Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Watching it is like watching the spectacle of a class clown at their best: you laugh at their jokes, instigate their defiance, and "ooooh" when they get in trouble.

Oof! This is an Italian crime film that really has a nasty edge to it. Helmet Berger is a career criminal who escaps from jail with some buddies, gives a prison guard a kicking and throws him out of car, runs cop Richard Harrison off the road (not before Harrison plugs one of the escapees in the head), beats two men in a petrol station almost to death, grabs the snitch that landed him in jail, rapes his girlfriend, beats the guy to death, and buries him in lime. This all happens within the first fifteen minutes of the film. Berger's mental with a capital M, and is out to get enough money to get out of the country, so he enlists the snitch's girlfriend against her will to set up a heist involving getting money from her father, but she doesn't take too well to being raped and goes to Harrison, who can think of nothing else but snapping Berger's neck. Much violence, hostage taking, and beatings ensue, and believe it or not the film manages to get even more nasty as it progresses, as the final scenes in a warehouse involve a guy getting shot multiple times in the face and a girl being tortured with a straight razor. Harrison (of the insanely great Ninja Terminator, and many other films with Ninja in the title) is basically a ball of rage who won't stop till he's got his man, but the film really belongs to Berger, who plays a man who has no rules and barely a soul (although he does meet with his sister and treats her nicely enough). He beats, stabs, shoots, and rapes to get what he wants, and those cold Tuetonic eyes just add to the icy character who'll sink to any level for his own gain.If you like Italian crime films, there's scores and scores of them that will easily satisfy. To me it seems to be the genre where the filmmakers always hit a home run. I've never watched one I didn't enjoy, and while Mad Dog hasn't got much in way of plot, it sure gets the adrenalin going. While not as nasty as Fulci's Contraband (although I'm sure there possibly might be an Italian crime movie that's more violent than that), I'd place Mad Dog on a par with Almost Human (which is quite similar). The only let down here is the presentation by Mill Creek, which is a severely cropped full screen version, although I must say I'm just glad to see the film at all.

Aka Beast With a Gun, a good example of 70s Euro-trash.Italian director Luchino Visconti is said to view Helmut Berger as the very image of his idea of a "demonic, insane and sexually perverted" man. That descriptions means he was perfect for the role of the mad dog killer in this film.After raping a girl (Marisa Mell) and killing her boyfriend, he takes her along to help out on his plan to get money to leave the country. She turns the tables on him and joins with the Police Inspector, play by Richard Harrison, a ninja and sword and sandals veteran.There's a back and forth between the cops and mad dog, and he even kidnaps the inspector's sister (Marina Giordana) and father (Claudio Gora) before it is over.Cheesy dialog, of course, but that;s not why you watch.

I'm not sure which title I like more but this film does indeed have a certain special charm to it. No, it is not outstanding or anything superlative like that, but it is rather enjoyable to watch as a crook/killer gets out of prison to wreak havoc and revenge on those responsible for putting him there in the first place. Helmut Berger is the best thing about this film as he plays a violent, sadistic psychopath with the best of them. He has no heart whatsoever and is quite something to see. His scenes in the abandoned warehouse and with newly acquired "moll" the beautiful Marisa Mell particularly stand out. Muscle-bound Richard Harrison, who you might remember from some older sword and sandal movies, plays the cop out to protect himself and his family. Like another reviewer noted, the script and plot have some obvious problems, but the pace and delivery more than offset those inadequacies. If you want some good, old-fashioned Italiam crime atmosphere then Mad Dog or Beast with a Gun is for you.

Sadistic no-count killer Nanni Vitali (excellently essayed with lip-smacking wicked relish by Helmut Berger) and three equally brutish hoodlums escape from prison. The foul foursome embark on a savage spree of rape, murder and robbery. Vitali even abducts and defiles frightened hapless lass Giuliana Caroli (a solid turn by the strikingly gorgeous Marisa Mell). Rugged police Inspector Giulio Santini (a properly steely performance by Richard Harrison) becomes determined to bag the despicable Vitali. Writer/director Sergio Grieco keeps the movie rattling along at a constant swift pace, stages the stirring action scenes with considerable rip-snorting brio (the occasional use of strenuous slow motion is especially effective and impressive), and does an expert job of creating and sustaining a harsh, gritty, resolutely tough-minded and nasty-hearted tone. Vittorio Bernini's crisp, handsome widescreen cinematography gives the picture an attractive glossy look. Umberto Smaila's funky, throbbing score likewise hits the groovy spot. Best of all, this extremely hard-edged winner certainly doesn't skimp on the excessive full-bore profanity, tasty female nudity, raunchy sex, and rough, unflinching, no-holds-barred ferocious violence. A satisfyingly sick and vicious little beaut.