiation for the girls involving five boys in a row, and a harp that plays everytime somebody gets stoned. It's all good fun!

Pusher Joe was played by Ed Wood alumnus Timothy Farrell, and the sleaziness he exudes on-screen apparently came naturally. Here's his entire imdb bio: "Worked as a bailiff in the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department while also working in the movies. One of his movies, Paris After Midnight, was actually busted in a vice raid in the mid-50s, which caused him professional embarrassment. He went on to work 20 years as an L.A. deputy marshall and eventually was appointed County Marshall in 1971. He was convicted of felony charges after his appointment, however, for "illegal use of deputy marshalls in political activities," and was given a six month sentence, but received probation due to poor health. He was fired in 1975."

Here's the trailer at youtube.