Cuba Crossing is a decent "B" movie, if you're just looking for some entertainment on a rainy Sunday afternoon. The film starts off remarkably well, but then trails off into a plot with-in a plot, with-in a plot. In other words, it just doesn't work on a film with a shoe-string budget. The whole film has a very cheap feel about it. You do get to see a little of vintage Key west before it was discovered by the Yuppies. However, all the leading actors look like they have been on a ten-day drinking binge. They look tired, worn out, and just plain listless. When the movie first came out in 1980 it managed to stir some controversy in the South Florida area, however, once the movie was seen, everyone realized the movie wasn't worth a protest, and after a week drifted away.
6 Reviews
Not boring, just dumb.
Hey_Sweden20 March 2018
A team of mercenaries bands together to plot the assassination of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro. One of them is Hud (Robert Vaughn), who's looking for some payback because he was present at the Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961. Part of the plot will involve the hiring of Capt. Tony (Stuart Whitman), a combination boat captain / saloon owner who will transport key personnel. But the powers that be are wary of the Captain, and bring in a specialist (Caren Kaye) who will supposedly work her charms on him and command most of his attention. Also involved is American mobster Rossellini (Michael Gazzo), who is bankrolling the operation.
It turns out, not everything is what it seems in this routine B level nonsense, that actually lays out some opening narration that is pretty damn ridiculous. Sloppy storytelling and crude filmmaking (Chuck Workman is a co-writer and the director) result in a silly minor league flick, which may still draw some people in due to the talent assembled on screen. But don't be fooled: they've been better utilized in other things. Whitman and Vaughn in particular look very weary. Giving the proceedings a bit of a lift is the always hilarious Gazzo, and a very amusing Raymond St. Jacques as the guy who's supposed to be in charge of things. The cast of familiar faces also includes Sybil Danning (who's seen much too briefly), Woody Strode (engaging, as always, as Whitmans' first mate), and Albert Salmi (in another of his cranky lawman roles).
Filmed largely in Key West, Florida, this could at least have been somewhat appealing visually, but this aspect is diluted due to the cheapness on display. One especially absurd touch is that when animals are supposedly chowing down on characters, you never see the animal and the individual in the same shot.
It ends on a somewhat engaging final note, due to an insidiously catchy ditty called "Holly-Ho Havana" that accompanies the end credits.
Five out of 10.
It turns out, not everything is what it seems in this routine B level nonsense, that actually lays out some opening narration that is pretty damn ridiculous. Sloppy storytelling and crude filmmaking (Chuck Workman is a co-writer and the director) result in a silly minor league flick, which may still draw some people in due to the talent assembled on screen. But don't be fooled: they've been better utilized in other things. Whitman and Vaughn in particular look very weary. Giving the proceedings a bit of a lift is the always hilarious Gazzo, and a very amusing Raymond St. Jacques as the guy who's supposed to be in charge of things. The cast of familiar faces also includes Sybil Danning (who's seen much too briefly), Woody Strode (engaging, as always, as Whitmans' first mate), and Albert Salmi (in another of his cranky lawman roles).
Filmed largely in Key West, Florida, this could at least have been somewhat appealing visually, but this aspect is diluted due to the cheapness on display. One especially absurd touch is that when animals are supposedly chowing down on characters, you never see the animal and the individual in the same shot.
It ends on a somewhat engaging final note, due to an insidiously catchy ditty called "Holly-Ho Havana" that accompanies the end credits.
Five out of 10.
Lotsa titles, little sense....
Mister-618 September 1999
Right down the line, there is every evidence that "Cuba Crossing" was NOT made by the National Tourism Board of Cuba.
As you may have guessed from the synopsis (or the many titles), a group of mercenaries sets off to Cuba to assassinate Fidel Castro. Lotsa fun, right?
There is absolutely no one to root for in this mess, the scenes set in Cuba look so cheap as to be lifted from every other Cuba travelogue movie and there is a body count that would make Rambo proud.
"Yes, but is it good," you may ask. I'm here to tell you, kids, that not even Sybil Danning's presence makes this anything worth sitting through.
And if I can say that, you know there is something wrong with this one.
One star, in sympathy for Sybil.
As you may have guessed from the synopsis (or the many titles), a group of mercenaries sets off to Cuba to assassinate Fidel Castro. Lotsa fun, right?
There is absolutely no one to root for in this mess, the scenes set in Cuba look so cheap as to be lifted from every other Cuba travelogue movie and there is a body count that would make Rambo proud.
"Yes, but is it good," you may ask. I'm here to tell you, kids, that not even Sybil Danning's presence makes this anything worth sitting through.
And if I can say that, you know there is something wrong with this one.
One star, in sympathy for Sybil.
CUBA CROSSING (Chuck Workman, 1980) *1/2
Bunuel197614 February 2008
This is a muddled (to say nothing of misguided) adventure-cum-political thriller, ostensibly revolving around an assassination attempt on the life of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro. One such attempt had really occurred in 1961, cue muffled newsreel footage of the era and an amateurish re-enactment of the event which was stifled before it had even begun, when the American forces were intercepted and annihilated at a place called Bay Of Pigs!
