venoms5
07-09-2008, 09:35 PM
Here is an abridged article I wrote back in '06 (which, again needed corrections) when I had gotten more heavily into this genre of film after being put off with these films after seeing ASSAULT WITH A DEADLY WEAPON back in the late 80's. That film was a truncated version of the otherwise superb slice in Euro crime sleaze known as ROMA A MANO ARMATA aka ROME ARMED TO THE TEETH...
VIOLENCE IN ITALY: ITALIAN CRIME FILMS
In 1973 a film entitled HIGH CRIME was released to Italian movie theaters which officially began the Poliziotteschi movies that would be popular there for a good 6-7 years. The film starred Franco Nero and was directed by Italian action specialist Enzo Castellari whose career is bubbling with various bandwagon movies like the JAWS clone THE LAST SHARK (1980), THE WARRIORS rip off 1990: THE BRONX WARRIORS (1982) and the MAD MAX take THE NEW BARBARIANS (1983). Castellari would return the following year with Nero in tow to direct the DEATH WISH styled STREET LAW (1974) also starring Barbara Bach.
Although Castellari has stated in interviews that he started the genre, HIGH CRIME (1973) and the films that followed, were all Italian variants of the American films THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971), THE GODFATHER (1972) and the two most influential, DEATH WISH (1973) and DIRTY HARRY (1971). The one major difference between the Italian and US crime movies was the violence. What the Italians lacked in budget and shooting schedules, they made up for with numerous scenes of brutal and bloody violence. This made Italian cop flicks mainstays in grindhouse cinemas throughout the big cities in the US especially New York.
However, there had been a number of polizio's before HIGH CRIME (1973). These were more crime-noir movies that had a classy flair about them and somewhat convoluted storylines that required your attention. These were, however, no less violent. These would include such greats as Giallo specialist Emilio Miraglia's ASSASSINATION (1967) and Sergio Sollima's REVOLVER (1969) and VIOLENT CITY (1970) starring Henry Silva, Oliver Reed and Charles Bronson respectively. There were also similar cop films that would follow in the wake of HIGH CRIME's popularity. Some of this similarly themed movies are BANDITS OF MILAN (1968), THE BASTARD (1968) and LA POLIZIA RANGRAZIA (1972) a film which has also been said by some fans to have been the first Italian Cop-Crime picture.
I have not seen RANGRAZIA, but from what information I've obtained about it, it involves a special squad of police officers that work outside of the law to catch the criminals. There have been other polizio's that did in fact use this plot device. Films such as COLT .38 SPECIAL SQUAD (1976), ROMA VIOLENTA (1975) a film that is notable for being Maurizio Merli's first crime film and Deodato's interesting LIVE LIKE A COP, DIE LIKE A MAN (1975) are just a few examples. But which ever film was indeed responsible for the polizio explosion, the films similar in style, tone and plot to HIGH CRIME (1973) outweigh those that are similar to LA POLIZIA RANGRAZIA (1972). I only wish now I had picked this curious film up when I had the opportunity.
The most famous of these earlier crime films would have to be Fernando Di Leo's 'mileau' trilogy which began with the seminal MILAN CALIBRE 9 (1971) then continued with MANHUNT (1972) and concluded with THE BOSS (1973). This fascinating series of films was very different from those that followed in that these were solely, and almost exclusively, about the Mafia. Di Leo's modern day DOLLARS trilogy featured such actors as Mario Adorf (AND FOR A ROOF, A SKY FULL OF STARS) Gastone Moschin, Richard Conte (both THE GODFATHER 2), Henry Silva (MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE), Woody Strode (THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE) and Gianni Garko (SARTANA). The first film is widely considered to be the finest example of the Italian crime genre.
One of the most surprising aspects of this series is the performance of Mario Adorf. He was Guiliano Gemma's goofy partner in AND FOR A ROOF... but here, he is frighteningly convincing as the psychotic lead henchman for the mob. In the second film, his performance is even more different. A very versatile actor.
During the shooting of this initial trilogy, Di Leo began writing a second trilogy. This next series consisted of the polizio parody LOADED GUN (1974), NICK THE STING (1975) and concluded with RULERS OF THE CITY (1976). Jack Palance, Woody Strode, Mark Porel and Ursula Andress featured in these films. This second trilogy is not as interesting as the first at least not to me and I have yet to watch NICK THE STING all the way through but the first and second films did nothing for me.
