Feroz

Helmut Berger leads a group of prison escapees on a rampage targeting cop Richard Harrison,who testified against him in court.After Berger rapes beautiful Marisa Mell("Danger:Diabolik"),then forces her to join the gang,Harrison hatches his own plan to stop dangerous Berger.The film is loaded with sleaze and violence,but it's not as nasty as it's reputed to be."Mad Dog" is well-acted,well-directed and has a fast pace from beginning to end.So if you're a fan of Italian crime flicks give this one a look-just don't expect something mind-shattering.

He's mean! He's profane! He's armed and extremely dangerous! His name is Nanni Vitali (Helmut Berger), and he's a one-man hit squad! Boiling over with bitterness and vengeance over his time in prison, Vitali sets out on a mission to destroy those whom he deems responsible.

Anyone in his way will be raped, murdered, or both.

BEAST WITH A GUN is a nasty bit of crime-drama cinema in keeping with similar Italian films of the period. Berger plays his vicious role with gusto. He's pretty scary!

Co-stars the breathtakingly gorgeous Marisa Mell...

I'm not sure which title I like more but this film does indeed have a certain special charm to it. No, it is not outstanding or anything superlative like that, but it is rather enjoyable to watch as a crook/killer gets out of prison to wreak havoc and revenge on those responsible for putting him there in the first place. Helmut Berger is the best thing about this film as he plays a violent, sadistic psychopath with the best of them. He has no heart whatsoever and is quite something to see. His scenes in the abandoned warehouse and with newly acquired "moll" the beautiful Marisa Mell particularly stand out. Muscle-bound Richard Harrison, who you might remember from some older sword and sandal movies, plays the cop out to protect himself and his family. Like another reviewer noted, the script and plot have some obvious problems, but the pace and delivery more than offset those inadequacies. If you want some good, old-fashioned Italiam crime atmosphere then Mad Dog or Beast with a Gun is for you.

You can't get much cooler than an Italian crime film, and Beast With a Gun is yet another excellent example of this cult sub-genre! The film is quite a lot nastier than the majority of Italian crime films that I've seen, and at times it feels like it owes a lot to the exploitation genre! Naturally, there's the usual array of fistfights, shootouts and car chases; but here we've also got rapes and scenes of torture - among other stuff. So Beast With a Gun might not be everyone's cup of tea - but I think most people would agree that the nasty edge certainly gives the film a bit more 'bite'! The film begins with the escape of three nasty convicts. Their leader is a man named Nanni Vitali, and their first port of call after escaping from jail is killing the dirty scumbag that turned them in. However, when they catch up with him; Nanni takes a shine to his girlfriend, and proceeds to brutally rape her before killing the snitch. He also wants the girl to help them pull off a robbery; and she agrees to help them, but not before telling the police all about it...

The main strength that this film has is undoubtedly Helmut Berger. Berger is absolutely spot on with his role as the nasty criminal at the centre of the tale, and every moment he's on screen is completely gripping. He is joined by experienced Eurocult actress Marisa Mell, who provides the eye candy in style! Richard Harrison rounds off the central cast with the token 'cop' role and like his co-stars - plays it well. Beast With a Gun also features an excellent soundtrack, which goes well with the film and definitely adds to every scene it features in. Realism obviously wasn't big on director Sergio Grieco's priority list, however, as the film features numerous instances that don't make a lot of sense - the scene that springs to mind instantly is the one where a certain female cast member is shot in the leg...and then instantly diagnoses it as 'not serious' and barely bats an eyelid! I've got to say, if I got shot it would be VERY SERIOUS, no matter where it got me. However, this isn't important as Beast With a Gun does the important thing - that being entertain the audience - very well, and fans of Italian crime films won't want to miss it!

Oof! This is an Italian crime film that really has a nasty edge to it. Helmet Berger is a career criminal who escaps from jail with some buddies, gives a prison guard a kicking and throws him out of car, runs cop Richard Harrison off the road (not before Harrison plugs one of the escapees in the head), beats two men in a petrol station almost to death, grabs the snitch that landed him in jail, rapes his girlfriend, beats the guy to death, and buries him in lime. This all happens within the first fifteen minutes of the film.

Berger's mental with a capital M, and is out to get enough money to get out of the country, so he enlists the snitch's girlfriend against her will to set up a heist involving getting money from her father, but she doesn't take too well to being raped and goes to Harrison, who can think of nothing else but snapping Berger's neck. Much violence, hostage taking, and beatings ensue, and believe it or not the film manages to get even more nasty as it progresses, as the final scenes in a warehouse involve a guy getting shot multiple times in the face and a girl being tortured with a straight razor.

Harrison (of the insanely great Ninja Terminator, and many other films with Ninja in the title) is basically a ball of rage who won't stop till he's got his man, but the film really belongs to Berger, who plays a man who has no rules and barely a soul (although he does meet with his sister and treats her nicely enough). He beats, stabs, shoots, and rapes to get what he wants, and those cold Tuetonic eyes just add to the icy character who'll sink to any level for his own gain.

If you like Italian crime films, there's scores and scores of them that will easily satisfy. To me it seems to be the genre where the filmmakers always hit a home run. I've never watched one I didn't enjoy, and while Mad Dog hasn't got much in way of plot, it sure gets the adrenalin going. While not as nasty as Fulci's Contraband (although I'm sure there possibly might be an Italian crime movie that's more violent than that), I'd place Mad Dog on a par with Almost Human (which is quite similar). The only let down here is the presentation by Mill Creek, which is a severely cropped full screen version, although I must say I'm just glad to see the film at all.