''The No Mercy Man'' (also known as ''Bad Man'', ''Trained to Kill'', and ''Trained to Kill USA'') is a 1973

action film Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include life ...

with elements of a modern-day

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

starring

Steve Sandor Steve Sandor (October 27, 1937 – April 5, 2017) was an actor who made his first television appearance on ''Star Trek'', playing Lars in the second season episode "The Gamesters of Triskelion". Formative years Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania ...

Rockne Tarkington William Rockne Tarkington, Jr. (May 14, 1932 – April 5, 2015) was an American stage, film and television actor. Career Born in Junction City, Kansas, Tarkington began his career as a stage actor, and made the transition to television with g ...

Sid Haig Sidney Eddie Mosesian (July 14, 1939 – September 21, 2019), known professionally as Sid Haig, was an American actor, film producer, and musician. He was known for his roles in several of Jack Hill's blaxploitation films from the 1970s, as well ...

, Ron Thompson,

Mike Lane Michael V. Lane (January 6, 1933 – June 1, 2015) was an American actor and professional wrestler. Biography Lane's size (height 6'8" or 2.03 m, weight 275 lbs or 125 kg) led him to work in the King Bros. Circus boxing tent and wre ...

, and

Richard X. Slattery Richard Xavier Slattery (June 26, 1925 – January 27, 1997) was an American character actor in film, theater and television. Slattery appeared in such films as '' A Distant Trumpet'', '' The Boston Strangler'', '' Walking Tall'', '' The No Merc ...

. The film was co-written (with Michael Nolin) and directed by Daniel Vance in his first and last feature film. The film was shot in

Todd-AO Todd-AO is an American post-production company founded in 1953 by Mike Todd and Robert Naify, providing sound-related services to the motion picture and television industries. For more than five decades, it was the worldwide leader in theater sou ...

Dean Cundey Dean Raymond Cundey, A.S.C. (born March 12, 1946) is an American cinematographer and film director. He is known for his collaborations with John Carpenter, Steven Spielberg, Robert Zemeckis, as well as his extensive work in the horror genre, in a ...

in his first feature film with Buddy Joe Hooker arranging the stunt work and acting as

second unit director Second unit is a discrete team of filmmakers tasked with filming shots or sequences of a production, separate from the main or "first" unit. The second unit will often shoot simultaneously with the other unit or units, allowing the filming stag ...

. Master Jerry Druckerman acted as the film's

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; a ...

technical advisor. Film director

Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, writer, producer, and actor. His films are characterized by stylized violence, extended dialogue, profanity, Black comedy, dark humor, Nonlinear narrative, non-lin ...

programmed ''The No Mercy Man'' as part of a March 2011 revenge film triple feature at the

New Beverly Cinema The New Beverly Cinema is a historic movie theater located in Los Angeles, California. Housed in a building that dates back to the 1920s, it is one of the oldest revival houses in the region. Since 2007, it has been owned by filmmaker Quentin Tara ...

, which Tarantino took over in March 2007.

Plot

Prophet and his friends are carnies and itinerant criminals in Arizona. After robbing a

liquor store A liquor store is a retail shop that predominantly sells prepackaged liquors – typically in bottles – usually intended to be consumed off the store's premises. Depending on region and local idiom, they may also be called an off-licence (i ...

Prophet and a friend evade the local Sheriff and stop at the ranch of Mark Hand, a decorated war veteran. Feeling suspicious, Mark tells Prophet he can help himself to water at a pump behind the house but covers him with a rifle. Prophet's friend overpowers Mark from behind, ties him up and beats him prior to robbing Mark's house. Attracted by the mass amount of firearms in Mark's cabinet, they are distracted by Mark's daughter Mary who Prophet's friend attempts to rape. Mary wounds him with a knife and escapes in the desert coming across the car returning home driven by Mrs Hand and Mary's brother Olie who has returned from the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

with

decorations Decoration may refer to: * Decorative arts * A house painter and decorator's craft * An act or object intended to increase the beauty of a person, room, etc. * An award that is a token of recognition to the recipient intended for wearing Other ...