Meanwhile, Castellari was asked again and again to direct more crime films in the wake of his first two hits. He would not return to the genre until 1977's violence packed vigilante-fest THE BIG RACKET and the downbeat and mind numbingly turgid THE HEROIN BUSTERS both starring Fabio Testi. Since he had seemingly no interest in contributing to the genre further (he did return with DAY OF THE COBRA in 1980 starring Franco Nero and Sybil Danning), another popular director would step in and make the crime film his own. That man would be the great Umberto Lenzi. Lenzi, who is best remembered for his down and dirty cannibal-jungle adventures and ultra violent horror pictures, did his best work in the crime and war genres.
Lenzi began his polizio tenure with the 1973 film MILANO ROVENTE aka GANG WAR IN MILAN starring Antonio Sabato and Phillippe Leroy. American gangster Bobby Baroni also starred in this film about three crime bosses vying for control of Milan. Lenzi followed this up with one of the best entries in the genre, ALMOST HUMAN (1974). Tomas Milian gives the performance of his life here (his personal favorite role) as a sleazy small time hood involved in an ever escalating series of violent acts that culminates in a great final confrontation with the determined and persistent detective played coldly by Henry Silva. Originally, Silva was to play the bad guy but Milian was adamant about taking the role as he'd yet to portray such a violent and sadistic character. Silva would get to play a villain in a later Lenzi crime flick called FREE HAND FOR A TOUGH COP (1976). Even though he is absent from much of the film, he gets to deliver some great lines. Silva would become one of the most recognizable faces in these movies and also appeared in WEAPONS OF DEATH (1977), CRIMEBUSTERS (1976) and the superbly sleazy CRY OF A PROSTITUTE (1974).
Milian would become a regular in these movies often playing villains and he seemed to enjoy essaying antagonists even more so than protagonists. He would play a character named Rambo (taken from the original novel FIRST BLOOD) in the 1975 film SYNDICATE SADISTS also starring Joseph Cotten. Here, Rambo is a motorcycle riding anti-hero who comes to town to visit a friend who has recently become a cop. His friend is killed in the line of duty so Rambo steps in and sets about turning the two rival crime syndicates responsible against each other.
That same year, producer Luciano Martino wanted a Franco Nero look-alike to headline a series of crime thrillers. The actor that won this honor was newcomer Maurizio Merli. The film was ROMA VIOLENTA (1975) aka VIOLENT ROME. The film was a huge success and cemented Merli as Italy's new action star of the time. Since Merli did in fact resemble Nero, his critics never took him or his films seriously proclaiming that his success rested solely on his similarities to Nero (actually, Merli always looked more like the construction worker in the Village People than he did Franco Nero). This bothered Merli to no end but one thing is certain; Merli was a better athlete than Nero could ever hope to be. Merli performed most of his own stunts and never appeared wooden in his action scenes. Merli would be a favorite of director Lenzi along with Milian. Although the two could not get along, Merli and Milian did at least two movies together, the classic THE CYNIC, THE RAT & THE FIST (1976) and the follow-up ROME ARMED TO THE TEETH (1977) which featured Milian as a vengeful hunchback. Apparently, Milian was a difficult actor to get along with much to the chagrin of Maurizio Merli and reportedly he refused to appear in the same scene with his Merli while shooting THE CYNIC, THE RAT & THE FIST (1977). But then, Merli wasn't necessarily the easiest actor to get along with either as his persona on screen was pretty much the man off screen as well.
Merli, while not the best actor, was efficient in the role of the embittered cop who despises a legal system that protects the guilty allowing the innocent to suffer without much hope of legal justice. He seldom got to show any other emotions besides those of anger and an often times sarcastic and callous attitude towards his superiors. But then this type of character suited Merli perfectly and he played it as such but he never escaped the Nero mold created for him despite his desire to do other types of movies to show that he could do something besides shoot a gun and bitch slap the bad guys senseless. He did get to showcase a more subdued cop in Lenzi's final polizio FROM CORLEONE TO BROOKLYN (1979). Here, his character follows the rules and never resorts to excessive force to accomplish his goals. Even with a less violent Merli, the film is still very exciting with action and suspense from start to finish.
