Sterminateli senza pietà

Caesar Romero is the star here as the sharpest tool and head-honcho in his little criminal outfit that carries out a kidnapping. Dramatically, this seemingly successful trio of lowlifes gets entangled with a family of innocents who stumble upon their hideout. As time goes on, the kidnappers' ransom money becomes an albatross around their necks and conflicts within the gang break out, creating a chaotic, claustrophobic, nerve-wracking atmosphere for their captives. Though we know the bad guys will get some kind of comeuppance, there are enough twists and surprises to make it engaging to the end. Stick with it for a nice little dénouement. Better than expected!

Seeing that Show Them No Mercy was produced by 20th Century Pictures and then released by the newly formed 20th Century Fox one has to conclude it was one of the first films released by the newly merged studio. For some reason this film has fallen into neglect and that's a pity.

The story is the aftermath of a kidnapping of a child. The victim has been released and the ransom paid. Now the gang of four is holed up in a deserted farm house and deciding how to make a getaway.

Into their hideout stumbles young couple Edward Norris and Rochelle Hudson with their dog and baby. They go to a house that looks deserted to get out of the rain after their car breaks down. The gang consists of Cesar Romero, Bruce Cabot, Edward Brophy, and Warren Hymer.

For those of you used to seeing Cesar Romero as a dashing cavalier this film will be quite the revelation. He's one mean and lean gangster leader of this crew under whom Bruce Cabot chafes as Cabot thinks he ought to be top dog. As for Brophy and Hymer you know right away they're just comic relief.

Show Them No Mercy was later remade as a western, Rawhide which starred Tyrone Power and Susan Hayward. That was also a good film.

But for a different Cesar Romero check out Show Them No Mercy.

"Show Them No Mercy" is a terrific crime film and much of the reason is that the studio allowed the bad guys to be really, really sadistic. And, the finale is one that shocked me, as I didn't think they could get away with a scene that violent after the new Production Code was enforced in mid-1934. Somehow this one got past the censors...and I am glad it did!

When the film begins, there's been a kidnapping and four scum-bags are responsible. But the laugh's on the kidnappers...the ransom money is marked and they don't know it. But the kidnappers aren't stupid and their boss (Cesar Romero) goes to towns well away from the hideout to spend a tiny bit of the money to see what happens. Stupidly, the police then announce that some of the ransom has been spent and that the money was marked (a mistake...this should NOT have been in the film).

In the meantime, a nice couple and their baby have car trouble on a rainy night and they seek refuge in an old house. This old house turns out to be the hideout and the three are kept prisoner there through most of the film. The most evil of the criminals (Bruce Cabot) wants to kill them...even though one is just a sick little baby! Nice guy, huh?! Will the baddies kill the family, will the police find them in time or will one of the family members need to take matters into their own hands? See the film and see for yourself.

What makes this a great crime film is the finale--a brutal but very satisfying finale. Plus, the ending is NOT what you'd expect...and it sure ain't formulaic. Excellent acting, great tension and a breezy plot...this is a terrific crime film you must see. Tough and unforgiving from start to finish!

The 20th movie produced by Darryl F. Zanuck as 20th Century Pictures is a code-compliant but brutal movie. Edward Norris and Rochelle Hudson are on their way to California when their car conks out in a rainstorm. They take shelter in an abandoned house, only to find fresh supplies...and some kidnappers, with their fresh ransom hiding out. They're held captive, with the baby sick as Cesar Romero, Bruce Cabot, Eddie Brophy and Warren Hymer realize their money is traceable and that the young couple can identify them when the FBI catches up with them.

There's a bit of lampshading in the story about how the FBI switched the bills, but mostly it is a well-told story. The actors playing the bad guys have often played comic gangsters, but here they're playing it straight, and doing it very well. Perhaps it's because Henry 'Pathe' Lehrman has a scripting credit, Raymond Griffith is one of the producers and George Marshall is directing, that the transformation occurs. The gangsters are clearly differentiated and the effect is well above average in this polished and poised movie.

Show Them No Mercy! is a very rough and tumble tale of a gang of criminals that abduct a young couple in a farmhouse. It was directed by George Marshall with verve and energy to spare, and has one of the best casts of hard guys one could ask for.

The movie is a product of the G-man era, and reflects a Mid-Depression America increasingly intolerant of criminals. Characters are nicely developed and tend to be eccentric without becoming fey. One of them is genuinely frightening.

Criminals, especially kidnappers, were not suffered gladly in the Depression era. One feels within the movie itself a sense of outrage. The film, though tense, has at times a pastoral quality in its quieter moments due to its rural setting. It ends with a burst of extreme violence out of character with the rest of the film, which must have brought audiences to their feet at the time of its release.