Les intouchables

As another film in a long-line for Cassavetes, much like Orson Welles did for many years, done more-so to pay the bills for the next feature film as director than for any kind of real 'passion' for the project, Machine-Gun McCain acts, walks and talks like a gangster genre picture. And from Italy no less.

It has a similar kind of beat to it like Point Blank where you have a real tough guy gangster (Cassavetes) who is out of jail and has some payback to deliver to a super-criminal organization and based more on principle than anything else. He decides to pull a rather crazy casino-heist job, but not with the same kind of crew or expertise that Ocean's Eleven might've had. No, instead, when not laying his hot Euro-girl (Britt Eklund), he's preparing by himself to bomb the s**t out of the casino and make off with the cake in a rather twisted premise.

Giuliano Montaldo's film is spare on character exploration - this is not the kind of film that Cassavetes would make himself, not in a thousand years - but is good on making things 'cool' in the heist-movie sense. The little we know about Hank McCain is just enough to keep the story going.

There is some supporting character stuff with Peter Falk's gangster who is in some heat over some bad business going on behind the scenes (lots of tense shouting going on in some of these scenes, it looks fun to play but who knows on the freewheeling Italian productions), and absolutely nothing really to Eklund's character. I wondered throughout the film why she would go on with all of this what Hank was doing. Who is she and what is he to her? I guess who cares ultimately except as someone to carry the explosives and drive the car in a clinch.

More interesting in the film, though sadly underused, is a character Gena Rowlands plays (both Falk and Rowlands being Cassvetes regular players) who was an old flame of Hank McCain's way back when, and Rowlands gives this character a lot of unexpected depth in just five minutes of screen-time.

She shows up since Hank needs some help in the last act of the story, and their chemistry on screen (notwithstanding being real life husband and wife) is electrifying, and she has a dangerous quality that speaks of being a femme fatale but a really good egg to the right people. A scene right after this when she's being questioned by some hoodlums on the trail of McCain is perhaps the best scene of the movie; how much of this was some decent direction or just Rowlands way about the scene I don't know.

Cassavetes, too, thankfully, helps anchor the film when it could get into a lull. He has some kind of concentration about him, whether he's scoping a joint out or gambling at a casino table or if he's talking with a few lunkhead lowlife criminals who are plotting a caper that they want to include him on, that makes Machine Gun McCain so enjoyable.

The story itself is just okay, it moves along at a decent enough pace, but it's mostly just an excuse for the action to take shape - which, admittedly, once you see what McCain has in store in this heist, it's really one of the more incredible and daring scenes in heist movies from the time. But with the star there, it's an odd but compelling presence that makes the film itself much tougher. There's one scene especially where McCain pulls out his machine fun (hence the name), and it's a scene of dark, intense power, mostly from him saying little at all.

John Cassavetes is supremely cool as the protagonist of this glittery 60s crime flick. Directed with gusto by Giuliano Montaldo, it has Cassavetes as the tough title character, an armed robber getting out of prison after a dozen year stretch. Almost immediately, McCains' pathetic son Jack (Pierluigi Apra) is recruiting him for a job. But McCain is agreeable, despite having some misgivings about who he's working with. The job is the robbery of the Royal Casino in Las Vegas, a place that's hotly contested by both the West Coast and East Coast mob families.

This well-paced film is quite enjoyable in general. All the fighting between various mobsters is good for some amusement, with the great Peter Falk scoring as an ambitious mafioso who's eager to make some real dough. Britt Ekland doesn't have to do much besides look very sexy as a young woman who catches McCains' eye. Cassavetes' real-life partner Gena Rowlands makes a special guest appearance as an old flame, and naturally he has more genuine chemistry with her than he does Ekland. Other top notch character actors include Gabriele Ferzetti, Luigi Pistilli, and Steffen Zacharias, and lovers of Euro-cult cinema will note the presence of thespians such as Florinda Bolkan (as Falk's wife), Tony Kendall, and Salvo Randone. But other than Falk, it's starring actor Cassavetes who is the main reason to watch. A sardonic, witty, surly guy (with an obvious contempt for his son), he's a compulsively watchable antihero.

