Mr. Ricco is a 1975 crime drama film directed by Paul Bogart and starring Dean Martin in his last leading big-screen role.
Frankie Steele (Thalmus Rasulala), leader of the San Francisco black militant group the Black Serpents, has been accused of murdering a white woman named Mary Justin, but his liberal defense attorney Joe Ricco (Martin) has managed to get the charges dropped. But then two cops are gunned down, and a boy identifies Steele as the killer. George Cronyn (Eugene Roche), the detective in charge of the case, is furious with Ricco and blames him for the murders. During a raid meant to capture Steele, Black Serpent Calvin Mapes (Oliver Givens) is killed and his brother Purvis (Philip Michael Thomas) is arrested. Cal and Purvis's sister Irene (Denise Nicholas) asks Ricco to be Purvis's lawyer. As Ricco investigates on Purvis's behalf, he finds himself the target of a series of attempted murders by Steele. Not understanding why Steele would want to kill the man who got him off, Ricco determines to find out why.
Mr. Ricco contains examples of:
- Abandoned Area: Steele lives in the small undamaged part of a burned-out, condemned church.
- Accidental Murder: Steele broke into Mary Justin's house, thinking it was unoccupied. Instead Mary saw him and started screaming. Steele tried to shut her up, killing her in the process.
- At Least I Admit It: Ricco accuses Steele of embezzling government money that was supposed to be spent on programs to help black people. Steele retorts that everyone steals government money and asks Ricco when he last volunteered for an audit.
- Canine Companion: Ricco's dog Hank follows him almost everywhere, even to work. He's even trained to retrieve golf balls for his owner.
- Diegetic Switch: Background music that plays over the end of one scene turns into the music played by a band at a bar where Purvis meets up with Steele.
- Drowning My Sorrows: When George discovers proof that Cal was unarmed and Tanner planted the shotgun on him, he tells another officer, "Let's get drunk."
- Every Car Is a Pinto: Ricco is run off the road. He crashes into a tree, and his car starts to steam. As he walks away with Hank in his arms, the car explodes.
- False Prophet: Steele may once have had genuine ideals, such as black people owning their own neighborhoods, but once he started getting media attention and government funding for his projects, he embezzled most of the money, leaving almost none for the people he was supposed to be helping. He strung along local blacks until almost everyone got sick of him, including the media, but he still has a handful of followers.
- Flipping the Bird: Purvis flips off a fellow detainee in the police station who makes a threat of Prison Rape. Later, a cop holds up a newspaper with a headline about the hunt for Steele and flips off Ricco.
- Smoking Hot Sex: After Ricco has sex with his girlfriend Katherine (Geraldine Brooks), he calls the secretary Jamison (Cindy Williams), who has just had sex with Mark (Joseph Hacker). Both men are shown smoking.
- Staircase Tumble: Ricco and Steele fall down a flight of stairs during their fight.
- Zipping Up the Bodybag: A blanket is pulled over Katherine's face after she's shot.
