The Squeeze (1978)

Thanks for the memories!

Memorable, crazy movie

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

I think that people such as Charles Bronson and Lee Marvin must have passed on this film before the producers got to Lee Van Cleef. In The Squeeze Van Cleef plays a retired safecracker who apparently quit at the top of his game over a decade earlier. Edward Albert son of an old friend lures him back with a job offer to steal some diamonds.Seeing them and folks like Karen Black as a ditzy hippe chick, Lionel Stander as a pawnbroker friend of Van Cleef's, and Robert Alda as a police inspector always a step of two behind is always nice. His employers want to betray Van Cleef, but he didn't survive as long as he has by being stupid.The Squeeze has some dull patches and an annoying soundtrack of some of the worst 70s music. It's also a sad commentary on the human condition, nobody can trust nobody with one exception.

Highly entertaining Antonio Margheriti heist film stars Lee Van Cleef as the self-assured former safe-cracker lured into one last job for the sake of the son (Albert) of a former close associate. Only problem is Albert is apparently in over his head and various sinister interests are pitted against one another as the heist goes fatally awry.Bares more than a little resemblance to "The Mechanic" in many respects, but that's not to say it doesn't hold up in its own right with a few neat plot twists and turns to keep you guessing. Van Cleef is well supported by Albert as the young buck with a plan to steal millions in diamonds from flamboyant crook Roy Brocksmith (in his film debut), while the 'black fist of fury' Ron Van Clief has a prominent supporting role as one of Brocksmith's goons, showcasing his karate talents in one memorable fight scene.Karen Black's role conveys more depth than it appears, and its really her presence that suggests this crime-caper is better than the average tripe. Her role brings an entirely different dimension to the picture, and more importantly, adds a very satisfying and memorable plot twist to savour. Great cast, plenty of violence and explosions typical of a Margheriti picture, shouldn't be easily dismissed.

New York City is not the sort of Wild West setting I'd expect to find Lee Van Cleef in, but he shows up here as the lead in a mildly interesting caper film as an older, wiser movie villain, this time sporting a neatly trimmed beard along with the ubiquitous moustache. I'll play devil's advocate here and say that I found this picture somewhat interesting compared to most reviewers on this board. It had an eclectic cast featuring Edward Albert and Karen Black, and just to give you an idea how long it's been since I saw Lionel Stander in anything at all, it would have been way back in his 'Hart to Hart' days of the early Eighties.So most of the other reviewers give you an idea of what's going on here. I'd rather comment on such quirks in the story as the newspaper headline 'Youth Drums His Way to Jail' as Jeff Olafson (Albert) is being ushered to jail AFTER the story breaks in print. This device was pretty common in films of the Thirties and Forties, but seeing it as late as 1978 makes no sense at all. Then there's the 'Shaft' style music soundtrack for a nominally all white film except for the martial arts bad guy who appears later in the picture. And riddle me this - I don't know anything really about gunshot forensics, but how is it that blood stains still appear on a car seat twenty four hours after being submerged in salt water? Just wondering.Karen Black gets the booby prize for her performance here. I've seen her in a fair number of movies, and I'm still trying to figure out if she's attractive or not. She has a unique look and depending on your disposition, I guess she could be a looker. It happened here once in an odd close-up. Otherwise, she's involved in a neat twist at the end of the story I didn't see coming, so if you need any kind of a recommendation, that would be it.One final observation. I've made it a habit to check out product placement in the movies I watch, and this one without a doubt is the all time champion after having reviewed over twenty four hundred films so far. From the top, there's Coca Cola, Marlboro, Bacardi, Bols, Seagrams, J&B Scotch, Nescafe Coffee, Supreme Steel Wool Pads, Colt .45, Kellogg's Variety Pack Cereal, Clear Floor Wax, V-8 Juice and Miller Beer. There were a few more illegible brands besides, but I think I made my point. When all is said and done by the time the picture's over, it's pretty fair to say that you should have had a V-8.

I fell asleep watching this movie but admittedly only for the last ten minutes. The storyline is not explained well, it was only today I discovered what the value of the theft was and the background. The start was terrible, I thought I had missed something. The parts where characters stare at each other for long periods does not improve the tension or the plot... just made me lose interest. Is worth a watch if you are drunk however as it provides plenty to laugh about. I have seen the end and it did not improve the movie for me. Having bought this for £5 in a box set of "20 Great Action Adventure Movies" I do not feel ripped off, I feel I have obtained A useful tool for entertaining myself and my friends... but not in the way the director intended. I will not advise people to avoid this. The story is good but the way it has been put across to the audience is poor and maybe some more time could have been taken. There is a hint that there was some talent behind this movie as the shots of New York are beautifully gritty and not all glossy. Do watch this, even if just for a quick laugh before moving onto something better.