You add to that the excellent widescreen photography, the stunning, colourful locales, some very satisfying explosions, a riveting chase finale wherein you see the lead character literally afraid for his life, and yet another superb Ennio Morricone soundtrack, and you have the makings of a good, solid film of this type.

Seven out of 10.

An ex-con with explosives experience gets back into the swing of things when he lines up a job to rob a Mafia run casino in Las Vegas. With John Cassavetes in the lead one would think this film would be more available than merely catching it by luck on TCM on their midnight Underground Cinema showcase. Though the production is more or less lower budget and the spoken words don't exactly line up with the movement of the lips, it's nonetheless vintage 60's crime with Cassavetes as great as ever, and Peter Falk playing the casino manager and lower level Mafiosi. There are some neat scenes of the San Francisco night life, and the action shifts to the Las Vegas strip with Cassavetes and his new bride Arlene (Britt Eklund) and the ruthless revenge of the Mafia as the movie becomes a pretty dark chase film through LA with Gena Rowlands getting a tough little part as the vise tightens.

This mobster film titled ¨Gli Intoccabili¨ or ¨Machine Gun McCain¨ (1969) talks about a just-released gangster called Hank McCain played by John Cassavetes who is pitch-perfect and Britt Ekland has a big part in this suspenseful movie . As a tough criminal called Hank (John Cassavetes) goes out from prison (it was shot at San Quentin Prison without permits) , being received by his son . One time being released from jail , two-fisted criminal Hank hooks up with his son Jack , who has assembled a gang for one robbing . As they attempt to rob a Mafia-controlled casino in Las Vegas . Unbeknownst to Hank , Jack is also involved with a mobster (Peter Falk) who utilizes Hank as a pawn so he can gain control of Vegas territory that's ordinarily being run by the boss Don Francesco De Marco (Gabriele Ferzetti) ; at the same time , the latter is under orders of Don Salvatore (Salvo Randone) . In the meantime , Hank falls in love for a young woman called Irene Tucker (Britt Ekland) and marries her in a rapid wedding in Las Vegas .

This stirring film contains suspense , action , sharp-edged set pieces , thrilling situations and terrific performance by a plethora of known main actors as well as sensational supporting cast . A very moving plot with a misfit group planning a suspenseful heist . A realistic treatment glamorizes nothing and implicates the small-time thieves , capos , and big bosses . Including some car pursuits that were shot in two days without permits using rented automobiles . The movie is slickly narrated in original manner by means of various twists , red herrings , puzzles , jigsaw , in which the main protagonist has devised a daring plan that goes awry and it finally results to be a total disaster . The picture displays usual elements noir cinema like the fatalism and tragic fate , twisted intrigue and loser characters . But the movie belongs to John Cassavetes as the public enemy who earned the alias 'The Machine Gun MacCan' , also named Hank McCain who gets released from prison after serving twelve years for armed robbery . Montalvo realized for Paramount this ¨Machine Gun MacCan¨ along with ¨Grand Slam¨ that bear remarkable resemblance , both of them deal with spectaculars hold-ups . These films received great recognition and were widely appreciated by the international public , getting big box office . Filmmaker Montalvo usually worked with an international cast , and in Machine Gun MacCan reunites some of the best actors that worked in the sixties and seventies . John Cassavetes is the first among equals from extraordinary cast . The cluster of magnificent players give extraordinary interpretations . As exceptional acting by Peter Falk as volatile and ambitious mob capo Charlie Adamo , a ringleader marvellously incarnated by Gabriele Ferzetti , Tony Kendall as ruthless killer , Florinda Bolkan , Luigi Pistilli , Val Avery , Salvo Randone as Don Salvatore and there stands out Gena Rowlands , as a lovely ¨Femme Fatale¨ . Colorful cinematography in Techniscope , but a perfect remastering being necessary . Special mention for musical score by maestro Ennio Morricone who composes a rousing and sensitive score , including wonderful ballads , adding the catching song titled ¨the ballad of MacCan¨ sung by Jackie Lynton .

