BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

NekoHomey Purely Joyful Movie!

Dotbankey A lot of fun.

Robert Joyner The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

kapelusznik18 ***SPOILERS*** Dean "Dino" Martin in his last staring role is San Francisco attorney for the hopeless and downtrodden Joe Ricco who ends up getting involved in a double murder of two SFPD police officers by a former client of his black militant Frankie Steele, Thalmus Rusulala, that he earlier got off on a murder charge. Steele claiming innocence is on on the run and later tracked down at his headquarters in the Haven's Point district.That leads to a shoot out with Steele's friend Calvin Mapes, Oliver Givens, gunned down by policeman Tanner, Michael Gregory, as he was peacefully taking a dump in the john. Ricco who's not only hated by the police in letting the cop killer Frankie Steele go free in a previous case Steele's alleged victim Marie Justin's brother Justin, Robert Sampson, also has it in for Ricco in feeling that Steele murdered his sister Marie that he got off Scot-free on a technicality!Ricco who himself has become a target of the elusive cop killer in him trying to get Steele-The #1 suspect in the cops murder- to surrender himself to the police who's confronted by him at a local church who in the heat of the moment admits that he in fact did murder Marie Justin! That's after her catching him red-handed breaking into her apartment! That has Ricco flip out and slug it out with the much younger and stronger Steele that has him barley survive with his life. Now feeling that he let a murderer off the hook Ricco tries to apologize to Mr. Rustin who lets him have it in what a creep he is in him, a big shot lawyer, not realizing that his client was guilty!***SPOILERS*** It's at a party at the San Francisco Art Museum that the man who's been stalking Ricco all throughout the movie makes his grand appearance taking a number of pot shots at Ricco and hitting one of the visitors as well as tree security guards at the museum killing them. With Mister Ricco now taking it upon himself to catch the killer he ends up in a wild gun battle thus, after being hit himself, taking him down only to discover his true identity that shocks the living hell out of him! Not your usual Dean Martin movie but far better the the light comedies and self engaging drama he made throughout his long and successful career that showed that Martin can really act as well as sing and dance. P.S After the tragic death of son Dean Paul in a 1987 plane crash Dean Martin stayed away from the spotlight and became a virtual hermit living on a daily plate of pasta and a bottle of whiskey until he passed away on Christmas day 1995.

vincentlynch-moonoi When watching this film, the question is -- why did it end Dean Martin's film career? There were a number of reasons, really, that had nothing to do with the film itself. Just a little over a year before this film was released, Martin divorced his popular wife, Jeanne. And I personally know people who had been fans who "dropped" Dean, as a result. They saw the situation as Peck's bad boy really being bad, not just playing being bad. And, In 1974 his television show ended after a long (9 year) run. Since his smash hit (and financial bonanza) "Airport" in 1970, Dean had made only 2 movies before "Mr. Ricco". Clearly, Martin's career was winding down...and why not...he was approaching age 60.And that's where this film comes into the story. Dean Martin was getting old. I was in college when this film came out, and as a Dean Martin fan, I rushed to the theater to see it. There was a fair-sized audience in the theater that day, and 3 minutes into the film there was a scene that set the theater abuzz with chatter. I had only seen such a thing happen once before -- at a theater presentation of "Gone With The Wind" -- the scene looking down the staircase where we first see the dashing figure of Clark Gable. But unlike the GWTW experience, when the chatter was about how handsome the actor was, now it was about how old the actor looked. I heard people say things such as, "Oh my god! Look how old he is!" Now today, when you watch this film on television -- even a high def widescreen television -- he doesn't look THAT old. But in the theater, on a wide screen, with particularly crisp cinematography, the wrinkles were startlingly clear...and my guess was that Dean was wearing very little makeup. And, in this picture it mattered, because later there are fight scenes, and one can't help but think that it's illogical that a man that old could fight like that. In my opinion, that brutal photography of Dean's character playing cards 3 minutes into the film was the end of Dean's film career (not counting the much later Cannonball knock-offs).That's not to say that this is a bad film. It's not. Nor is it a great or almost-great film. It's a pretty average crime drama from the mid-1970s. As a TV-movie, this might have been a pretty decent release...much as was Frank Sinatra's "Contract On Cherry Street" as a TV-movie 2 years later. "Mr. Ricco" is a pretty gritty film, perhaps a little too gritty for a Dean Martin audience. Dean's acting is okay, in fact a little more subtle here, and he comes across believable as an attorney. And, this really is Dean's movie. While other roles are pivotal, and all the actors do their jobs, none have significant screen time.If there's a specific criticism I have it's that the stunt double for Dean is so not Dean in many of those scenes.It's interesting to watch the two flops at either end of Dean's solo film career -- this film and "Ten Thousand Bedrooms". Both are primarily for fans of Dean Martin.

Boba_Fett1138 I always enjoy watching '70's movies, even when it are bad ones. '70's movies always have a certain atmosphere and are made with a great style of movie-making, that is realistic, gritty and straightforward and also always makes uses of some experimental, non-formulaic techniques when it comes down to its storytelling and cinematography, among other things. "Mr. Ricco" might not the the best '70's movies around, it still is a good example of good old film-making from the golden '70's.The movie its story is quite messy and weak but still made look interesting at times, due to its style of film-making. It provided the movie with a couple of nice moments, including a typical '70's-like car chase trough the streets of San Fransico.San Fransico serves as a pretty good backdrop for the entire movie, as it always does in any movie.The storytelling makes sure that is hard to keep track on the movie, with as a result that all the movie its weaker points become less notable as well. The movie its story is actually quite unlikely and ridicules at points but due to the muddled way the entire story is told, it becomes less obvious and notable all. Lots of things don't really make sense in the movie once you start really thinking about them and to make it all the more confusing, the movie features many, unneeded, characters, that don't add enough to the movie and only provide the story with some needless and distracting subplots.Dean Martin of course already had his best years behind him but he still puts down a pretty good main character for the movie. The character is well developed and deepened out more thanks to Dean Martin's performance, who makes the character likable, by playing him mostly in a non-likable way.The movie on all accounts is a pretty average one. Nothing too exceptional, just another good enough movie from the golden '70's but you're just as good off watching a "Law & Order" episode, or something along those lines.6/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Scarlight *Possible Spoilers*"Mr. Ricco" tells the story of Joe Ricco, an attorney who is hired to try and clean a young man of murder. After the trial, Ricco faces an assassin who hunts him down wherever he goes. Even when the police arrest who they believe to be the assassin in 100%, he still manages to bother Ricco. Ricco must find out who the assassin is, before he hurts him or the people he cares about.This is a nice movie to kill some time when you're bored, but certainly not a masterpiece. Dean Martin's acting is OK, but the whole plot is confusing.Only watch this if there's nothing interesting on TV...