Between September 1959 and March 1960 United Artists released three crime movies starring Cameron Mitchell, directed by Edward L. Cahn and produced by Robert E. Kent. The latter also wrote "Pier 5, Havana" and this one, while Orville H. Hampton wrote "Inside the Mafia" and provided the story for this, which in my humble opinion is the best of the three. What the three films have in common is a hard-boiled voiceover, brief running time (none is more than 72 minutes long), and narrative drive.
Hampton obviously wasn't one to let a good idea go to waste. "Mafia" featured Mitchell and a sidekick taking over a small airfield in order to kill a top Mafia boss, while this one has him and Steve Brodie taking over a house next to Los Angeles airport to kill a Middle Eastern premier who's due to fly out.
As usual, action is reserved for the men; the women are there to look good and be frightened. Others have noted the similarity between these two films and both "The Desperate Hours" and "Suddenly." This one is particularly close to "Suddenly." Mitchell's Marty Brill, like Sinatra's character, has shooting skills he developed in the army and plans to use them to kill a politician: much better paid than fighting for your country.
Mitchell is very good, and has an interesting speech about how, having been born poor, his life has been plagued by policemen. He even manages to make a worthless mercenary rather attractive at times. The film wouldn't have been half as good with a lesser actor.
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tony-70-6679209 January 2021
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kapelusznik1810 June 2016****SPOILERS**** Professional hit-man Marty Brill and his partner Dave Harris are hired by members of a Middle-Eastern country to knock off it's former exiled prime minister Gourem-Nara who's been planning to make a comeback and throw those who kicked him out of office behind bars or even worse. The two hit-man who already knocked off the country's UN ambassador in exile Singh back in NYC now plan to do in the ex-prime minster as he borders a plane at LAX airport and use the home of Hal Parker an air traffic controller at LAX to do it.
In a violent home invasion of the Parker residence the two hit-man hold Parker as well as his wife June hostage setting up a high powered rife with explosive or fragmented ammunition to hit Gourem-Natra's plane in the gas tank as it's about to take off and kill him as well as all the passengers and crew on it. Complications soon arrive with Jene's sister Betty and her beach boy boyfriend Herbie arrive who are also taken hostage and smacked around by the pair of hit-men who now have the person who paying them for the hit on Gourem-Nara Ipara joining them.
****SPOILERS****Tense final with Brill & Harris together with their partner in crime Ipara's plan to knock off the ex prime minister fall apart when Parker who's to set Gourem-Nara up-by directing Harris to shoot by radio transmission from the air control tower-turns the tables on them. That by him risking the lives of all those including agent Ray McGuire who's been shot,with his partner agent Ben Scanlon killed, by the Brill whom their holding hostage. Taking the chance of losing his wife sister in law and her boyfriend as well as FBI agent McGuire by having a plane of some 70 innocent people burned to a crisp Parker did what he felt was right in alerting the plane and it's crew to what both Brill & Harris planned for them. And as things turned out he ended up making the right decision! -
searchanddestroy-113 January 2008When I saw "Three came to kill", starring Cameron Mitchell, I had the feeling that I saw "Inside the mafia " again. Mobsters taking hostages - a good American family - in order to kill some important personality. Cameron Mitchell plays in both movies. These two are written by the same screenwriter, produced by the same company, and directed by the same man.
Manufactured product.
But I like that very much. Little grade B thriller.
I forgot to say that both are shot in semi documentary style, with off voice explaining the situations and the efforts made by the police and government forces to fight against crime. You can also think about SUDDENLY scheme watching this feature.
In fact, I do not remember if there is off voice for "Inside the mafia". Anyway, you have it in many Edward L cahn movies. -
jotix1007 March 2013Not having seen this 1960 B type film, we had a chance to take a look when it showed itself on cable. Directed by Edward L. Cahn, a man who could churn several pictures a year and must have been a reliable source of the genre during the time where he was active in the 1950s and 1960s.
The story in not exactly original. It appears to be a composite of other films in which Mr. Cahn was involved. "Three Came to Kill" is a semi documentary account of how a big shot from a Middle East country, secretly living in the USA is targeted for elimination before he returns to his country. Paid assassins are assigned to do the job which involves breaking into a house near LAX airport, kidnapping the air traffic control and his family to gain an advantage to do the deed as the plane the foreign dignitary is taken will be dealt with.
The best thing in the film is a super kinetic Cameron Mitchell who is seen as Marty Brill. The direction of Mr. Cahn does nothing to get rid of the amateur feeling the production got under his direction. The film must have been shot in a secondary air strip near Los Angeles as in 1960 the airport in that city did not look the way it shows in the picture with its ridiculous control tower. -
boblipton28 July 2023Air traffic controller John Lupton comes home to his house right by the airport to find that assassin Cameron Mitchell, and two assistants have taken over the place and are holding his wife and sister-in-law hostage. Mitchell has a contract to kill the premier of a country who is scheduled to take off on his shift, and wants Lupton to signal him; two bullets into the plane's gas tank, boom, and Mitchell leaves, with the women alive.
Edward L. Cahn directed this cheap knock-off of SUDDENLY, and not only is Lyn Thomas, as Lupton's wife, supposed to convey tension and fright by speaking slowly -- she doesn't -- but every time the action on the screen and James Blakely effective editing make the situation seem tense, a narrator breaks in to tell you what you're seeing on the screen, which ruins the pacing and atmosphere. Blame Robert Kent, who not only wrote the screenplay under a pseudonym, but produced the film. With Steve Brodie, Paul Langton, and Jean Ingram.