Tuesday, January 27, 2009

ACE HIGH


I Quattro dell’Ave Maria – Italian title
Asso piglia tutto – Italian title
Trumfove eso - Czechoslovakian title
Tappava hymy – Finnish title
Luojan lähettiläät – Finnish title
Les quattre de l’Ave Maria – French title
Deux honnetes crapules – French title
Vier für ein Ave Maria- German title
Bosszu El Pasoban – Hungarian title
Haevneren fra El Paso – Danish title
Ess pa top – Norwegian title
O ás vale mais – Portuguese title
Eis quatre bergants - Spanish title
Los cuatro truhanes – Spanish title
Ess i topp – Swedish title
Revenge at El Paso – U.K. title
Have Gun Will Travel – U.K. title
The Four of the Ave Maria – English title
Gunmen of the Ave Maria – English title
Four Gunmen of the Ave Maria – English title
Revenge at El Paso – English title
Revenge in El Paso – English title
Aces High – English title
Have Gun Will Travel - U.K. title
Ace High – U.S.A. title

A 1967 Italian, U.S.A. co-production [Crono Cinematografica/Finanzia San Marco (Rome), Gulf & Western (New York City)]
Producers: Bino Cicogna, Giuseppe Colizzi
Director: Giuseppe Colizzi
Story: Giuseppe Colizzi
Screenplay: Giuseppe Colizzi
Cinematography: Marcello Masciocchi [Technicolor, Techniscope]
Music: Carlo Rustichelli
Running time: 137 minutes

Cast:
Cacopoulos - Eli Wallach
Cat Stevens - Terence Hill (Mario Girotti)
Hutch Bessy - Bud Spencer (Carlo Pedersoli)
Thomas - Brock Peters (George Fisher)
Drake - Kevin McCarthy
Mr. Harold - Stephan Zacharias (Steffan Zacharias)
Paco Rosa - Livio Lorenzon
Thomas’ wife - Tiffany Hoyveld
Cangaciero - Remo Capitani
bank cashier - Armando Bandini (Antonio Burlando)
Foster - Rick Boyd (Federico Boido)
Deputy Charlie - Bruno Corazzari
Al - Franco Gulà
Irish farm boy - Enzo Santaniello
Irish farm girl - Simonetta Santaniello
Harold henchmen - Frank Braña (Francisco Perez), Antonio Molina Rojo, Gildo di Marco, Riccardo Pizzuti
banker - Dante Cleri
casino employee - Aldo Sala
casino cashiers - Luciano Telli, Giuseppe Terranova
boxing promoter - Giancarlo Badessi
croupier - Roger Beaumont
roulette player - Edoardo Torricella
Don Pedro Ramirez - Vicente Roca
boxer - Isa Foster
with; Antoinetta Fiorito, Corrado Olmi, Paolo Magalotti, Elio Angelucci

Story: This semi-tongue in cheek western features Eli Wallach as con-man, outlaw, half- greek half-Cherokee Cacopoulos, who gives away thousands of dollars of the bank of El Paso’s money, while on a mission of revenge. Reprising their roles from “God Forgives, I Don’t” Terence Hill as Cat Stevens and Bud Spencer as Hutch Bessy, are given $300,000 by Mr. Harold the El Paso bank president in return for a wagon load of gold (?) they have found. Once they leave town with the money, Mr. Harold arranges for Cacopoulos to escape from his jail cell in order for him to retrieve the money. Cacopoulos agrees to the deal but for personal reasons, as he wants to get revenge on the men who put him in jail, one of which is Mr. Harold, who he shoots dead. Cacopoulos easily steals the money from Cat and Hutch and leaves them to finish his mission. Stevens and Bessy are not that easily deterred and the chase is on. They follow the trail of money he gives to the needy along the way and finally meet up in Tulsa. They realize they have to team up because Cacopoulos has lost the balance of the money to a crooked Mississippi gambling establishment run by Drake (Kevin McCarthy) who is the last of the men on Cacopoulos’s list.

6 comments:

  1. Some nice gags include the two farm kids (Timmy and Maureen) from "Once Upon a Time in the West" and Eli's demand for the playing of music at the final showdown.

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  2. This is my favorite of the "Cat and Hutch" trilogy from director Colizzi, and the first time I saw Hill and Spencer in a movie. Caught it at the 422 Drive-In in Indiana, PA around 1970. A dusk-to-dawn show, if I remember.

    Favorite quote from Caccopolis: "One ally is not enough. Two is too many."

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  3. Nice blog Tom, thanks. It's great to see your postings again. All the best Ramon.

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  4. Nice rundown on this film, Tom. Although I find ACE HIGH to be too long (even in its edited USA form!) and a bit too heavy on the humor, there are still a few classic bits in it. I much prefer GOD FORIGVES--I DON'T! to this one.
    Blog's shaping up real nice, amigo! I will get to work on the "other project", soon.

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  5. Seeing Eli out of control in this movie and eating most of the scenery makes one appreciate Sergio Leone's directions that much more.

    I agree it's way too long.

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  6. I saw this movie a couple of months ago, probably the cut version. I did like it, even though I prefer the Trinity movies.

    Villahemförsakring

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