Sol Madrid (1968)

Director:

Brian G. Hutton

Writers:

Robert Wilder (novel)
David Karp (writer)

Release Date:

7 February 1968 (USA)

Genre:

Crime

Tagline:

He's the Only Cop Who Can Con the Mafia Out of $3,000,000 in Heroin!

Plot:

Government agent Sol Madrid travels to Mexico with hooker Stacey to bring mobster Villanova and drug kingpin Dietrich to justice. |

Plot Keywords:

Kingpin | Agent | Gangster | Mafia | Narcotics

Cast

David McCallum	...	Sol Madrid
Stella Stevens	...	Stacey Woodward
Telly Savalas	...	Emil Dietrich
Ricardo Montalban	...	Jalisco
Rip Torn	...	Dano Villanova
Pat Hingle	...	Harry Mitchell
Paul Lukas	...	Capo Riccione
Michael Ansara	...	Capt. Ortega
Perry Lopez	...	Hood #1
Michael Conrad	...	Scarpi
Robert Rockwell	...	Chief Danvers
Merritt Bohn	...	Refinery Engineer
Madge Cameron	...	Woman in Cantina
Shepherd Sanders	...	Cantina Operator
Henry A. Escalante	...	Dietrich Gunman #2

Also Known As:

The Heroin Gang (UK)

Runtime:

90 min | 86 min (TCM print)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Norway:16 (1970) | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico

Company:

Gershwin-Kastner

Movie Connections:

Featured in Lionpower from MGM (1967)

Characterless, plotless mess

2 out of 10

Why even bother giving names to these plot advancers? It is a reach even to call them characters, since there is zero context, characterization or texture provided. "Supercop" infiltrates "Latin Drug Lord's" operation using "Blonde Moll" who is on the run from "Mob Guy." Who are these people? Apparently the director didn't care either, all he wanted was a few gun and knife fights to occur in front of a camera.

Unfortunately for the viewer, the plot itself is just as underdeveloped. I defy anyone to explain why the Michael Conrad character exists, why Sol Madrid does 3/4ths of the things he does (or how he could be allowed by his superiors to do so), or why "Mob Guy" decides to reenact the desert hotel scene from Touch of Evil.

The "mafia meeting" at the beginning is the silliest I have ever seen. And, no, this isn't supposed to be a comedy.

David McCallum and Stella Stevens believe the best way to deliver lines in an "intense" scene is to yell them, otherwise, any inflection is superfluous.

The only morsels of merit are seeing a completely unbelievable yet interesting way to smuggle drugs play out and Ricardo Montalban, who, despite the decent resumes of the other actors, is the only one who decided to employ his talents instead of pocketing his paycheck simply for showing up on the set.