La testa del serpente

Helmut Berger, leisure suits, Jamaica, the 70's..you know what you are in for. "Order To Kill" delivers all the style, the great music and atmosphere that we expect from this genre. Helmut is down in the tropics, an assassin targeted by other assassins. He's got a gorgeous, but emotionally messed up girl, who happens to be the possession of his arch rival. There are prostitutes and gangsters and espionage. And the only 70's figure that can match the coolness of Helmut Berger, is Fabio Testi who, sadly is not in "Order To Kill." Recommended for fans of the genre. I would love to find an original widescreen print because this movie contains some beautiful location photography as well. Also check out "Mad Dog Killer," also with Helmut..you won't be disappointed.

Strangely, this seventies-made Italian crime film has a plot derived from a late sixties Italian Dirty Dozen rip-off, but is set in a late eighties Italian action film location! That's different.

It all starts off with a hitman (Romano Puppo) killing a guy on a train, and another mobster (Berger) being given the task of taking him out. Berger doesn't know the target is his friend, and when he stalls during the hit, another fella wastes Puppo and Berger ends up with a price on his head. To add to the trouble, he's on a Caribbean island and the mob boss who wants him dead has all means of escape cut off.

Berger, and his glamourous Charlie's Angels style girlfriend, go on the run anyway and after Berger gets a drubbing from a bunch of locals (one of which has a superb afro) he ends up at an old girlfriend's house. To add insult to injury his current girlfriend runs off with the mob bosses right hand man! Berger has no choice but to work for a local police chief who wants him to kill the mob boss, who is played by Kevin McCarthy from Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and, to a lesser extent, the seventies remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

This is where things get a bit Dirty Dozen. Berger has to train up three crooked cops to invade Kevin McCarthy's compound and kill everyone, but in the Seventies things were more laid back so we don't get a training montage: we just get a long sequence of people training before the action packed ending where everyone gets blown away.

So, there you have it. What I learned from this film is that Jose Ferrer was Miguel Ferrer's father, and not Mel Ferrer, star of Blood and Roses and Nightmare City. I'm glad that's cleared up.

Unknown and violent thriller with a lot of twists, turns and evil characters , being professionally directed by Jose Maesso . A curious and little-known Spanish/Italian co-production with awesome cast and acceptable filmmaking . A very violent feature film dealing with an engaging story concerning a mob family , headed by gambling czar (Kevin McCarthy) whose main enemy is a police chief Reed (Jose Ferrer) . When one of family's hit men named Clyde Hart (Helmut Berger) fails to come up to expectations , Reed orders the man's execution. Along the way , Clyde's got a beautiful but unsettling , drunk woman , who subsequently happens to be the possession of his arch rival (Juan Luis Galiardo) . She was forced to love the man she hated...or the man she loved would die!

This Spain-Italy co-production displays action enough , plot twists , and several villain roles ; being pretty entertaining from start to finish . It has rhythm , violence with tremendous sequence of murders , the action never falters , the performances are quite good, the issues raised are interesting , the direction is compelling , along with an attractive musical score from composer Adolfo Waitzman , as well as colorful outdoors showing spectacular beaches and atmospheric cinematography shot in Santo Domingo island . Stars Helmut Berger giving a nice acting as a hit man who's assigned a dangerous mission joining three brave men to participate in an deadly assault at an enemy fortress , being filmed in Macaroni Combat sub-genre style . His female partner results to be the really gorgeous Sydne Rome who surprisingly provides the best acting as an emotionally messed up woman . Helmut Berger and Sydne Rome are nicely accompanied by a national and international cast , as the Americans Jose Ferrer , Kevin McCarthy and fine Spanish/Italian support actors very reminiscent of a certain Spanish genre films : Terror , Euro-spy , Paella Western from the 1970s , with names like Juan Luis Galiardo , Howard Ross , Jose Maria Caffarel, Romano Puppo , Manuel Zarzo, Álvaro de Luna and Frank Braña.

It displays a moving musical score in the Seventies style by Adolfo Waitzman . As well as evocative cinematography by cameraman Alace Parolin shot on location in Santo Domingo , Dominican Republic and Estudios Roma, Madrid, Spain . This Spanish "thriller" to rediscover and claim was compellingly directed and in his own personal style by José Gutiérrez Maesso . He was an important writer , producer and director . He made a few films as Sucedio en Sevilla , El gran crucero and Clan de inmorales. His essential labour was as a producer and writer . He created a powerful production company : Tecisa . As he made several coproductions as Scherezade, America rugiente , El diablo se lleva muertos , Sumario sangriento para Estefania , Coartada en disco rojo , Mayra and notorious Spaghetti Westerns as Django, Minessota Clay Tierra Brutal , los despiadados , El precio de un hombre , Zarabanda, and Pistoleros de casa grande . This action movie is titled : El clan de los inmorales (1975) or Orden de matar (Spain) or La testa del serpente (Italy) or Order to Kill rating : 6.5/10 . Well worth watching , specially appointed to Spain/Italian coproductions enthusiasts .