A decorated Vietnam War vet returns home to his small southwestern town, only to find carnies and bikers are stepping all over it, prompting him to take action.A decorated Vietnam War vet returns home to his small southwestern town, only to find carnies and bikers are stepping all over it, prompting him to take action.A decorated Vietnam War vet returns home to his small southwestern town, only to find carnies and bikers are stepping all over it, prompting him to take action.
Steve Sandor
- Olie Hand
- (as Stephen Sandor)
Peggy Stewart
- Mrs. Hand
- (as Peg Stewart)
Russell Morrell
- Sheriff Harris
- (as Russ Morrell)
Carol Locatell
- Sally Hendricks
- (as Carol Lawson)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaOriginally filmed and released publicly in 1973 under the title "The No Mercy Man". It was later distributed as "Trained to Kill" in 1975 to mostly drive-in movie theaters as a 2nd run feature. Forgotton about , It eventually surfaced on video in the mid 1980's as "Trained to Kill USA" during the video craze.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Trailer Trauma Part 4: Television Trauma (2017)
- SoundtracksSunshine Lady
Written and Performed by Chris Christian
Featured review
Oli vs the Carneys
Sandor is Oli Hand, a returned Vietnam veteran whose traumatic experiences as one of the elite special forces assassins has affected his ability to re-adjust to his life as the son of the former serviceman (Slattery) living on the family farm. When visiting carnival folk (Tarkington, Lane, Scott, Booth and Thompson) begin causing trouble in town, they discover that Oli is a killing machine capable of taking on the entire gang to protect his family.
Tarkington as the brawny gang leader delivers a scene-stealing performance of calculated authority, a standard that elevates the entire picture from its C-grade roots. Sandor is so-so as the unhinged ex-GI, Slattery as his father who doesn't understand the psychological damage done to his son causes conflict between the two and this serves as the film's dramatic tone. Other roles are generally well-played, with lanky Mike Lane as a violent thug, and cult-favourite Sid Haig dishing out a beating or two in typical form.
The dialogue and acting is better than usual for this type of fodder, though there are some exceptions - Sandor's war-buddies behave more like dumb & dumber than special forces experts (note the scene where they high-five one another before the job is done). Notwithstanding the budget constraints and plot weaknesses, "No Mercy Man" (aka "Trained to Kill USA") isn't a bad yarn that doesn't over-reach in its melodrama and instead delivers plenty of explosions, and slow-motion shoot-outs in its crazed climax.
Tarkington as the brawny gang leader delivers a scene-stealing performance of calculated authority, a standard that elevates the entire picture from its C-grade roots. Sandor is so-so as the unhinged ex-GI, Slattery as his father who doesn't understand the psychological damage done to his son causes conflict between the two and this serves as the film's dramatic tone. Other roles are generally well-played, with lanky Mike Lane as a violent thug, and cult-favourite Sid Haig dishing out a beating or two in typical form.
The dialogue and acting is better than usual for this type of fodder, though there are some exceptions - Sandor's war-buddies behave more like dumb & dumber than special forces experts (note the scene where they high-five one another before the job is done). Notwithstanding the budget constraints and plot weaknesses, "No Mercy Man" (aka "Trained to Kill USA") isn't a bad yarn that doesn't over-reach in its melodrama and instead delivers plenty of explosions, and slow-motion shoot-outs in its crazed climax.
helpful•42
- Chase_Witherspoon
- Feb 18, 2012
- How long is The No Mercy Man?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Trained to Kill: USA
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content
![The No Mercy Man (1973)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTAxNGNmMzItMzJlMy00NDI0LWIyOWMtNDdmNzVkZTdiYjJlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTQxNzMzNDI@._V1_QL75_UX90_CR0,1,90,133_.jpg)