and

mental illness A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitti ...

es. Prophet and his friend make their escape with Mark puzzled that Olie doesn't want to hunt the criminals, preferring to let the sheriff handle the matter. Though glad to be home, Olie grows more sullen and uncommunicative. Two of Olie's war buddies visit the Hand ranch and reveal that Olie was their legendary commander of a 6-man

long-range reconnaissance patrol A long-range reconnaissance patrol, or LRRP (pronounced "lurp"), is a small, well-armed reconnaissance team that patrols deep in enemy-held territory.Ankony, Robert C., ''Lurps: A Ranger's Diary of Tet, Khe Sanh, A Shau, and Quang Tri,'' revised ...

United States Army Rangers United States Army Rangers, according to the US Army's definition, are personnel, past or present, in any unit that has the official designation "Ranger". The term is commonly used to include graduates of the US Army Ranger School, even if t ...

, with one patrol taking them to

Haiphong Haiphong ( vi, Hải Phòng, ), or Hải Phòng, is a major industrial city and the third-largest in Vietnam. Hai Phong is also the center of technology, economy, culture, medicine, education, science and trade in the Red River delta. Haiphong wa ...

where they escaped in a Russian ship. Despite the supporting presence of his comrades in arms and loving family Olie grows more withdrawn and prone to flashbacks to the war where he nearly kills one of his friends when the two engage in good-natured

sparring Sparring is a form of training common to many combat sports. Although the precise form varies, it is essentially relatively ' free-form' fighting, with enough rules, customs, or agreements to minimize injuries. By extension, argumentative debate ...

. Meanwhile, Prophet and his friends plan more criminal acts where they steal a large

recreational vehicle A recreational vehicle, often abbreviated as RV, is a motor vehicle or trailer that includes living quarters designed for accommodation. Types of RVs include motorhomes, campervans, coaches, caravans (also known as travel trailers and camper ...

that they plan to sell across the border in Mexico, but the gang murders the family who own it. Some members of Prophet's gang stop off at a

gas station A filling station, also known as a gas station () or petrol station (), is a facility that sells fuel and engine lubricants for motor vehicles. The most common fuels sold in the 2010s were gasoline (or petrol) and diesel fuel. Gasoline ...

where they abuse the attendant until they are beaten up by Olie and his army buddies. Enraged, the Prophet plans revenge and a big criminal score where they will attack the Hand ranch, steal Hand's mass arsenal, recruit a motorcycle gang led by Pillbox to distract the sheriff, and rob the town's bank where they will split the proceeds with Pillbox and make their escape to Mexico that lies across open rangeland adjoining the Hand ranch. Olie bids his army buddies farewell then further descends into a self-pitying alcoholic stupor.

Cast

as Olie Hand *

as Prophet *

as Mark Hand * Heidi Vaughn as Mary Hand *

as Jack "Big Jack" *

as "Pillbox" * Ron Thompson as John Dunn * David Booth as "Beetle" * Daniel Oaks as Corporal Lyle Talbot * Tom Scott as Parrish * Michael Prichard as Bruce Bennett * Peg Stewart as Mrs. Hand * Richard Collier as Joshua White * Darlene Feasel as Dora Adams * Russell Morrell as Sheriff Harris

Songs

''The No Mercy Man''
Written by Lois and Don Vincent
Performed by Al Gambino & Glory ''Sunshine Lady''
Written and Performed by Chris Christian ''Fighting The Forgotten Feeling''
Written and Performed by Chris Christian ''Ballad of Olie Hand''
Written and Performed by Chris Christian ''Lonely Lonely Times''
Written by Lois and Don Vincent
Performed by Al Gambino & Glory ''Reach Out''
Written by Lois and Don Vincent
Performed by Al Gambino & Glory

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:No Mercy Man 1973 films 1970s action thriller films American action thriller films American films about revenge Films set in Arizona Vietnam War films Golan-Globus films 1973 directorial debut films American vigilante films American exploitation films 1970s English-language films 1970s American films

Plot

Cast

Songs

See also

References

External links