However, in IL COMMISSARIO DI FERRO (1977; roughly translated as THE COMMISSIONER OF IRON) Merli gets to display a wide range of emotions for a change in relation to its ironic title. He plays a stoic cop who slowly loses his grip when his son is kidnapped by some criminals. One of the best Massi movies save for the final scene which was rushed for scheduling and monetary reasons.
Another popular actor who featured quite regularly in Italo crime movies was the aforementioned French actor/model Luc Merenda. Merenda would appear along with frequent American star Richard Conte in Sergio Martino's fine film THE VIOLENT PROFESSIONALS (1973). This film features a damn fine car chase-smash up during the opening. In several later films, bits of stock footage culled from this chase sequence would be pilfered for other polizio's. Merenda was also discounted by critics but not because of a resemblance to any particular actor, but that he was considered too good looking. Some notable Merenda flicks are NAPOLI SI REBELLA (1977; A MAN CALLED MAGNUM), GAMBLING CITY, THE LAST ROUND (1976; starring boxer Carlos Monzon) and Fernando Di Leo's classic THE KIDNAP SYNDICATE (1975). Merenda also did not get along with Tomas Milian and the two still do not speak kindly of one another.
Milian would also portray one of his most popular characters, 'Monnezza', first in Lenzi's FREE HAND FOR A TOUGH COP (1976) and then in DESTUCTION FORCE (1977; aka DIRTY GANG). In 1978 Milian would appear in a dual role again as a hunchback (seemingly the same one seen in ROME ARMED TO THE TEETH) and also as an off kilter mechanic (with a more than passing resemblance to his Monnezza character but with a different name) with a curly fro in Lenzi's LA BANDA DEL GOBBO (1978; aka BROTHERS TILL WE DIE). Good use of split screen is utilized here. He would also star in his most famous role in Italy. SQUADRA ANTISCIPPO (1976; aka COP IN BLUE JEANS). A series of 11(!) films all starring Milian. Only the first film is fairly serious with most of the remaining entries containing a lot of comedic elements. All are directed by Bruno Corbucci.
Throughout the decade, scores of other cop movies were popping up all over the place such as Massimo Dallamano's COLT .38 SPECIAL SQUAD (1974), THE BLOODY PAYROLL (1978) starring Claudio Cassinelli, THE BLOODY HANDS OF THE LAW (1973) which featured a suitably nasty turn by Klaus Kinski, Ruggero Deodato's sole entry LIVE LIKE A COP, DIE LIKE A MAN (1975) which is considered to be the most violent of all Italo crime movies even with the scene of the eyeball removal rumored to be no longer in existence. EMERGENCY SQUAD (1974) starring Gastone Moschin and Tomas Milian, Sergio Grieco's VIOLENCE FOR KICKS (1975) hands down one of the slimiest movies of any genre and the same directors BEAST WITH A GUN (1976) starring Richard Harrison and Helmut Berger. Grieco is without doubt one of the least subtle directors and redefines the word exploitation.
Guiliano Gemma also did a handful of these movies including A MAN ON HIS KNEES (1979) from Damiano Damiani, A MAN TO RESPECT (1973) also starring Kirk Douglas from Michele Lupo, THE BASTARDS (1968) with Kinski as Gemma's brother(!) from Tessari and I AM THE LAW (1977) also starring Claudia Cardinale
One of the best is YOUNG, VIOLENT & DANGEROUS (1976) directed by Castellari's cousin Romolo Gurrieri who also directed numerous bandwagon movies. Here, Tomas Milian plays a detective (in a very unusual character turn) out to arrest three young men who have begun a crime wave in Rome that becomes more and more violent by the day. Written by the master Fernando di Leo, the film follows a similar pattern set down by the previous years VIOLENCE FOR KICKS but does it with a much more professional hand and although it's very violent, the sleaze elements never quite reach the level achieved by the Grieco film.
