Ricco the Mean Machine – Dark Sky Films (DVD)

Theatrical Release Date: Spain/Italy, 1973
Director: Tulio Demicheli
Writers: José Gutiérrez Maesso, Santiago Moncada, Mario di Nardo
Cast: Christopher Mitchum, Barbara Bouchet, Malisa Longo, Eduardo Fajardo, Manuel Zarzo, José María Caffarel, Ángel Álvarez, Arthur Kennedy, Paola Senatore, Luis Induni, Antonio Mayans

Release Date: January 29th, 2008
Approximate Running Time: 93 Minutes 33 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
Rating: NR
Sound: Dolby Digital Mono English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region 1 NTSC
Retail Price: OOP

"When Ricco Aversi (Christopher Mitchum, Rio Lobo, American Commandos) returns home after a two-year prison stint, he finds his father murdered and the family business taken over by Don Vito (Arthur Kennedy, Elmer Gantry), a sadistic mob boss with a propensity for turning his enemies into soap. When Ricco tries to save his super-sexy paramour Rosa (Malisa Longo, Black Emanuelle, White Emanuelle) from Don Vito's control, his wheelchair-bound mother and sister are brutally murdered by Don’s minions. Ricco joins forces with Rosa's dangerously-gorgeous cousin, Scilla, (Barbara Bouchet, Don’t Torture a Duckling, Casino Royale) to mete out his bloody vengeance upon Don Vito and his gang." – Synopsis provided by the Distributor

Video: 1/5

Ricco the Mean Machine comes on a single layer DVD.

Disc Size: 4.2 GB

Though the source used for this transfer is in very good shape, colors and flesh tones look correct, and details generally look crisp. That said, black levels are mediocre, and there are compression and macroblocking issues that are especially noticeable in dark scenes.

Audio: 3/5

This release comes with one option, Dolby Digital mono English, and included with this release are removable English SDH subtitles. There are no issues with background hiss; dialogue comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 25 seconds, letterboxed widescreen, Dolby Digital mono Italian with non-removable English subtitles) and an interview with actor Christopher Mitchum titled Mitchum: The Mean Machine (18 minutes 14 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles).

Summary:

Tulio Demicheli directed Ricco the Mean Machine. He’s known for Espionage in Lisbon, Assignment Terror, Sabata the Killer, and The Two Faces of Fear. When Film Ventures International released Ricco the Mean Machine in the U.S., they retitled it The Cauldron of Death and promoted it as a horror film.

Ricco the Mean Machine is a violent crime film that opens with a shootout that ends with a headshot. The narrative centers on a reluctant avenger named Ricco, who desires a normal life but is constantly pushed by those around him to seek revenge for his father's murder. That said, Ricco the Mean Machine has many elements that have become synonymous with Italian crime cinema. There’s also some spaghetti western influence, most notably when it comes to the Ricco character and his journey.

Ricco the Mean Machine, like most Italian genre films of the 1970s, has a cast of recognizable faces from U.S. and European cinema. Christopher Mitchum (Murder in a Blue World) is cast in the role of Ricco, and though he is not the most engaging actor, his performance works well within the confines of the story unfolding. Other notable cast members are Arthur Kennedy (The Tough Ones), who portrays Don Vito, the man who killed Ricco’s father; Malisa Longo (The Way of the Dragon) in the role of Rosa, Ricco’s ex-girlfriend who is now with Don Vito; Barbara Bouchet (Cry of a Prostitute) in the role of Rosa’s cousin Scilla; and Antonio Mayans, a frequent collaborator of Jess Franco, who has a minor role as a bartender.

Although a violent precredits sequence foreshadows bloodshed and brutality that's prevalent later on, there is a slight shift in tone before things get there. Most of the opening setup are melodrama moments, like a flashback that fleshes out Ricco’s backstory and a series of lighthearted moments with Barbara Bouchet’s character, who uses her more than ample assets to distract men as she passes off counterfeit bills in exchange for real money from them. That said, these are not the only moments that show off Barbara Bouchet’s sex appeal, and when it comes to other female characters, there is an ample amount of nudity.

Ricco the Mean Machine is a film where no character has a moral center, and when they do the things that they do, it is never surprising. The narrative effectively establishes each character's identity, creating a tension that escalates to a fever pitch by the time the finale arrives. The visuals are never flashy; their power lies in just showing, without a filter, that brutality being inflicted, notably a scene where one of Don Vito’s bodyguards who betrayed him gets his dick and balls cut off, shoved in his mouth, and then thrown into a vat of acid. Another memorable moment is a scene where Scilla performs a striptease in the fog, where she straddles a car with two of Don Vito’s men inside. Composer Nando De Luca (The Killer Must Kill Again) delivers a solid score that does a superb job reinforcing the mood. Ultimately, Ricco the Mean Machine is a perfect mix of action, violence, and exploitation.

This release transfer is one of the worst that I have seen from a boutique label. It is the quality that one would expect from a budget DVD label that crams multiple films on one DVD. Ricco the Mean Machine is a solid film that’s begging for a better release.

Written by Michael Den Boer