Beretta's Island

“**_Arnold’s best friend, a short bodybuilder, as a detective on the island of Sardinia_** An Interpol agent in Los Angeles (Franco Columbu) comes out of retirement to help rid his hometown of violent drug dealers in Sardinia. “Baretta’s Island” (1993) is a low-budget crime thriller set mostly on an island off the western coast of Italy starring Franco Columbu. He was Schwarzeneggar’s best friend and sometimes showed up in his movies in bit parts, such as the Pictish scout near the beginning of “Conan the Barbarian” (1982). Arnold has a cameo here in the dreadfully boring opening weight-lifting sequence. Franco was short at 5’5”, but he’s likable as the protagonist, although he’s a lousy actor. One of the main reasons to see this flick, aside from the nice island locations, is Elizabeth Kaitan as Linda. She was beautiful and winsome during her ‘B’ movie career from approximately 1983-1997; and notable in films like “Necromancer” (1988) and “Nightwish” (1989). In this one, she usually appears in baggy jean shorts or tight jeans, although she has a decent sequence in a yellow bikini and, at the very end, a tame top nude scene while swimming with the protagonist. The movie runs about 1 hour, 30 minutes, and was shot mainly in Ollolai, Nuoro, Sardinia, Italy (Franco’s hometown), as well as other areas of Sardinia, not to mention Las Vegas, Nevada, and Los Angeles. GRADE: D+”