One film in particular, A SPECIAL GUN FOR TONY SAITTA (1976) aka BLAZING MAGNUM is as good as any introduction to the genre. An Italian & Canadian co-production, the film is wholly unrealistic but is bolstered by a jaw droppingly vicious performance by Stuart Whitman. Martin Landau and John Saxon also star. Saxon, a regular in these movies, is totally wasted as Whitman's partner. Whitman is so nihilistically insane in this movie that your mind wanders from all the illogical situations. Highly recommended for its sheer refusal to adhere to any form of realism and a totally outlandish 7 minute car chase that's one of the best ever seen.
One of the most notable aspects of the genre was that, despite there similarities to American crime flicks, many of these films were based on real incidents that were going on at the time in Italy. Sometimes criminal activity was involved in the films release. A producer was kidnapped and remained missing for a number of years over an unreleased movie called LA BONIDITA-THE BIG RIP-OFF. The film was recently discovered in a box full of Japanese movie reels and was released as a special feature from NoShame on their double disc release of COLT .38 SPECIAL SQUAD (1974).
Meanwhile, Merli would appear in one of his best movies, PAURA IN CITTA' aka FEAR IN THE CITY (1976). Here, Merli goes to extremes not seen in his earlier cop thrillers getting revenge on a crime boss and his gang after the deaths of his family. Guiseppi Rosati directs this surprisingly well made movie and is further enhanced by the presence of James Mason. Merli would then participate in a couple of crime flicks with former DP Stelvio Massi such as IL COMMISSARIO DI FERRO (1977) and CONVOY BUSTERS (1978). Around this time, Merli felt that the cop genre had run its course and wanted to try something different. Merli appeared in his first and only western MANNAJA (1977; Merli did appear briefly in a spaghetti western from 1967).
However, Merli and Lenzi would collaborate one last time for the final crime movie of director Lenzi's career, FROM CORLEONE TO BROOKLYN (1979). One of the best examples of the genre it is quite surprisingly, a very subtle venture when compared to Umberto Lenzi's other cop movies. It concerns Merli trying to get a witness to testify in America against a powerful Mafia boss. But first, they must get there and go from one obstacle to another to make it to court alive. The somewhat downbeat ending assures that more trouble lies ahead for Merli.
The genre was coming to a close about this time with a few forgettable releases here and there like DOUBLE GAME (1980) starring George Hilton. The genre had its best moments a few years earlier but the Euro crime movies have a cult following (mostly in European countries) that keeps the films alive today and many of these get very nice Italian DVD releases with special features but sadly, most are not English friendly at all. A number of these films also play on Italian television in widescreen and uncut, but again, no English options save for a small number of fans that create fan subbed or dubbed versions from existing VHS releases (most with inferior picture quality) that have a dubbed English track.
VIOLENCE IN ITALY: ITALIAN CRIME FILMS
In 1973 a film entitled HIGH CRIME was released to Italian movie theaters which officially began the Poliziotteschi movies that would be popular there for a good 6-7 years. The film starred Franco Nero and was directed by Italian action specialist Enzo Castellari whose career is bubbling with various bandwagon movies like the JAWS clone THE LAST SHARK (1980), THE WARRIORS rip off 1990: THE BRONX WARRIORS (1982) and the MAD MAX take THE NEW BARBARIANS (1983). Castellari would return the following year with Nero in tow to direct the DEATH WISH styled STREET LAW (1974) also starring Barbara Bach.
Although Castellari has stated in interviews that he started the genre, HIGH CRIME (1973) and the films that followed, were all Italian variants of the American films THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971), THE GODFATHER (1972) and the two most influential, DEATH WISH (1973) and DIRTY HARRY (1971). The one major difference between the Italian and US crime movies was the violence. What the Italians lacked in budget and shooting schedules, they made up for with numerous scenes of brutal and bloody violence. This made Italian cop flicks mainstays in grindhouse cinemas throughout the big cities in the US especially New York.
However, there had been a number of polizio's before HIGH CRIME (1973). These were more crime-noir movies that had a classy flair about them and somewhat convoluted storylines that required your attention. These were, however, no less violent. These would include such greats as Giallo specialist Emilio Miraglia's ASSASSINATION (1967) and Sergio Sollima's REVOLVER (1969) and VIOLENT CITY (1970) starring Henry Silva, Oliver Reed and Charles Bronson respectively. There were also similar cop films that would follow in the wake of HIGH CRIME's popularity. Some of this similarly themed movies are BANDITS OF MILAN (1968), THE BASTARD (1968) and LA POLIZIA RANGRAZIA (1972) a film which has also been said by some fans to have been the first Italian Cop-Crime picture.
