AshUnow
This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.
sol
**SPOILERS** Somewhat ridicules movie staring world champion muscle man Franco Columbu playing the part of recently retired Interpol Agent Franco Armando aka Code name "Beretta". Franco's quiet and easy life of pumping up with his good friend and fellow muscle man Arnold Schwarzenegger, at the local World Gym, riding his Harley and dancing on the grape, by making his own and favorite wines, quickly comes to a sudden and unexpected end at the start of the film Beretta's Island. That's when Franco's informed, through the Interpol grape-vine, that Columbian drug dealers are setting up shop in his hometown of Ollolia Sardinia.Reinstated into Interpol and back in action Franco shoots down to Ollolai to put a stop to this threat to the people of Sardina who have never had a serious drug problem, like the US, before. The drug gang lead by the Nicolas Cage look-alike Johnny Carrea, Van Quattro, had already had a confrontation with Franco back in Las Vages where Interpol Agent, and Franco's partner, Tina, Audrey Brunner, was gunned down.Franco having a new, and far more attractive and busty, woman Interpol Agent Linda, Elizabeth Kaitan, to help him track down and capture Johnny Carrea's drug gang has him, more then once in the film, more interested in making it with her then capturing them! As for Johnny he's so neurotic and mentally unbalanced that by the time the movie is over he ends up wiping, in suspecting them of double-crossing him, out his entire gang before Franco has a chance to do it himself! As for the big and expensive drug-some 20 kilos of cocaine-stash Johnny has he leaves it practically out in the open for Franco and his friend on the island Barone, Ken Kenchevai, to easily find and destroy with just one a stick of dynamite. Leaving the millions of dollars worth of coke in his drug laboratory apartment with the door unlocked and no one guarding it Johnny had about as much concern for his expensive cargo as he would have for the Staten Island Fresh Kill garbage dump!Always finding an excuse to strip off his shirt to show off his bulging muscles Franco should have been an easy target for Johnny and his boys to put away. Yet with all the bullets directed at him the Carrea gang couldn't as much as nick Franco much less kill him. In fact the only time that Franco was actually hit,back in Las Vages, the bullet was stopped by Franco's concealed gun that he had strapped to his chest!As you would expect Agent Beretta-Franco's Interpol code name-had no trouble whatsoever taking out Johhny and his gang of coked up, they use it as well as sell it, drug pushers. We also got to see in the movie Franco ride horses as well as sing besides flexing his enormous muscles which after a while, with him doing it like every five minutes in the film, got a bit monotonous to say the least. The big bonus in the movie was at the very end, with the ending credits, where we at last, after waiting all that time, got to see the sexy Linda strip off her top as she and Franco, who still kept his trunks on, were seen happily swimming in the sun drenched Mediterranean Sea! After suffering through an hour and a half of chases explosions and shoot-outs It's was well worth the wait!
Vasilii Naidionoff
Very funny to watch "Beretta's Island" as kind of natural trash-film.It is like answer to Jess Franko's type of b-movie.Bodybuilders strikes back (!face to face!) to pushers.The very very very stupid strike!Action: unbelievably bad directed firing(shooting) scenes look even better than hand-to-hand fighting.Chasing scenes ridiculous.Saving beauties scenes incredibly stupid.Erotic scenes are very unerotic.The main luck of film is pretty landscapes and festival scenes.Don't miss:Arnold Schwarzenegger's joke at start of film and list of Franco Columbu's kin at the end. Special attraction: naked bosom.Almoust forgot - Franco can sing!
Massimo Zeri
I like when certain low budget independent motion pictures are trying harder to make a point. "Beretta's Island" certainly is one of them. Franco Columbu (Mr. World, Mr. Universe and Mr. Olympia) produced this movie and stars as an interpol agent - code name Beretta - who is forced out of retirement to avenge the cold-blooded murder of a cop. The killer's trail leads to Franco's hometown on the beautiful island of Sardinia, west of the Italian coast line. Rarely used locations adding an amazing flavor to the action and increases the value of the story and cinematography. I heard that in some circles in the USA and around the world this is considered a cult movie.
joe dredd
Francko Columbo (aka The Ripper) is a superb actor, who could forget him in the classic detective series when he wore that long dirty coat and drove around in a whacked out old car with his pet bloodhound. Anyway back to Beretta's Island, it is one of the best epic action Manganime films I have ever seen. I cannot find enough superlatives for this movie. Franco excels as the cop who will stop as nothing to capture the very young Paul Hogan (the evil drug dealer). Arnold's role is great and its cool to see him getting ripped with Franco!??? The drop kick sequence has to be seen to be believed, it was all, i believe, filmed in camera with no latex involved! Franco's prosthetic ageing make-up works wonders to give him a very convincing appearance. Franco trained hard for a year for this movie and it really paid off. The action scenes are the best i have seen since Spawn, specifically the bit where Spawn does a forward flip with 2 machine guns. The early use of CGI almost tops the innovation displayed in Nightmare on Elm Street 3. Lance Henrickson cameos as a street punk who gets whipped by Franco. Try and spot Dudley Moore in the apartment shoot-out scene. Bill Paxton also features as a villain who uses double Uzi's in the final underwater action sequence. Highly recommended.
