Counselor at Crime (1973) Poster

(1973)

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7/10
Balsamic Vinager named after famed Eurocrime actor - fact (not a fact)
Bezenby3 March 2019
Sure, the plot sails very close to the Godfather, but this is a great film nonetheless.

In San Francisco, a goon running a bowling alley has gone berserk and his arrest has made the Mafia very worried. This guy need taken out by Capo Martin Balsam wants it done clean and painlessly, and is annoyed to find that sidekick Francisco Rabal just hired a crooked cop to do it. This, and Balsam's decision to allow his godson Tomas Milian to leave the Mafia way of life, cause a gang war as Rabal goes rogue and starts his own gang.

Rabal goes too far and in trying to kill Milian (whom he still sees as a threat) he ends up killing a child instead. No child is ever safe in an Italian film, but at least Milian rejoins the Mafia to avenge her death. Girlfriend Dagmar Lassander isn't too happy about that though.

Balsam is an old school, respected mobster, so he has plenty of allies to help him out. Can he take back the business he's lost or will he and Milian have to go into exile? As Rabal says - no one walks away from that way of life...

The best thing about this film is Balsam's relationship with Milian - he genuinely seems to love the guy, showering him with affection and treating Lassander with laid back charm. Milian is more subdued as the godson but still makes his mark as the reluctant mobster.

This one is quite fast paced for an Alberto De Martino film, and he doesn't shy away from the violence either. The bittersweet ending made a mark on me too, and once again Martin Balsam proves that he was one of the true greats.
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7/10
The Godfather knockoff you can't refuse!
Coventry8 May 2022
Alberto De Martino obviously doesn't play in the same league as Francis Ford Coppola, and Martin Balsam clearly isn't Marlon Brando. And yet, of all the dozens of mafia thrillers that came out in the early 70s to cash in on the tremendous success of "The Godfather", this "Counselor at Crime" is definitely the one I would recommend the most! The plot is convoluted, and the massive overload of supportive characters often makes it difficult to keep overview, but the atmosphere is so gripping, and every single sequence is incredibly compelling.

Thomas Accardo (Milian) is the legal attorney, and simultaneously godson, of mob boss Don Antonio; - born and raised in Sicily but reigning over San Francisco. After serving a prison sentence for keeping his shut, Thomas wants out. By accepting his resignation, Don Antonio unwarily incites a violent gang war, as his first lieutenant Garofalo has been waiting for an excuse to go against his "Don". Garofalo and his henchmen fight a very mean and merciless war, but Don Antonio has loyal allies everywhere, and following a dramatically failed attempt to kills his girlfriend, Thomas returns to the family as Don Antonio's "counselor".

"Counselor at Crime" isn't a non-stop spitfire of violent shootouts and exhilarating car chases, like the later movies starring Maurizio Merli, but more of a "full-package" mafia thriller/Poliziotesschi. But apart from the multifaceted plot and detailed character studies, there certainly are a lot of shocking and uncompromising sequences, like a chef getting shoved into his own burning pizza oven or a harrowing bomb attack that kills an innocent child. I simply also must mention the downright stupendous - as always - Riz Ortolani score, and the fantastic performance by Francisco Rabal as the stone-cold gangster.
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6/10
good acting and good locations
entomol7130 March 2008
Warning: Spoilers
Antonio Macaluso (Balsam) is the boss of a well-known family affiliated to the "mafia" in S. Francisco, who looks over all illicit trade. Macaluso called Don Antonio by his "piccioti", looks for the early release of Tomas Accardo (Milian) a famous lawyer and a gold son of him. As agreed, the day of his release Macaluso waits for the young boy just outside the prison, but he is greatly astonished at hearing he does not want to be affiliated to the mafia anymore. Macaluso minds him that his resolution cannot be accepted since he is still upset because of the imprisonment. As Tomas hides himself for a long time Vincenzo Garofalo (Rabal), the second man of the family, fights his family. Garofalo should pretend to be at the head of "cosa nostra" and moreover complains about the way Don Antonio used regard to Tomas and his departure. Garofalo has got fellow enough to set himself against Don Antonio for this reason a great bloody fight takes up with more than one dead person. Tomas listened the piece of news on the radio, gets himself in touch with Don Antonio and just later (he) comes back home. Garofalo however is still alive since he gains the friendship of the police in San Francisco. Thus Macaluso, Tomas and few others to avoid some more bloodshed, decide to move to Polizzi, a village near Palermo, where Garofalo got in for a holy day and where he was shot by Tomas himself.

