Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good

Glucedee It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

Roman Sampson One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Fleur Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

christopher-underwood Obscure Italian crime picture that has acquired some notoriety as the possible inspiration for De Palma's 'Scarface' but more particularly for featuring the infamous and iconic Joe Dallesandro. He was in Italy for 'Flesh for Frankenstien' and 'Blood for Dracula' and this is not as good as either of those, nor, of course, his wild and influential 'underground' movies for Andy Warhol in the late 60s/early 70s. Here we have an ugly, though well shot, violent film as Joe tries to insinuate himself into the higher echelons of the crime syndicates of Naples and Rome. Its okay, if too long, but every now and again Joe is posed upon a bike, against a wall or laying down and these particularly well shot scenes are, I guess, what you might call the 'money shots'. Decent soundtrack from Franco Campanino.

jake_fantom No, this is not the inspiration for Scarface as a benighted reviewer has trumpeted. The inspiration for Scarface was... wait for it... Scarface! -- the 1932 film starring Paul Muni with a virtually identical plot to the 1983 film by De Palma. This film, Climber, does not bear much resemblance to either of the Scarface films. It's a trash-for-cash low-budget Italian flick by a D-list director. The version I saw was subtitled in English, though I'm sure you can find a badly dubbed version if you try hard enough, but why bother? The only slightly noteworthy thing about this badly filmed, badly acted potboiler is that it stars Joe Dallesandro, the hunky but seemingly dim-witted "actor" who made a name for himself by appearing as a street hustler and showing his posterior in about six dozen Andy Warhol films. Unfortunately, in this epic, Joe doesn't have the opportunity to show off his behind and has to fall back on his acting skills, which are completely non-existent. And that greasy stringy hair! Make-up!

Falconeer Here it is, the movie that inspired Bryan DePalma's "Scarface," and when you see "L'ambizioso" you will recognize it immediately. The story is the same, changing only the locales. Aldo, played by cult actor Joe Dallesandro in possibly his biggest role, is a New York born, small time criminal, who comes to Naples to make a name for himself. He goes from a small time gig of hawking black market cigarettes, and methodically claws his way to the top of the criminal underworld, after being betrayed by a colleague. The story arc is the same as DePalma's iconic film, which came a decade later. Filled with action, bloody shootouts, and searing drama, this is one epic movie. Little-known director Pasquale Squitieri made a series of these gangster movies, and they are all brilliant. This guy really knew his stuff. He seemed to have an understanding for bad guys as he tells the story always from their point of view. and he makes us sympathize with them, and even have immense respect for them. Which is why these movies might not be appropriate for young, impressionable minds. For fans of crime cinema and Italian mafia films, "L'ambizioso" is required viewing, and is worth tracking down.

mark czuba This Is Also one Of Joe's best performances in Italy, with a good story, and lots of action. Joe Plays a regular Hustler on the streets of Italy, trying to make a living. In the beginning of the movie you see Joe almost get pinched for smuggling smokes, he gets away from the cops, but gets his bike smashed by local thuggies, and is told to get the hell out of dodge. Anyway as the title suggests, Joe is one ambitious guy and eventually makes his way to the top, only to eventually die in a fight for control in the mafia under world.