The 5-Man Army!

Director: Don Taylor, Italo Zingarelli Don Taylor

Overview

Five Man Army can best be described as a marked-down Magnificent Seven. Peter Graves, James Daly, Bud Spencer, Testuro Tamba and Nino Castelnuovo play the quintet of the title. Caught in the middle of the 1914 Mexican Revolution, the five men pool their individual skills in hopes of incapacitating the enemy. With Mission: Impossible star Graves in the lead, it's only natural that the plan involves the "impossible" task of relieving a nasty general of a large gold shipment. Set in Mexico but filmed in Italy, this spaghetti western was bankrolled by MGM, the same folks who brought you the popular The Dirty Dozen and who were undoubtedly hoping that lightning would strike twice.

Product Details

Release Date:	09/11/2012
UPC:	0883316639887
Original Release:	1970
Rating:	PG
Source:	Warner Archives
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[monaural]
Language:	English
Time:	1:45:00
Sales rank:	35,280

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Peter Graves	Dutchman
James Daly	Capt. Nicolas Augustus
Nino Castelnuovo	Luis Dominguez
Carlo Pedersoli	Mesito
Tetsuro Tamba	Samurai
Daniela Giordano	Maria
Claudio Gora	Manuel Estaban
Annabella Andreoli	Perla
Carlo Alighiero	Gutierrez
Jack Stuart	Mexican Officer
Marc Lawrence	Carnival Barker
Jose Torres	Mexican Spy,Spy
Marino Mase	Train Engineer
Ennio Morricone	Composer

Technical Credits

Dario Argento

Marc Richards

Don Taylor	Director
Italo Zingarelli	Executive Producer,Producer,Director
Dario Argento	Screenwriter
Marc Richards	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

This serviceable Italian Western from American director Don Taylor packs the required action sequences, especially a terrific train robbery, but is sorely missing the stylistic flourishes and Byzantine plotting that earmarks many of the subgenre's better-known titles. The presence of spaghetti Western regulars Bud Spencer (here speaking without English dubbing) and Giacomo Rossi-Stuart also can't make up for Peter Graves' bland lead or Nino Castelnuovo's clichéd hothead youth, but the film's lack of drive cannot be attributed to one particular source. The enervation starts with Taylor and trickles down to Dario Argento's script and the performances. Too bad, as it wastes one of Ennio Morricone's most rousing Western scores. Though Taylor receives sole credit as director, he only worked a single day on the film; conflicting sources attribute the remaining footage to everyone from Argento to Guilio Questi to producer Italo Zingarelli.

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