Mr. No Legs/Review

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< Mr. No Legs
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Fred (real-life double amputee actor Ted Vollrath) is a tough guy with a tripped-out wheelchair that features two double-barreled shotguns in the armrests! He’s charged by mob drug lord D’Angelo (Lloyd Bochner) with figuring out who’s skimming profits from the illegal shipment of cocaine pellets hidden in Cuban cigars. It’s a dirty job but Mr. No Legs is up for the challenge. He wants to move up the mob ranks and get a bigger piece of the action for himself—and he doesn’t mind if things get messy.

The accidental death of a drug runner’s girlfriend—whose brother happens to be a police detective named Andy (Ron Slinker), complicates matters for everyone. This time when Mr. No Legs is called on to take care of things, he attracts unwanted attention from both D’Angelo and Andy’s partner Chuck (Richard Jaeckel). Infighting, double crossing, and murder ensue.

Director Ricou Browning—infamously the guy in the rubber suit in Creature from The Black Lagoon (yes, you read correctly!) presents Jack Cowden’s politically correct screenplay nicely. This isn’t the story of a man with a handicap, it’s the story of man that, regardless of his special needs, is powerful, virile and ruthless. Scenes of Mr. No Legs exercising, swimming, fighting—he’s got a Black Belt in Karate (!), wooing the ladies, and generally moving about without support or crutches are a welcome reminder that you don’t need legs to fend for yourself—or command respect.

A knock-down-drag-out fight in a bar featuring two brawling babes, a “little person,” and a haughty transvestite, is a hoot. So is a deadly ambush in a pool—in which Mr. No Legs shows his prowess with both Karate chops and a razor-sharp shuriken! The twelve-minute car chase/multi vehicle crash brigs the picture to an explosive close.

Whether you see it under its alternate titles Gunfighter or Killer’s Die Hard, Mr. No Legs is a rare treat. Look for pro-wrestler Ron Slinker and the band Mercy—best known for 1969’s “Love (Can Make You Happy)” performing in a nightclub sequence.

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