Reviewed By-Frankie Marino
Directed By-Bill Karn USA
Cast-Johnny Cash, Vic Tayback, Cay Forrester, Ronnie Howard, Donald Woods

An unsung exploitation classic with a high-sleazo quotient for it’s time.

Johnny Cash, the Man In Black himself stars as Johnny Corbet. Corbet is an on-the-lamb criminal who gets offered a bank job by a slime ball by the name of Frank Dagrilo. Johnny refuses at first after hearing that it’s only a two man job, but Frank has a plan: Johnny is to hold the bank managers wife hostage while he gets the bread from the bank. Phone calls at five minute intervals tell Johnny whether or not he is to kill the wife. Simple enough. Johnny poses as a door-to-door guitar lesson peddler (well, the had to explain why he had a geetar) and things go fairly smooth for awhile. Cash, is quite clearly amped to the gills on pills, and has an absolute BLAST in his role. He puts poor Mrs. Williams (Cay Forrester, who also penned the script) through hell. Waving a gun around with a crazed look in his eye, Johnny picks up the guitar and sings “Five Minutes To Live,” and unlike similar Elvis movies, the song is not only good, but effectively fits into the film. after the show, Johnny shoots the lady in the face, breaks all of her vases (while doing a little jig) then forces her to get dressed up nice and purdy. Of the few reviews I’ve read on this title, most compare Johnny’s cool as fuck hillbilly dialog to Tarantino…which is obviously ridiculous, being made 30 years before Tarantino hit the scene. And I don’t remember anyone discussing milkshakes.

But enough QT bashing……

There’s a sub-plot involving Mr. Williams (Donald Woods, the dad from 13 Ghosts!) and his mistress, which serves mostly to pad out the running time, but almost ruins the guys plans, because he doesn’t care if his wife gets plugged. Frank calls his bluff though, and he eventually gives up the cash. Conveniently, a bank employee happens to be flipping through wanted posters and sees Frank’s picture, and plays the hero. Frank gets knocked out, and Mrs. Williams almost gets killed when Frank’s phone call isn’t made. Meanwhile, the William’s little brat (a young Opie-era Ron Howard) comes home for lunch. Johnny, the hardened killer, has a soft spot for kids, but that doesn’t stop him from taking the little shit hostage when the fuzz show up. A shoot-out ensues, in which Opie gets shot. Johnny is beside himself with grief for his dead hostage, which gives the pigs a chance to blast him.

Sleazy as the films is, you didn’t expect the kid to die, did you? Well, he didn’t. he was just pretending. The films wraps up in an unbearably sappy fashion with a ridiculous happy ending that pissed me off deep, deep down inside. But hey, it was the early 60’s, so I can live with it. For Johnny Cash fans, it’s a must see. His unhinged performance makes the film. Vic Tayback, most well known as tv’s “Mel,” or as the creepy turd-head in Blood and Lace also turns in a good performance in his limited screen time.