The motion picture was professionally directed by Giuliano Montalvo who realizes an adequate piece of film-making , though has some flaws and gaps . Montavo is a good craftsman whose films have been shown in several nations , and won various Festival Awards and Emmy Awards . Other prizes worldwide for cinematography , production design and costumes were received in his movies , throughout a long career . His beginnings were as a directing assistant , as he made the second unit of Pontecorvo's masterpiece ¨The Battle Of Algiers¨ . After having filmed for Paramount the heist movie ¨Ad Ogni Osto¨ (1967) and this ¨Machine Gun MacCain¨ in the US, then Montaldo went back to Italy to direct ¨Gott Mit Uns¨ or ¨The Fifth Day Of Peace¨ (1969). Montalvo's experience reveals a turning point in his work in the famous politic film : ¨Sacco E Vanzetti¨ , it stars Gian Maria Volonte and Riccardo Cucciolla , that participated in competition at Cannes Film Festival , where it won Best Actor 1971 and ¨Giordano Bruno¨ (1973) also starred by Volonte . These pictures were well acclaimed by the reviewers , achieved awesome critiques and great successes at various film festivals around the world . The theme of the Resistance underlined ¨L'Agnese Va A Morire¨ directed by Montaldo in 1977 . In 1980 the director engaged in the production of a television series about the exploration of ¨Marco Polo¨ with Ken Marshall that was filmed in Italy, the Middle East, Tibet, Mongolia and China ; being an international co-production with RAI, BBC and NBC . Other films he directed are ¨Circuito Chiuso¨ that was in competition at the Berlinale in 1978 , ¨Il Giocattolo¨ , ¨Gli Occhiali D'Oro¨ or "The Gold Rimmed Glasses", ¨Il Giorno Prima¨ or ¨Project¨ , ¨L'Industriale¨ , ¨Tempo Di Uccidere¨ or "Time to Kill" and ¨Demoni Di San Pietroburgo¨ or " The Demons of St. Petersburg" .

This is a stylish, complex and exciting gangster melodrama (which Leonard Maltin in "Movies & Video Guide" calls "junk" and awards a mere **!) bolstered by an infectious Ennio Morricone score (especially the title ballad). Amazingly, it was shown on Italian TV at the time of the Cannes Film Festival as part of a series of past nominees; unfortunately, however, the print was of the choppy 94-minute U.S. version (bearing the Columbia logo upfront) and panned-and-scanned to boot (making the Techniscope compositions pretty claustrophobic)!! I've been unable to determine the film's original length, but I've seen running-times as long as 119 minutes!

The film is well-served by a great cast: an intense and fearless John Cassavetes as the title character, a delectable Britt Ekland as a girl he meets and marries on being sprung from jail (who becomes an accomplice in his criminal schemes without batting an eyelid, at least in this version!), Peter Falk as a bad-tempered small-time hood whose ambitions see him clash with his ruthless superiors, Florinda Bolkan as his even more avaricious wife, Gabriele Ferzetti as the crossed Don who goes to teach Falk a lesson (and who seems to be having an affair with Bolkan!), Luigi Pistilli (rather under-used as Falk's right-hand man), Salvo Randone (as the No. 1 Mafia Boss who keeps track of the situation from his New York office), Tony Kendall (as the hit-man dispatched to eliminate both Falk and Cassavetes) and "Special Guest Star" Gena Rowlands (as McCain's tough old flame - together they were a legendary criminal double-act, and the real-life couple demonstrate undeniable chemistry in their one scene together! - who, still having feelings for him, aids in his escape from the Mob and suffers the consequences for her actions). It's an interesting mix of 'styles': the Italians give it authenticity, the women a touch of class and the two male stars (who, regrettably, don't share any screen-time but were eventually re-teamed in a gangland milieu in MIKEY AND NICKY [1976] - which I recently watched - and where they were practically inseparable!) an aura of intelligence. Some sources credit The Doors' frontman Jim Morrison in the role of a lackey, but it certainly didn't seem like him to me!

The best sequence is the ingenious heist from a Las Vegas casino (indeed, the glitzy and often sleazy locations are a definite asset) and, in the cynical fashion of cinema in the late 60s, the film ends - rather abruptly - with a downbeat 'curtain'. Montaldo didn't make that many films but from the three I've watched - the others being the enjoyable light-hearted caper GRAND SLAM (1967) and the excellent IL GIOCATTOLO (1979), a Death Wish-type drama with a remarkable leading performance from Nino Manfredi - he certainly knew his business.