Tough Guys (1974)

Isaac Hayes plays as Lee in his feature film debut, as Father Charlie and himself solve a bank robbery mystery that stretches across the city... See full synopsis »

Director:

Duccio Tessari

Writers:

Nicola Badalucco, Georges Dutter (French dialogue),

Stars:

Lino Ventura, Isaac Hayes, Fred Williamson

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lino Ventura	...	Father Charlie
Isaac Hayes	...	Lee
Fred Williamson	...	Joe Snake
Paula Kelly	...	Fay
William Berger	...	Captain Ryan
Vittorio Sanipoli	...	Mike Petralia
Lorella De Luca	...	Anne Lombardo
Mario Erpichini	...	Gene Lombardo
Jess Hahn	...	The Bartender
Jacques Herlin	...	Barfly
Guido Leontini	...	Sergeant Sam
Romano Puppo	...	Hood
Luciano Salce	...	The bishop
Thurman Scott	...	Tony
Joel Cory	...	Cammioneur

Storyline

Isaac Hayes plays as Lee in his feature film debut, as Father Charlie and himself solve a bank robbery mystery that stretches across the city... See full synopsis »

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Plot Keywords:

bicycle | death of husband | bowling pin | hiding in a car | revenge | 

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Taglines:

The Black Moses, The Hammer, and The Preacher Man. They've got their own kind of mean game.

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Genres:

Action | Crime

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

Italy France USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 May 1974 (France)

Also Known As:

Three Tough Guys

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Films, Dino de Laurentiis Cinematografica

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The production was staffed by an Italian crew because of former Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley denying Hollywood production staff from filming within the city.

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Connections

Referenced in Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)

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Soundtracks

"Title Theme"
Written by Isaac Hayes
Performed by Isaac Hayes and The Memphis Symphony Orchestra

User Reviews

International co-production with mixed influences

THREE TOUGH GUYS is a film with varied influences. Made with French and Italian funding, shot in America by an Italian crew and produced by Dino De Laurentiis, it's a movie that attempts to cash-in on two big genres of the time: the blaxploitation film and the gangster epic. Thus we get a buddy-buddy cop story in which a hard-fighting priest and a tough black ex-cop team up to battle some gangster types searching for missing loot. The guy directing this is Duccio Tessari, a guy who pumped out a few peplum and spaghetti western flicks among others during a long and varied career.

Despite – or maybe because of – the diverse influences, this film actually works as a fairly good thriller. It hasn't got much in it that's not been seen elsewhere, but the story moves along quickly and the various shoot-outs and fist-fights are well handled. It also boasts some interesting leads. I don't know who Lino Ventura is, but his hard-bitten priest character is definitely tough. Isaac Hayes, playing opposite him, is a giant of a man with the softest of voices, and contributes some decent music to the proceedings. The third of the tough guys is Fred Williamson, appearing as a little-seen villain in this. It's unusual seeing Williamson cast as a bad guy and I wish he'd been on screen more, but there's no knocking his presence. Character actors familiar from Italian cinema pop up, like William Berger and Jess Hahn.

There are a few car chases thrown in for good measure, along with some antagonistic cops and a fantastic interlude in which one of our heroes is very nearly fed into a furnace. The set-piece finale takes place at a run-down bowling alley, but not before plenty of people have been shot or beaten up. It may not win any awards for wit or originality, but THREE TOUGH GUYS is a perfectly serviceable entry in both the blaxploitation and crime genres.