User Reviews

German Cobos plays Callahan a tough guy on the case of stole diamonds in this doublecrossing overseas action film. Corny song in the begining credit, and terrible dubbing doesn't help. Also a big fight between a Torres and a bald guy is a misfire because the punch sound effect is way off. There is a fantastic bar room brawl in the film that is funny as hell with comical music. Great cast also features Erika Blanc and the late Frank Ressell. By the way, this is not a war film. Recommended.

A Fistful Of Diamonds was shown on TV as an imitation James Bond, Euro-Spy movie but is really just a detective story. Frank Ressel kills all of his Diamond Cartel partners and gloats over his new found wealth. Erica Blank shows up and demands here late husband's share only to be treated as a play thing. She then hires NYC detective Callahan (German Cobos), to get her diamonds back. He tracks the stash to Turkey and grabs all the diamonds and sets a trap in a remote valley in order to eliminate the "gang" and hopefully run off with Erica. She gets killed in the gun battle, so he returns to his dull uneventful life back in New York. There is a lot of "running around" and gun play throughout the movie but very little of interest. They just walk around and talk about what they will do with the diamonds when they get them. Erica Blanc's acting ability and great looks are lost in this story.

This is a Balcázar Producciones Cinematográficas, Spain-Italy, made in 1967 resulting to be a typical Euro spy movie with ordinary ingredients : thriller , noisy action , crossfire and fights . ¨Fistful of Diamonds¨ or ¨Fuerza 4¨ deals with an international conspiracy in which the villain head of a diamond cartel called Krasna (Franco Ressel or Frank Russell) eliminates all of his partners and takes over . Manola (Mónica Randall) calls in an emergency to the widow of one of the group and the latter Linda (Erika Blanc) hires a NY hard-drinking, hard-hitting, and hard-punching private detective to reclaim her share . Smart Linda wants vendetta as well as she wants the ice . Clark and Linda fall in love and she is waylaid by Krasner's thugs who kidnap the girl and leave him unconscious . Our valiant , easy-going playboy hero , takes on a powerful criminal organization commanded by Krasner and his hoodlums in order to thwart their schemes . Determined to get the girl back, Clark finds the cops won't talk about the well-connected Krasner , and neither will the usual informers , but he discovers Krasner is in Istanbul and heads that way . In Istanbul the two-fisted P. I. ties up with Joy Boy (Tomás Torres) his old friend, a Texas-born Hispanic who owns a club, and together they set out to recover the girl and the diamonds , and shut down Krasner. They end up in a shoot-out in Turkey . Of course , after many car chases and intrigue, he arranges to impose justice .

¨Fistful of Diamonds¨ or original title (Spanish) : ¨El hombre del puño de oro¨, also released as L'umo dal pugno d'oro (Italian) has gorgeous outdoors with Turkish scenery handsomely shot , explosive women and including some top-notch fight scenes , adding a comic one in Joy Boy's club , and a deadly serious one in a shippyard at night . It has some flaws and gaps , as it does tend to get a bit old , including repetitive nature of some fight scenes , but it has big fun , so it cares . Although in 1967 the Eurospy craze was already running a bit thin , but this is a passable private eye stuff , with its ups and downs and plot holes . A fashion and run-of-the-mill spy film at the time , meaning it stuck to a lot of what was currently popular , but here displaying some embarrassing and non-sense scenes . Stars German Cobos who is still at his most agile and deft style , in fact he performs his own stunts . He acts in his usual style as a hard-boiled US agent , in fact Germán Cobos was an Eurospy star often playing Danny O'Connor aka Agent Z-55 in his spy outings , in similar roles played ¨Agent Z-55 mission Hong Kong¨by Roberto Montero and ¨Agente Z 55: Secreto atomico¨ or ¨Blueprint for a Massacre¨ by Montero as well . German Cobos was a good Spanish actor who played a lot of national and international co-productions. As he interpreted in Paella/Chorizo or Tortilla Westerns filmed in Spain , such as : ¨Hombre De La Diligencia¨ by Jose Maria Elorrieta¨, ¨Valor De Cobarde¨ by Leon Klimowsky , ¨Wanted¨ by Giorgo Ferroni , and ¨Blood calls to Blood¨ by Luigi Capuano and other genres as adventure as ¨El halcón de Castilla¨, ¨The Castilian¨ , ¨Fra Diavolo¨ , among others . German Cobos gives a passable acting as a brave agent , a sympathetic and not too superhuman sleuth , here he designs to open up a new venue , the brave American private eye who takes on an criminal organization that especializes in relevant assassinations . Cobos has an easy-going air about him that makes him great to see . Co-stars three Eurotrash starletts , such as : Erika Blanc , Antonella Murgia and brief appearing at the beginning of Monica Randall . Along with a plethora of Italian/Spanish secondaries , usual in Spaghetti and Peplum , such as Frank Russell, Tomás Torres and Tejada .

It packs a cololorful and evocative cinematography in Panavision and Eastmancolor by Giuseppe Aquari in terrific locations from N. Y, Istanbul and especially Cappadoccia, Turkey where is developed some impressive action scenes and crossfire with an ending really thrilling from a spectacular setting that preceded the subsequent film ¨Empire of the wolves¨(2005) by Chris Nahon . In addition, an atmospheric musical score in the seventies style by Piero Umiliani , including a title song that may keep you from watching the film. The picture was regular but professionally directed by Juan José Balcázar , although with no originality ; he managed to make a fluid and acceptable film , though sometimes mediocre . And it did not result notable , but for what it is, this is well worth your time. Juan José Balcázar alongside his brothers Francisco Balcázar and Alfonso Balcázar produced and directed a lot of Tortilla or Butifarra Western , most of them starred by Jorge Martin or George Martin , Luis Davila , Daniel Martin or Robert Woods ; such as 1972 The return of Clint , 1972 Judas... ¡Toma Monedas! , 1968 Sartana no Perdone or Sonora , 1967 With Death on Your Back, 1966 Dinamita Jim , 1965 Doc , Manos De Plata , 1965 Viva Carrancho , 1965 Five Thousand Dollars on One Ace . Rating : 5'5/10 . Average though some moments entertaining . If you like traditional Euro/spy remains watchable . As it definitively worth checking out if you are a fan of Euro spy genre .

A PI is hired to track down a killer. In addition, hIs client's murdered husband was carrying a fortune in diamonds that she'd like to get back.

Overall, Fistful of Diamonds is pretty much a dud. I'm not sure of the actual runtime, but it felt like it lasted hours. It took me two excruciating nights to get through it. The film features the same action set-pieces over and over. Good guy fights bad guys, good guy rescues girl, girl ends up back with bad guys - repeat ad nauseum. The fights scenes, in particular, are especially boring and seem to go on forever. And, it doesn't help that the movie was intended to be a comedy. The bits and pieces that were meant to be funny go over about as well as the action - boring. On the acting side, I've seen Franco Ressel and Erika Blanc in plenty of other, better films, so I know they're capable. Unfortunately, they don't have anything to work with here.

On the positive side, the score was nice. Very reminiscent of something from a 60s James Bond film. And, given the film only has 6 votes on IMDb at the time I'm writing this means it's something of a rarity. Even though Fistufl of Diamonds is pretty horrible, it's always a little fun to discover something so few people have seen.

3/10

Cinema for those who had a lobotomy! It's so stupid that you got to have very strong nerves to last until the end. Idiot script, actors who would have done well to deal with something else, everything is of the worst quality.