Again cardinale is sexy as ever. A gritty 70's hostage drama. Cardinale is taken hostage by a wacky sniper hit man in a hotel room. good surprises and some clever moments. Forsythe not much of a presence in the film. Musante shines over everybody.
4 Reviews
OK spy / hostage thriller
gridoon202429 April 2012
Warning: Spoilers
A mad sniper shoots two civilians from the roof of the Hilton Intercontinental in Rome, and then locks himself up in a hotel room, holding a couple of illicit lovers hostage. He appears to be a high-ranking official of the US Embassy in Italy, and a personal friend of a CIA agent, who is called in to co-operate with the head of the Italian counter-terrorist unit. But what is really hiding behind this massacre?
If you're interested in this movie for the presence of Claudia Cardinale, don't get your hopes too high. She looks mature but still very attractive, however her part (as one of the hostages) has little significance on the rest of the movie. A movie that's slightly too long, but a terrific music score by the extremely prolific Guido and Maurizio De Angelis, some great panoramic shots of Rome (my favorite city), and a few suspenseful moments near the end keep it watchable. **1/2 out of 4.
If you're interested in this movie for the presence of Claudia Cardinale, don't get your hopes too high. She looks mature but still very attractive, however her part (as one of the hostages) has little significance on the rest of the movie. A movie that's slightly too long, but a terrific music score by the extremely prolific Guido and Maurizio De Angelis, some great panoramic shots of Rome (my favorite city), and a few suspenseful moments near the end keep it watchable. **1/2 out of 4.
Great
BandSAboutMovies1 March 2024
Warning: Spoilers
John Dhannay (Tony Musante) is trying to manage a coup in an African country for the CIA when one of his men, Douglas Grayson (John Steiner) kidnaps two actors - Jack (Gianrico Tondinelli) and Aliki De Mauro (Claudia Cardinale) - and puts John's ability to lead in question.
Directed by Damiano Damiani, who co-wrote the script with Nicola Badalucco which was based on The Grosvenor Square Goodbye by Francis Clifford, this is a tense thriller that puts nearly everyone into the line of fire, including an ambassador played by John Forsythe.
While most of the movie takes place in a small hotel room, it stays packed with tension throughout. What helps is the score by Guido and Maurizio De Angelis or as I call them Oliver Onions. You may not end up liking John at all by the end, but you will realize that he gets the dirty work done.
A mix between political thriller and poliziotteschi, this kept me watching intently.
Directed by Damiano Damiani, who co-wrote the script with Nicola Badalucco which was based on The Grosvenor Square Goodbye by Francis Clifford, this is a tense thriller that puts nearly everyone into the line of fire, including an ambassador played by John Forsythe.
While most of the movie takes place in a small hotel room, it stays packed with tension throughout. What helps is the score by Guido and Maurizio De Angelis or as I call them Oliver Onions. You may not end up liking John at all by the end, but you will realize that he gets the dirty work done.
A mix between political thriller and poliziotteschi, this kept me watching intently.
constantly thrilling
christopher-underwood21 February 2024
I've watched at least eight of Damiano Damiani's splendid films, like with The Case is Closed, Forget it (1971), A Rather Complicated Girl (1969) and The Witch (1966) most of them written as well. With this one a blu-ray from Radiance I almost didn't get it as I wasn't sure that, the idea of preparing to overthrow an African government, for me didn't sound too wonderful. But as it is with Damiani the dialogue is usually so great I took a chance and then after about fifteen minutes it all changed and instead someone is shooting from the roof of a hotel and immediately we have action. I always find that Claudia Cardinale is great and in this one she is splendid and also with Tony Musanti as well. In the hotel there is a hostage situation and there is the English actor John Steiner who I never remember but is really good and did some 90 or so films like Slap the Monster on Page One (1972), Caligula (1979) and Tenebrae (1982) and even making eight through this year in 1977. This one really is constantly thrilling, so well written with even some humour but it is always changing around and we never quite know what will happen. The ending is also amazing and what about those black capes with four men with guns at night but maybe with only one that works or maybe another in the dark. Sensational.
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