A peeping Johnny? A peeping Salvatore? Either way, it’s an unpleasant experience.
Salvatore Giordano goes from Sicilian chieftain to a hitman for an American mobster, but while he survives his faux-death in the Sicilian hinterlands, will he survive his sojourn in the States? Such is the central question of Johnny Cool (1963), a sordid tale of the conversion of a fiercely independent Sicilian into a methodical and nerveless killer. He was a man who defended his homeland with some sense of national independence, some patriotism. He had a sense of bravado then, appearing in a village to swagger and brazenly dance the first dance at a wedding, before running from the forces of the State.
But his killing, faked by a bribed Army officer, results in him becoming a prisoner of an American mobster, Johnny Colini, hiding out in Rome. Salvatore learns all he needs to become the virtual son of the Colini – the names, habits, and places of those men in America who sorely belabored Johnny, a man who never forgets an insult. And through this, he washes all that might have redeemed him, the good intentions, the affection for his countrymen, all that might have spared him Hell, and becomes a man on a mission that can only be satisfied with blood. Life is no longer full of color and bluster, just bitterly new needs.
And as the new son of Colini, Salvatore gets a new name – Johnny Colini.
Or Johnny Cool.
His knowledge of his targets is near perfect, his assassination and fighting techniques insightful, and his weapons varied. Thus is Johnny ready for anything but the woman named Dare Guinness, a directionless woman who encounters Cool at a very vulnerable moment – and becomes his mistress, his woman, his tool – but never his confidante. She is mostly uninvolved as the bodies begin to pile up according to Johnny’s frightful plans, but when a target presents himself early, Johnny makes the fateful decision to involve her. Speeding off from the bombing which kills the target and endangers two young boys, they split up, but all Dare can do is think of her role and her allegiance to Johnny, going against all she learned about being good in the world.
Her fateful phone call leaves Johnny hanging in the balance.
It’s a sordid tale of men unconstrained by the rules of civilization. For them, the power and prestige are everything, and little do they care for anything but themselves. Their endings are equally appalling.
It’s an OK story, especially at the beginning, but it became somewhat predictable in the middle. Painful in its decisions, it’s a noir film, especially for those caught up in the backwash; for those at the controls, they deserve what they get. It goes on a little too long, but if you like your noir relentless and conscienceless, you’ll like this.
