Il piccione d'argilla

Even when you consider the low point Metro Goldwyn Mayer was finding itself in the 1970s, it's really puzzling why they decided picking up this movie was worth their time. As it turns out, they didn't give it much of a theatrical release. Seeing the movie, it's easy to figure out why MGM eventually realized there wasn't much of a potential audience for it. It's not entirely bad. The acting is pretty competent for the most part, though Robert Vaughn does overact for most of his scenes. And there's an interesting and tuneful soft rock soundtrack by some prominent musicians like Arlo Guthrie. But the movie is a big bore. It takes about half of the running time for the movie to set everything up, and once everything is set up, the movie doesn't pick up much more speed. Only some bouts of graphic violence and bloodshed (and graphic nudity) will prevent viewers from falling asleep, though I think most viewers once the movie reaches the ending will feel that having a nap would have been a more productive use of their time.