If Maurizio Merli had held his nerve at the start of this film, the rest wouldn't have happened and he would have made it home a rich man.
That's not what happens though. Merli plays a Vietnam veteran with a shady past who is blackmailed into killing someone on the orders of crooked businessman Mel Ferrer. Mel and his co-worker want to 'off' a business partner, which Merli does pretty efficiently, but a hold up at the airport causing him to panic and run, leaving behind his phony passport that leads to him being identified as the killer.
Mel Ferrer seems understanding enough, but his business partner panics and now people are trying to kill both Mel and Merli, leading to Merli pleading to a stranger for help...and falling in love!
If you are idiot like me you'll spend the first third of this film wondering why Maurizio Merli has brown eyes when you could have sworn he had green eyes. Turns out that not only is he wearing contacts, he's also wearing a wig and get this - he's not wearing a real moustache! This is all to do with Maurizio changing identity to get away from the cops. An non-cop Merli with no moustache is a lot to take on, but I was able to cope.
The other thing you'll need to cope with is the fact that this is not an action film and Merli is playing a bit of a lost character. He's quite good at it though. As a Vietnam deserter in Rome, he does a good turn as a man way out of his depth, relying on the kindness of others to escape the criminal underworld.
I think I underestimated his acting abilities to be honest, this and Covert Action show that the man can do vulnerable too! Good stuff.
