Lack of good storyline.

The story-telling is good with flashbacks.The film is both funny and heartbreaking. You smile in a scene and get a soulcrushing revelation in the next.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

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.

When a friend of mine recently passed over two Giallo films to me,I was surprised to find that they had also passed me a third film,which I had heard nothing about.After having asked my friend about what this film is,I was thrilled to find out that it was an Italian Crime film.During my viewing of the film,I became extremely intrigued by the surprisingly different execution of the films story,which makes it really stand out from some of the other Italian Crime films that I have seen.The plot:With having been given a twenty three year prison sentience for murder, (after his girlfriend and some of his "friends" have given valuable evidence to the police,which they used to prosecute him) Nanni Vitale decides that he does not want to spend the next twenty three years of his life in prison.So when Vitale and three other prisoners see an opportunity to escape,they instantly jump at the chance.This leads Vitale and the gang grabbing a prison officer,and using him as a hostage.Although some of the other officers try to grab Vitale as him and his gang drive away,they,and the hostage all end up getting left for dead.After having (for now) gotten away Scott-free,Nanni Vitale becomes extremely determined that he and his gang our going to show all the "rats" that betrayed him,that they will never be able to get away from him,until they are dead.This leads to Vitale getting hold of one of his former "best friends".When he gets a hold on his friend and his friends girlfriend,Vitale orders the rest of the gang to "stay back" so he can have all the "fun" with them on his own.Whilst Vitale beats the life out of the rat (who ends up getting an acid-type substance poured on him),he decides that killing the girlfriend,is a far too "soft" option,so he instead brutally rapes her,whilst her battered boyfriend has to watch.Mean while,Commisionner Giulio Santini becomes very nervous about Vitale striking back at the people that put him in prison,especially due to the fact that Santinis dad was the judge that sentenced Nanni Vitale to jail.With hardly any leads,Santini struggles to find out about any of Vitales plans.Suddenly a girl walks into the police station,who tells Santini that she is being kept as a "helper"/hostage for Vitale to help him succeed in getting a huge amount of cash,out of her very wealthy dad.Realising that time is of the essence,Santini feels that he has to make a move for Vitale as soon as he comes out to commit the crime,but with Nanni Vitale having his wits (and guns) on him,it is going to be a far from easy aeriest.. View on the film:For the screenplay to the film,writer/directer Sergio Grieco makes the film firmly stand out in its genre,by giving the movie a completely different structure to most of the Italian Crime film that I have watched before.Unlike the other films,which spend the whole of there running time following the criminals and focusing on their activates,Grieco instead divides the film into two,and gives an equal amount of time showing the stories of the criminals and the cops,which really help to increase the tension of the film,due to Sergio showing us Comisionner Giulio Santinis increased desperation in nabbing gang leader Nanni Vitale.Happily,along with the entertaining plot,Grieco is also able to make this film stand out by injecting a strong "Grindhouse" element into the action and violence of the picture.And although some of the slow-motion and Foley sound effects in the film,slightly take you "out" of the movie,due to them seeming to have been pasted on from a very rusty old Kung-Fu film!,the blending of the genres (mostly) works very well,with the ending scenes of Vitale holding a gun and,later on a knife to the chest and throat of a woman,whose father ruined Vitale life by giving him up to the police,being very gripping and extremely intense.Whilst Sergio Grieco does deserve praise for the movie,the film would not have been half as fun without the terrific performances of Helmut Berger and Richard Harrison.As Vitale,Berger gives an excellent enchanting performance,with Helmut showing that due to Vitale feeling completely betrayed by all of his close friends,he now feels that the only way that he can get back at them is to ruin their lives,so they can feel (just before he kills them) as much hopelessness as they have given to Vitale.Although his character is no where near as ruthless as Berger,Harrison is still able to give a fun performance as Santini,whose macho side really comes out as he gets closer,and closer to getting his hands round the neck of Nanni Vitale. Final view on the film:A fantastic Italian Crime/Grindhouse hybrid,that stands out in the Italian Crime film genre due to a very intriguing screenplay,an insanely catchy score and excellent performances from Berger and Harrison.

Remember the scene in Jackie Brown with Robert DeNiro and Bridget Fonda watching TV and then Samuel Jackson walks in and goes: "Is that Rutger Hauer?" and Fonda replies: "No, it's Helmut Berger."?Well, it's this movie they're watching.It's a typical low-key Italian gangster movie with a bunch of evil, skinny, mustached (except Helmut Berger) crooks driving around doing evil stuff. The violence scenes are very brutal but there are many moments where also unintentional humor is present. Once again, I have a Finnish super rare version of this movie with Finnish title (roughly translated) "Death Obeys No Law" on the front cover and in the back cover it says "Best With A Gun", (obviously a typing error). In the opening credits it says "Furious" (or "Ferocious"). A movie with so many names can't be that bad, can it?

Helmut Berger leads a group of prison escapees on a rampage targeting cop Richard Harrison,who testified against him in court.After Berger rapes beautiful Marisa Mell("Danger:Diabolik"),then forces her to join the gang,Harrison hatches his own plan to stop dangerous Berger.The film is loaded with sleaze and violence,but it's not as nasty as it's reputed to be."Mad Dog" is well-acted,well-directed and has a fast pace from beginning to end.So if you're a fan of Italian crime flicks give this one a look-just don't expect something mind-shattering.