Miliardi

I should be the IMDb king of B-rated movies. All the movies I rate have about 2 user comments. :-) Anyway, another bargain DVD from the local discount store again. Not as enjoyable as most B-rated movies as this one takes itself too seriously, with unintentional (or maybe intentional ... I can't tell) humor.

The most ridiculous part was trying to remember at the movie's end how many people Billy Zane slept with. That's the only impression of the movie I got. Dumb plot toying with being serious, but shallow enough for most people to see that this is nothing more than a silly sex drama.

From about 1950 until the early 1970s, a lot of American and British actors, particularly B-listers, made films for Italian production companies. For some, I'm sure it was a nice vacation, for others it was a chance to work, and for a few, it was an opportunity to star in films when they couldn't find starring work in Hollywood. The best example of the latter is Clint Eastwood. Eastwood had appeared as a regular on American TV shows but in movies he was confined to bit parts....that all changed after making himself a BIG star in three of Italian director Sergio Leone's films ("Fistful of Dollars", "For a Few Dollars More" and "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly"). In the case of "Millions' ("Miliardi"), this film wasn't about to make ANYONE famous...just give some minor American actors a chance to work.

I found this film on YouTube after a friend suggested it. Unfortunately, like some films on YouTube, the sound is poor (there's a definite whine) and the picture is a bit dark and blurry. Perhaps you can find a better copy someplace else.

The story finds all sorts of spoiled and mostly awful folks gathered around their uncle's death bed in the hopes that they'll inherit his fortune. So, instead of caring about Uncle Leo, they all wait like vultures to get their hands on his stuff....and he had a LOT of stuff! During the course of the film, there are lots sexy women, scheming, fast cars, greed, blackmail, temper tantrums, and exciting Italian locales.

So is this soap opera-like film filled with boobies any good? Based on its overall score of 3.6, you would assume it sure isn't. Well, I didn't like it...though don't think it's as horrible as the score would indicate. To me, the acting was often a bit flat and great story ideas tended to fall a bit flat as well. Not bad...just second-rate. A time passer with adequate acting (at best).

This is a story of ambition, with lots of nasty people competing with one another. Even the good guys seem to have their issues. It's about high finance and vultures circling the not yet dead body of a financier. It has one ambitious guy who sleeps with a bevy of gorgeous models. He is childlike and immoral. Of course, he gets to butt heads with others who are as maniacal has he, so he is not able to ally himself very. In a movie where you don't have a true hero, there's not much to keep the attention. There are some pretty sexy scenes with beautiful. I'm sure some would be attracted to it for that. But, overall, it's a pretty forgettable presentation. Once you've seen it, forget it.

I'm curious about movies like this. Did the director run through each take in multiple languages so that an un-dubbed release can be made in multiple countries?

This movie looks and moves like an Italian sex drama, yet everyone speaks English. It's about as awkward as watching Dog Day Afternoon dubbed into the Queen's English.

Anyway, the bodies are beautiful, the wealth is disgusting, the liquor cabinets are well-stocked, and Billy Zane sleeps with just about everyone.

A thoroughly bad movie. Plot was about an international family company and associated financial machinations. Could have at least done better photography on some of the beautiful locations. And it didn't help that the main character was played by Billy Zane, who I have always found highly annoying. A lot of pretty women ,though.