The Squeeze (1978)

A retired safe cracker is recruited by a young conman to return to the "business" for a million dollar heist.

Director:

Antonio Margheriti

Writers:

Paul Costello (screenplay), Paul Costello (story),

Stars:

Lee Van Cleef, Karen Black, Edward Albert

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Lee Van Cleef	...	Chris Gretchko / Ray Sloan
Karen Black	...	Clarisse Saunders
Edward Albert	...	Jeff Olafsen
Lionel Stander	...	Sam
Robert Alda	...	Captain Donati
Angelo Infanti	...	Inspector
Antonella Murgia	...	Jessica
Peter Carsten	...	Van Stratten
Dan van Husen	...	Hans (as Rudolf van Husen)
Dyane Silverstein	...	Cashier
Steven Burch	...	Fred (as Steve Burche)
Ron Van Clief	...	Duke
Bob Hevelone	...	Lieutenant (as Bob Avalone)
Roy Brocksmith	...	Warehouse Owner
Ewald G. Spader	...	Electrician

Storyline

Lee Van Cleef is a safe cracker coming out of retirement to pull off one last caper. The Germans behind the theft are planning to steal $1,000,000. But unbeknownst to the safe cracker, they are planning to kill him afterward. When he learns of their intent, he begins plotting his revenge.

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Plot Keywords:

caper | heist | brooklyn bridge | shot in the chest | safecracker | 

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Taglines:

Hot rocks... Hot lead! VAN CLEEF is caught in...

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Italy West Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 October 1978 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

Diamond Thieves

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dritte Centama Gmbtl.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Did You Know?

Goofs

The thug's hand alternates between Jeff's throat and shoulder between shots, right after Jeff is bailed out of jail.

User Reviews

Will squeeze your patience

After the spaghetti western craze in Italy died out in the mid-1970s, Lee Van Cleef still found himself wanted by Italian filmmakers for several years afterwards, "The Squeeze" being one of his post-westerns. Although Van Cleef was in his 50s when this movie was made, he still had the stuff that made him a star, and he gives a solid performance here. Another good performance in the movie comes from Karen Black, who is pretty convincing as a kind of ditzy neighbor who enters the life of Van Cleef's character. The movie also has better than average production values for an Italian production for the time, with on-location filming in New York City that gives the movie an authentic feeling at times. However, despite all this good stuff, the movie is still somewhat of a struggle to watch. It's very talky, with long stretches with nothing happening. A few more action sequences would have helped considerably. There are a couple of twists in the final few minutes, but it's too little too late. In short, the movie is probably only for die hard fans of Lee Van Cleef during an unusually slow night.