Man of Violence

Man of Violence (1971)

** (out of 4)

With the need for some stolen gold, Moon (Michael Latimer) gets involved with gangsters and some crooked cops as he tries to play both sides against each other. Pretty soon all three sides are battling as the end result they all want are the riches.

Pete Walker's MAN OF VIOLENCE also goes by the title MOON and its available in a couple different versions but this review is for the longest cut of the film, which is the 109-minute version. What you've got here is a crime drama that wants to be like a James Bond film with elements of YOJIMBO thrown in for good measure. The film certainly isn't what I'd call a good one, although Walker does do more with the budget than you would expect.

I'd say the best thing this film has going for it is the cinematography, which was actually very good. The film certainly looks a lot better than it actually is and the director also managed to give the film a very professional look. It certainly seems like you're looking at a high budget than they actually had to work with. There are also a number of beautiful ladies on hand including Luan Peters from TWINS OF EVIL fame. The ladies and their nudity certainly make the film a tad bit more sleazy than your Bond pictures.

As far as the film's flaws, well, there are quite a few of them. The biggest is the fact that the story itself just gets overly complicated and there is so much dialogue that it doesn't take long for you to grow tired of the situation as well as the characters. I'd also argue that the lead is rather bland and just doesn't add enough energy to the movie. The film really struggles to keep you entertained throughout the expanded running time.

90% of this film consists of people standing around talking, a lot of it shot outdoors in such darkness that you can't see much of anything. In fact, the most interesting thing on the videotape I rented was a trailer (at the end) for a film called "Surabaya Conspiracy" that doesn't seem to exist, according to the IMDB. Too bad this one hadn't faded into similar obscurity. It would have saved me $2.10.

This was the final movie Walker made before moving into the horror field where he would make his name. The plot concerns rival gangs and a stash of gold being smuggled into the country. Several thieves have their plans to make the gold theirs, and much double crossing ensues. One crook, Moom, ends up in the middle of the rival groups and has plans to make off with the loot himself. Violence is not up to future Walker levels and is tame, but eye candy from Hammer girls Luan Peters and Virginia Wetherell helps pass the time with Luan revealing her ample charms a highlight. The ending hints at future Walker conclusions, bleak and downbeat.

As a slice of borderline-sleazy gangsterism, this isn't bad - but for me it was let down on a number of fronts which prevent it being a rewatch candidate, I think.

Firstly, I'm not really sure that Latimer had enough personality for the lead role... he's OK but not great, and, without the others around him (Luan Peters especially) it would have been quite weak on the acting front. The script also got rather confusing towards the end and (in the BFI Player version) retains some casually racist language that has dated much more than many other aspects. The score was also all over the place tonally... signalling "suspense!", "action!!" and - most bizarrely - "romantic interlude!!!" as if we couldn't see what was on screen and make our own minds up.

Interesting but not one of Pete Walker's best.

Peter Walker's hard-boiled, exhilaratingly brutal, double-dealing 'Man of Violence' remains a pugnacious, bullet-paced, corkscrew twisted 70s crime thriller. Conniving thugs, murderously Machiavellian business tycoons, Soho Sleazoids are on the bloody trail of a fortune in gold bullion, with hammer-fisted, sharp-shooting villain, Moon (Michael Latimer) fatally embroiled in this deadly gold rush! Moon's rough-hewn charm, feral cunning, and fearsome tenacity are all put to good use in order to keep his hard alabaster body on a lead free diet! Moon's intense alpha dog charisma proving irresistible to slinkily scheming pussycat, Angel (Luan Peters). Rapacious glamour girl, Angel's dangerously distracting curves, magnetic come hither quiver, and edible smile reveals little of her mercenary, gold-lusting duplicity! Punchier than an Austin Martin, sharper than a prison shiv, Martini cool Gangster films like 'Man of Violence' come along only once in a blue Moon!