Johnny Cool DVD review

           

            Johnny Cool was way ahead of its time. This is obvious because of how shocking and exciting some of the sequences in this underground thriller are today, nearly fifty years later. The premise itself is half of the fun, beginning with the capture of an Italian rebel (Henry Silva) who led his villagers in a fight of his own during WWII. Afterwards he is brought by a wealthy crime boss from New York who has been hiding out in Sicily.

            Hiring the rebel to take his name and return to New York as the crime boss, the agenda is to kill all of the underworld gangsters who betrayed the real crime boss. Nobody can figure out who the man is claiming to be the crime boss, but he has all of the right names and information, which was secretly given to him. Eventually he finds his way in the inner circle, and begins to assassinate everyone on his list.

            The brutal action of Johnny Cool makes for an unexpectedly entertaining viewing experience, though it has all of the expected results of a gangster film. There are some great appearances, including one by Sammy Davis Jr, who adds comedic relief in his small role. This is the first time Johnny Cool has been released on DVD, and it comes with no restoration and no special features.