A survivor of that debacle Robert Vaughn is called upon by his old boss Raymond St. Jacques to try again some twenty years later; however, Vaughn has to make do with the dubious help of an abrasive and foul-mouthed Italian mobster (Michael V. Gazzo) and the "salty" skipper of a tugboat (Stuart Whitman), who's suspicious of the whole affair shades of Howard Hawks' adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT (1944). Eventually, it transpires that the assassination plot was just a ruse to transport a cache' of heroin from Cuba to Key West, Florida as a matter of fact, once the deal is closed, the boss sells the expendable members of the outfit to the Cubans! Then, as was the case with the excellent Jean-Paul Belmondo vehicle THE PROFESSIONAL (1981; which, coincidentally, I've just watched), Vaughn obsessed by his personal hatred of Castro decides to pull off the job nonetheless, a' la Fritz Lang's MANHUNT (1941; where the target had been Adolf Hitler), but is thwarted in the attempt.
Also in the cast are Woody Strode as Whitman's loyal and imposing black sidekick and Sybil Danning as Gazzo's moll (in charge of overseeing Whitman's family which has been kidnapped as a safeguard); for good measure, another female 'agent' has been brought in to seduce the hard-boiled skipper, but she too is callously gotten out of the way once she has served her purpose! An out-and-out B-movie, this isn't exactly laugh-out-loud bad though there are certainly a number of cringe-inducing (and, as it happens, wholly irrelevant) bits involving the antics of a gay regular (with a huge head of hair!) at Whitman's bar and a sumo-type match between a couple of strapping black wrestlers. Equally amusing, however, are the scene in which the irate Whitman drives his jeep through the wall of Vaughn's headquarters and Gazzo's come-uppance at the hands of a bevy of man-eating sea turtles!
The film must not have appealed to anyone at the time and, in fact, has a plethora of alternate titles attached to it depending on the element the producers wished to stress, these included such awkward titles as ASSIGNMENT KILL CASTRO and SWEET DIRTY TONY (referring to Whitman's rugged hero). Finally, given the excessive softness of the image, one can only assume that the DVD I watched was sourced from a VHS transfer!
A survivor of that debacle Robert Vaughn is called upon by his old boss Raymond St. Jacques to try again some twenty years later; however, Vaughn has to make do with the dubious help of an abrasive and foul-mouthed Italian mobster (Michael V. Gazzo) and the "salty" skipper of a tugboat (Stuart Whitman), who's suspicious of the whole affair shades of Howard Hawks' adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT (1944). Eventually, it transpires that the assassination plot was just a ruse to transport a cache' of heroin from Cuba to Key West, Florida as a matter of fact, once the deal is closed, the boss sells the expendable members of the outfit to the Cubans! Then, as was the case with the excellent Jean-Paul Belmondo vehicle THE PROFESSIONAL (1981; which, coincidentally, I've just watched), Vaughn obsessed by his personal hatred of Castro decides to pull off the job nonetheless, a' la Fritz Lang's MANHUNT (1941; where the target had been Adolf Hitler), but is thwarted in the attempt.
Also in the cast are Woody Strode as Whitman's loyal and imposing black sidekick and Sybil Danning as Gazzo's moll (in charge of overseeing Whitman's family which has been kidnapped as a safeguard); for good measure, another female 'agent' has been brought in to seduce the hard-boiled skipper, but she too is callously gotten out of the way once she has served her purpose! An out-and-out B-movie, this isn't exactly laugh-out-loud bad though there are certainly a number of cringe-inducing (and, as it happens, wholly irrelevant) bits involving the antics of a gay regular (with a huge head of hair!) at Whitman's bar and a sumo-type match between a couple of strapping black wrestlers. Equally amusing, however, are the scene in which the irate Whitman drives his jeep through the wall of Vaughn's headquarters and Gazzo's come-uppance at the hands of a bevy of man-eating sea turtles!
The film must not have appealed to anyone at the time and, in fact, has a plethora of alternate titles attached to it depending on the element the producers wished to stress, these included such awkward titles as ASSIGNMENT KILL CASTRO and SWEET DIRTY TONY (referring to Whitman's rugged hero). Finally, given the excessive softness of the image, one can only assume that the DVD I watched was sourced from a VHS transfer!
Bay of Pig's II?
sol121817 October 2003
***SPOILERS***The movie "Kill Castro" starts with a statement saying that the events you are about to see are true and that the names have been changed to protect the innocent. The introduction to the movie ends saying that this film is dedicated to all people who desire to live in a free and democratic society, talking about laying it on thick.
Then there's some newsreels of "The Bay of Pig's" invasion back in 1961 that proved to be a disaster for the Anti-Castro Cubans and the US government. Hudson,Robert Vaughn, or Hud as he likes to be called is going to Key West to see Mr. Bell, Raymond St. Jacques. Mr. Bell is in charge of US Caribbean operations on an assignment to assassinate Fidel Castro.
