When John Frankenheimer set out to make 99 and 44/100% Dead, he knew that he was creating a parody of the violent times that he perceived the '70s to be. With the name of the movie taken from an ad slogan for Ivory Soap, the director understood screenwriter Robert Dillon's point of view—that the only character who could take us on this funny and action-packed ride was a professional hitman. Enter Richard Harris as Harry Crown. Cool under pressure, seductive when interacting with the ladies, he is a protagonist who somewhat borrows the looks and grace from Michael Caine's Carter in Get Carter (1971). Those traits help him manage the war on the streets led by two opposing crime bosses. With his barbarous nemesis Marvin “The Claw” Zuckerman (Chuck Connors) working for one of the crime bosses, things soon get very personal when Crown's love interest Buffy (Ann Turkel) gets kidnapped by “The Claw”.
Richard Harris does a fantastic job as the protagonist, a role that was initially intended for either Charles Bronson or Italian actor Marcello Mastroianni. Henry Mancini's score helps us navigate this rough and tough world, including the credits where we are treated with art inspired by the great Roy Lichtenstein.
In 1972 a neophyte Spanish media company created a rare platform for artists to explore classic genre imagery with a sophisticated cinematic sensibility.
After Peter Hyams made a successful TV movie called "Goodnight, My Love", producers Robert Chartoff and Irwin Winkler approached him with the desire of...
