The Executioner (1978)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Duke Mitchell

Writers:

Genre:

Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

Fingered by The Godfather, Nailed by... The Executioner

Plot Keywords:

Execution | Gang War | Desk Lamp | Handel's Messiah | Revenge

Cast

Duke Mitchell	...	Mimi Miceli (as Dominico Miceli)
Vic Caesar	...	Jolly Rizzo
Lorenzo Dodo	...	Don Mimi
Louis Zito	...	Chucky Tripoli (as Lou Zito)
Cara Salerno	...	Liz
Fred Otash	...	Bones
John Strong	...	Cheech
Jimmy Williams	...	Super Spook

Also Known As:

Duke Mitchell's Massacre Mafia Style (USA)
Like Father, Like Son
Massacre Mafia Style

Runtime:

79 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Certification:

Australia:R

Company:

Spartan Films

Trivia:

Duke Mitchell made a sequel called Gone with the Pope. He died before it was edited. Recently, the rights were purchased by Sage Stallone and Bob Murawski of Grindhouse Releasing. They are currently finishing the film for Duke Mitchell.

Movie Connections:

References The Godfather (1972)

Soundtrack:

Open Your Heart

One of the best bad movies ever made and surely the campiest tale of the mafia caught on screen

"The Executioner" (better known by its more exploitive title "Massacre Mafia Style") is the most jaw dropping and unintentionally hilarious film I've seen in a long while. Its certainly the most kitschy tale of the mafia I've seen, with everyone in this film resembling a bad lounge singer. Auteur Duke Mitchell directed, wrote, produced, starred, and even composed the especially annoying music to this one, and proved to be completely inept in all departments. However, its that special Ed Wood style of incompetency where its obvious the maker had a lot of enthusiasm in his project, making everything even more over-the-top. Mitchell strives for the scope of "The Godfather" but has about fifteen dollars to work with.

There are several memorably campy moments to be found in this film. The opening is a real stunner, one of the most unforgettable opening sequences in film history (for better or worse). Again, its obvious Mitchell was trying to make something of quality, but his incompetence and budget limitations got in the way. Not to mention his hair, which is dyed gray to show aging (rather blatantly also). Also, the dialog is unbelievably politically incorrect and bound to offend most ears. However, psychotronic fans enjoy this kind of talk, and "Massacre Mafia Style" is a true exploitation gem. Now if only Grindhouse would get around to releasing the DVD! (7/10)