This interesting film, which belongs to the mafia kind is supervised by Alberto DeMartino, an Italian director who oddly signs the headings avoiding the trend of passing Italian films as American ones, with the use of false names for the actors as well as for the directors. The film which is really filmed in S. Francisco (in the famous Lombard street are some chasing scenes) boasts of international cast, in fact almost the actors are American except Milian and Rabal. Unfortunately the film is a bit weak in the rhythm but the acting and the locations fill up this lack. The dialogues are in English and just the dubbing is Italian but with a Sicilian accent. Probably the version in direct sound does not exist for the home video and this is really a pity, since all the actors, Milian included, speak a good English. All contemporary films of the same subject, directed by DeMartino, are certainly lower in quality than this one (for example "i familiari delle vittime non saranno avvertiti")
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Balsam and Milian blast the opposition!
blur812 December 2004
Il Consigliori is a poliziotti film from 1973. Martin Balsam, a regular of these types of films plays Don Maggadino, a powerful San Francisco mob boss. His consigliori (lawyer) played by Tomas Milian, another familiar face in Italian films has just gotten out of jail. He is happy to see his Don once again but wants to go straight. Maggadino is not too happy but allows him to go his own way. Once this happens, Garafolo played by Francisco Rabal becomes unhappy and wants to branch off into his own family. Thus begins a war between the rival factions. The consigiliori cannot bear to see his don go down and joins him once again. This movie is fantastic. It has all the elements of an action movie plus many values of the Mafia system. There are great sit-down meetings in restaurants, numerous shoot-outs, two nice car chases, and a great story. The relationship between the always excellent Balsam and Milian in a more subdued role here is very special. There are great visuals of urban San Francisco and rural Sicily for the finale. Riz Ortolani provides a great soundtrack and Albert De Martino's (Blazing Magnum) direction provides a good flow. A must for Mob film and Italian action film fans.
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5/10
THE COUNSELLOR (Alberto De Martino, 1973) **
Bunuel19767 October 2006
Third-rate GODFATHER clone is so clearly patterned after the Francis Coppola blockbuster that the end result, despite the occasional felicities, is doubly disappointing: Tomas Milian, the consigliori of the title, naturally has the Robert Duvall role; Martin Balsam steps in for Brando as the Don and also suffers an attempt on his life (while visiting his wife's grave); there is also a death scene featuring a bullet-ridden car a' la James Caan's demise in GODFATHER and another one in a restaurant (with the owner unceremoniously dumped into the furnace while still alive); a violent retribution (this time against rebellious mafioso Francisco Rabal and his renegade gang) juxtaposed with a religious ceremony (here a village procession); Balsam and Milian fleeing to their Sicilian homeland with Rabal in pursuit, etc.

The film also features Euro-Cult favorites Dagmar Lassander (wasted as Milian's girl) and Edoardo Fajardo (in a small role towards the end, as a Sicilian Mafioso whose "godfather" had been Milian's father!) but, unfortunately, they contribute next to nothing to the mix. Although the version of the film I watched was in Italian, the gangsters (particularly Balsam) have a habit of slipping into English ("Yu-unna-stan", "Well", "Busy-ness", etc.) perhaps to show that they've been living for far too long in America but, frankly, I couldn't help laughing when at the end the mortally-wounded Milian (riding away in a car after the final showdown with Rabal) has to listen to Balsam rattling away one "Damn Bastard" after another without letting the old man know that he was done for; it practically reminded me of those scenes in AIRPLANE! (1980) showing the various passengers sitting next to Robert Hays who end up doing the craziest things to themselves so long as they're spared from listening to his life story! As usual with this kind of film, the music is an asset and Riz Ortolani's lush score here is no exception.
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1/10
A waste of time!
RodrigAndrisan8 March 2019
Martin Balsam, Tomas Milian, Francisco Rabal, three good actors, whom I have seen in many other movies, much better than this one. This is an incredible story with mobsters killing each other. Riz Ortolani's music, always of superior quality, is better than the movie.
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8/10
'Il Consigliori' comes highly recommended to Mob movie maniacs and Euro-crime enthusiasts alike!
Weirdling_Wolf24 January 2014
Albert De Martino's exciting, 'Il Consigliori' (1973) is a Bootstrap tough Italo-Iberian Mafioso actioner featuring, Martin Balsam as powerful San Francisco mob boss, Don Antonio Macaluso, and the feared Don's consigliori (lawyer), Thomas Accardo, is charismatically brought to the screen by the exalted Euro-crime alumni, Tomas Milian! After serving out his jail sentence, Accardo makes a seemingly optimistic choice to finally go straight, and happy to meet with his erstwhile employer, the stubborn lawyer wants out of the mob! While, Don Macaluso doesn't approve, he nonetheless reluctantly allows Accardo to go his own way. Unbeknownst to Don Antonio, the ambitious thug, Vincent Garafolo (Francisco Rabal), increasingly frustrated with the uneasy status quo, fatefully orchestrates his own crime family, thereby engendering a bloody conflict between the rival criminal factions.

Remaining loyal to the beleaguered Don, Thomas Accardo (Tomas Milian) girds his nattily dressed loins, and 'Armed to The Teeth, he courageously prepares to defend his Boss once again. This compelling crime-thriller is a stone groove from the get-go, boisterously replete with all the volatile elements of a gonzo poliziotteschi, plus the additionally entertaining tropes of a gritty mafia expose; dramatic sit-down meetings in restaurants, numerous sanguinary shoot-outs, two exhilarating car chases, and one especially righteous, bullet-blasted finale! The respectful relationship between the ageing Don and his loyal Consigliori is well realised, plus the sprawlingly urban San Francisco, and rural Sicily provides a visually striking contrast. Music maestro, Riz Ortolani provides yet another gorgeous soundtrack, and Albert De Martino ('Blazing Magnum') once again proves himself to be a very capable action director. 'Il Consigliori' comes highly recommended to Mob movie maniacs and Euro-crime enthusiasts alike!
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5/10
very disappointing movie
christopher-underwood31 January 2014
Not my cup of tea at all, this Godfather clone. Milian is wasted in the role of the 'will he won't he' role as the reluctant son. reluctant that is after a prison sentence to return to the turgid business of defending the 'family', 'honour' and all that toss. Wasted also was the lovely Dagmar Lassander who does just about nothing, but then this is a little boys film so no place for women.

To be fair although I found all the stuff in San Francisco predictable and tedious (as well as silly and sentimental) when we switch to Sicily things do improve enormously. Whether its the streets and local colour or just tighter direction I'm not sure but I went from beginning to dose off to full attention. But just because the last 15 minutes or so is fine cannot salvage what was for me a very disappointing movie.
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