Revolver

Revolver (1973)

Runtime: 111 minutes

Directed by: Sergio Sollima

Starring: Oliver Reed, Fabio Testi, Agostina Belli, Frederic de Pasquale

From: Mega Film

If you don't remember, late last spring I was able to watch some poliziotteschi films (i.e. tough Italian crime dramas from the 70's) and I really enjoyed them, between their usually crazy nature, the blurring the lines between good and evil, the intentional and unintentional humor, and strong action scenes); last night I was looking around to see what Russian films can be found online and I found quite the source for watching obscure and not so obscure movies. I might mention in the future what it is but for now I'll keep it secret. Anyhow, I went through it and spent time bookmarking what I'd like to watch in the future. Already it's a big list, which will only increase in the future.

I picked this out as it was in a genre I want to see more of and it sounded interesting as it stars the notorious Reed, best known not for his legit acting talent but rather his alcoholism and all the problems that caused him. For example, the director and Testi have said that Reed often showed up to set drunk, was difficult at times to work with, and that he wanted Fabio to engage in drinking contests with him! Despite this, this was a quality performance from old Oliver.

The plot: Reed is a prison warden at an Italian prison. His wife (Belli, a rather attractive Italian woman) is kidnapped and she'll be freed if he is able to free a petty criminal (Testi); the criminal claims he does now know who is behind it but he is freed anyway and Reed pretty much kidnaps him as they have to team up (but it's not a buddy cop movie sort of thing) to try and free the wife.

Note right away that this is a more serious entry in the genre. The humor I got was from Reed doing what you'd expect him to do at times (i.e. slapping around and beating up prisoners) and from the wacky clothing you often see. Speaking of seeing, there are also several Citroen DS's on display and those are awesome cars. There isn't as much action as in films like The Italian Connection or Live Like A Cop,Die Like A Man. This is more of a drama than anything, but that's OK. The story was always interesting to me (it seems complex at first but by the end you'll see it isn't that complicated) and with nice performances from the two leads, it's a nice watch, although along with the political commentary you see by the end, there are also some rough moments for the characters and I'll leave it at that. As long as you know what to expect going in, you should enjoy this.

Oh, and the score is from the legendary Ennio Morricone. It's cool. A song from it (Un Amico) was used to dramatic effect in Inglourious Basterds; no surprise that Tarantino would enjoy this.

I'll be back tomorrow night.