IMDb RATING
6.6/10
1.8K
YOUR RATING
At the behest of local revolutionaries, a mercenary enlists four specialists in various combat styles to help him rob a Mexican Army train carrying $500,000 in gold.At the behest of local revolutionaries, a mercenary enlists four specialists in various combat styles to help him rob a Mexican Army train carrying $500,000 in gold.At the behest of local revolutionaries, a mercenary enlists four specialists in various combat styles to help him rob a Mexican Army train carrying $500,000 in gold.
Tetsurô Tanba
- Samurai
- (as Tetsuro Tamba)
José Torres
- Mexican Spy
- (as Jose Torres)
Marino Masé
- Railroad Man
- (as Marino Mase)
Artemio Antonini
- Prison Warden
- (uncredited)
Fortunato Arena
- Execution Squad Commander
- (uncredited)
Bruno Ariè
- Mexican Soldier
- (uncredited)
Luigi Bonos
- Priest
- (uncredited)
Adriana Bruno
- Woman at Execution
- (uncredited)
- Directors
- Don Taylor
- Italo Zingarelli(Italian version)
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe film's English dub is the first, and one of a select few, in which Bud Spencer provides his own voice. In fact, this was one of the rarest examples of spaghetti westerns and earlier films with Bud Spencer to provide on-set sync sound recording instead of usual post-dubbing technique which was a common thing for Italian films.
- GoofsOne of the soldiers killed on the train opens his eyes as they set up his body to make it look like he is still alive.
- ConnectionsReferenced in Tenebrae: Interview with Dario Argento and Daria Nicolodi (1982)
Featured review
Good western action
Five Man Army may not be as epic or as groundbreaking as other Spaghetti Western films, but it's a lot of fun to watch and overall, provides a good slice of western action. My main reason for tracking down and seeing this film is due to the fact that it was co-scripted by Italian horror maestro and one of the men behind Sergio Leone's masterpiece 'Once Upon a Time in the West', Dario Argento. Argento worked on scripts for a number of Spaghetti westerns, and while this is only the second that I've seen (Leone's masterwork being the other one), it's the one that gets mentioned second most often, which leads to believe that it's one of his best. The plot centres on a man named 'The Dutchman', who hatches a plot to rob a train of $500,000 worth of gold. He can't do it on his own, however, and so recruits the services of four men with expertise in different areas. They all have something to prove, and the $1000 he's offering for their help gives them the initiative to try and prove it. The film then follows the makeshift 'Five Man Army', as they steal the gold.
The film begins with a man going round asking the prospective members of the army to join the foolhardy scheme. This sort of plot device is common in the movie, as it's all rather simply told. However, if you ask me this is a good thing as some films like this tend to get a bit too complicated, and it can take something away from the enjoyment of watching. There's plenty else to enjoy too, as Argento and his fellow scriptwriter have managed to create a varied assortment of characters that play well off one another and, of course, there's all the explosions and shootouts that Spaghetti Western fans have come to expect. It does have to be said that there's not as much violence in this film as there is in similar movies, as much of the movie focuses on the train robbery at the end, which is pulled off with very little bloodshed. The acting is decent enough also, with veteran actor Peter Graves heading up a good versatile cast, which fit into their roles well. Ennio Morricone provides another good western score, and overall, this film is always going to be a target for fans of Argento's work. I won't recommend going into the film with high expectations, but it's a fun viewing and I enjoyed it.
The film begins with a man going round asking the prospective members of the army to join the foolhardy scheme. This sort of plot device is common in the movie, as it's all rather simply told. However, if you ask me this is a good thing as some films like this tend to get a bit too complicated, and it can take something away from the enjoyment of watching. There's plenty else to enjoy too, as Argento and his fellow scriptwriter have managed to create a varied assortment of characters that play well off one another and, of course, there's all the explosions and shootouts that Spaghetti Western fans have come to expect. It does have to be said that there's not as much violence in this film as there is in similar movies, as much of the movie focuses on the train robbery at the end, which is pulled off with very little bloodshed. The acting is decent enough also, with veteran actor Peter Graves heading up a good versatile cast, which fit into their roles well. Ennio Morricone provides another good western score, and overall, this film is always going to be a target for fans of Argento's work. I won't recommend going into the film with high expectations, but it's a fun viewing and I enjoyed it.
helpful•113
- The_Void
- Aug 30, 2006
- How long is The 5-Man Army?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- The 5-Man Army!
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 45 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content