Hud a veteran of the 1961" Bay of Pig's" which he holds the US government responsible for it's failure has waited almost 20 years to get another crack at Fidel. Mr. Bell has him allied with Rosselini, Michael Gazzo, the local mob boss who also wants Castro out of the way. Rosselini wants to reclaim all of his holding in Cuba when they were nationalized by Castro after the Cuban Revolution in 1959. So we have here an alliance with the US government and organized crime in a common cause to overthrow the Castro regime. They both need Captain Tony, Stuart Whitman, who runs a popular bar on Key West who knows the Cuban waters like the back of his hand.
Rosselini, to make sure that Captain Tony cooperates has his girlfriend Maria, Maria-Louise Gassen, and her young son taken hostage as insurance. What Hud and Rosselini don't know is that Mr. Bell is setting them both up to be done in by Castro's men after he, as ordered from higher ups from the US government, tips off the Cubans about the plot so they can squash. The U.S Government is having this done as a show of friendship and cooperation between it and the Castro Regime, so that as Mr. Bell says it "We can do Business together". As for Captain Tony, he's to be terminated as soon as the operation is over, on the Cuban beaches by Castro's men or if he's lucky to makes it back home by those who sent him on the mission. All this comes out to Bell Hud and Rosselini making Tony a loser no matter which way thing turn out to be.
Pretty good movie with a complicated plot that's not that confusing and easy to follow. Unlike most films that are about government back-stabbing and intrigue with surprise endings. Looking back at "Kill Castro" after some 20 years later the story makes sense and is believable for a movie that wasn't supposed to be taken seriously at the time. When you take out all the action that padded the movie with the fights, shootings, explosions, shark and man eating turtle attacks and concentrate on the core of the story it makes for a pretty interesting movie.
Then there's some newsreels of "The Bay of Pig's" invasion back in 1961 that proved to be a disaster for the Anti-Castro Cubans and the US government. Hudson,Robert Vaughn, or Hud as he likes to be called is going to Key West to see Mr. Bell, Raymond St. Jacques. Mr. Bell is in charge of US Caribbean operations on an assignment to assassinate Fidel Castro.
Hud a veteran of the 1961" Bay of Pig's" which he holds the US government responsible for it's failure has waited almost 20 years to get another crack at Fidel. Mr. Bell has him allied with Rosselini, Michael Gazzo, the local mob boss who also wants Castro out of the way. Rosselini wants to reclaim all of his holding in Cuba when they were nationalized by Castro after the Cuban Revolution in 1959. So we have here an alliance with the US government and organized crime in a common cause to overthrow the Castro regime. They both need Captain Tony, Stuart Whitman, who runs a popular bar on Key West who knows the Cuban waters like the back of his hand.
Rosselini, to make sure that Captain Tony cooperates has his girlfriend Maria, Maria-Louise Gassen, and her young son taken hostage as insurance. What Hud and Rosselini don't know is that Mr. Bell is setting them both up to be done in by Castro's men after he, as ordered from higher ups from the US government, tips off the Cubans about the plot so they can squash. The U.S Government is having this done as a show of friendship and cooperation between it and the Castro Regime, so that as Mr. Bell says it "We can do Business together". As for Captain Tony, he's to be terminated as soon as the operation is over, on the Cuban beaches by Castro's men or if he's lucky to makes it back home by those who sent him on the mission. All this comes out to Bell Hud and Rosselini making Tony a loser no matter which way thing turn out to be.
Pretty good movie with a complicated plot that's not that confusing and easy to follow. Unlike most films that are about government back-stabbing and intrigue with surprise endings. Looking back at "Kill Castro" after some 20 years later the story makes sense and is believable for a movie that wasn't supposed to be taken seriously at the time. When you take out all the action that padded the movie with the fights, shootings, explosions, shark and man eating turtle attacks and concentrate on the core of the story it makes for a pretty interesting movie.
unrolled cigar
vandino19 April 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Sweet Dirty Tony? Sounds like a porn film. Someone actually thought that was a worthwhile title? Then again, this film goes by many names, like the devil, and it's just as bad any which way. Quite a cast for such wretched nonsense, but a paycheck is a paycheck. As for the film, it's a mixture of Cuban stock footage and cheesy low-budget action cinema circa 1980 filmed in Key West. Whitman is Tony and he's neither sweet or dirty, more like grouchy and boring. It's all about Cuba and the usual suspects: the Mafia, the CIA, the Bay of Pigs, and killing Castro. For some reason the CIA and Washington decide that it's important to create a false assassination plot against Castro that they can then tip the Cubans to, in order to make points with Castro and bring the two countries closer together. Right: The U.S. government will do whatever it takes to get on a good footing with a hated communist dictator. The filmmakers do not attempt to do the same for the viewer. But considering that Michael Gazzo (as the Mafia scumbag) spends all of his screen time shouting at everyone with that grating rasp of a voice, it's worth seeing him done in by, of all things, a sea turtle! Otherwise, this is dull, dreary revenge-plot stuff not worth your time.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
