Runtime:
85 minutes (at least that's how long the copy I watched was)
Directed
by: Marino Girolami
Starring:
Maurizio Merli, Richard Conte, Silvano Tranquilli, Ray Lovelock
From:
Fida Cinematografica
Yep,
I decided to watch another entry in the Italian crime genre known as
poliziotteschi, as I thought it had been too long. This should not be confused with the 1970 film Violent City, from another Italian and thus considered a part of the genre too, despite it being set in New Orleans. That movie stars Charles Bronson and Telly Savalas.
I decided to pick
this one out mainly due to its plot sounding like something right up
my alley. It stars Merli, a person who commonly appeared in these
films. He is a loose cannon cop here, and he certainly has a great
cop 'stache. Conte is best known to most people as Barzini from The
Godfather.
The
plot, straight from the IMDb as it's easy that way: “A
detective sick and tired of the rampant crime and violence in his
city, and constantly at odds with his superiors, is finally kicked
out of the department for a "questionable" shooting of a
vicious criminal. However, he is soon approached by a representative
for a group of citizens who themselves are fed up with what they see
as criminals going unpunished, and they make him an offer he may very
well not refuse.”
I'll
tell you right now, he doesn't refuse the offer.
Overall,
this isn't the wildest and craziest entry in this genre I've seen.
It's no The Italian Connection or Rulers of the City. That doesn't
mean I didn't enjoy this, though; Merli (as Betti) certainly is a
loose cannon cop, getting pissed off at how crime-ridden Rome is and
how he has to follow certain rules while dealing with the criminals.
Note that if he hops in you car and you try to run away, he'll grab
you and ram your head into the steering wheel a few times. There is
plenty of violence and action to see, and as it's in this genre there
is no surprise that there's both a dirtbike and a car chase involved;
I think all of the poliziotteschi films I have seen have had both.
The highlight of the movie was the long car chase where a lot of
destruction and mayhem happens.
The
copy of the movie I saw had English subtitles and they weren't always
great in terms of spelling or grammar. Yet, I am glad they did make
one change. For some reason, an Italian criminal is known as “The
Chinese”, at least according to the credits. Well, imagine my
surprise when I look on IMDb and the character is known as the most
common ethnic slur against a Chinese person, a term I won't repeat
here. I am glad the subtitles changed the name! Also, note that you
do get some nudity... but it's from a rape.
Overall,
I am glad I checked out this movie. It's satisfying to watch, which
is always good. I'll be back Monday night.
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