I have not seen RANGRAZIA, but from what information I've obtained about it, it involves a special squad of police officers that work outside of the law to catch the criminals. There have been other polizio's that did in fact use this plot device. Films such as COLT .38 SPECIAL SQUAD (1976), ROMA VIOLENTA (1975) a film that is notable for being Maurizio Merli's first crime film and Deodato's interesting LIVE LIKE A COP, DIE LIKE A MAN (1975) are just a few examples. But which ever film was indeed responsible for the polizio explosion, the films similar in style, tone and plot to HIGH CRIME (1973) outweigh those that are similar to LA POLIZIA RANGRAZIA (1972). I only wish now I had picked this curious film up when I had the opportunity.
The most famous of these earlier crime films would have to be Fernando Di Leo's 'mileau' trilogy which began with the seminal MILAN CALIBRE 9 (1971) then continued with MANHUNT (1972) and concluded with THE BOSS (1973). This fascinating series of films was very different from those that followed in that these were solely, and almost exclusively, about the Mafia. Di Leo's modern day DOLLARS trilogy featured such actors as Mario Adorf (AND FOR A ROOF, A SKY FULL OF STARS) Gastone Moschin, Richard Conte (both THE GODFATHER 2), Henry Silva (MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE), Woody Strode (THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE) and Gianni Garko (SARTANA). The first film is widely considered to be the finest example of the Italian crime genre.
One of the most surprising aspects of this series is the performance of Mario Adorf. He was Guiliano Gemma's goofy partner in AND FOR A ROOF... but here, he is frighteningly convincing as the psychotic lead henchman for the mob. In the second film, his performance is even more different. A very versatile actor.
During the shooting of this initial trilogy, Di Leo began writing a second trilogy. This next series consisted of the polizio parody LOADED GUN (1974), NICK THE STING (1975) and concluded with RULERS OF THE CITY (1976). Jack Palance, Woody Strode, Mark Porel and Ursula Andress featured in these films. This second trilogy is not as interesting as the first at least not to me and I have yet to watch NICK THE STING all the way through but the first and second films did nothing for me.
Meanwhile, Castellari was asked again and again to direct more crime films in the wake of his first two hits. He would not return to the genre until 1977's violence packed vigilante-fest THE BIG RACKET and the downbeat and mind numbingly turgid THE HEROIN BUSTERS both starring Fabio Testi. Since he had seemingly no interest in contributing to the genre further (he did return with DAY OF THE COBRA in 1980 starring Franco Nero and Sybil Danning), another popular director would step in and make the crime film his own. That man would be the great Umberto Lenzi. Lenzi, who is best remembered for his down and dirty cannibal-jungle adventures and ultra violent horror pictures, did his best work in the crime and war genres.
Lenzi began his polizio tenure with the 1973 film MILANO ROVENTE aka GANG WAR IN MILAN starring Antonio Sabato and Phillippe Leroy. American gangster Bobby Baroni also starred in this film about three crime bosses vying for control of Milan. Lenzi followed this up with one of the best entries in the genre, ALMOST HUMAN (1974). Tomas Milian gives the performance of his life here (his personal favorite role) as a sleazy small time hood involved in an ever escalating series of violent acts that culminates in a great final confrontation with the determined and persistent detective played coldly by Henry Silva. Originally, Silva was to play the bad guy but Milian was adamant about taking the role as he'd yet to portray such a violent and sadistic character. Silva would get to play a villain in a later Lenzi crime flick called FREE HAND FOR A TOUGH COP (1976). Even though he is absent from much of the film, he gets to deliver some great lines. Silva would become one of the most recognizable faces in these movies and also appeared in WEAPONS OF DEATH (1977), CRIMEBUSTERS (1976) and the superbly sleazy CRY OF A PROSTITUTE (1974).
Milian would become a regular in these movies often playing villains and he seemed to enjoy essaying antagonists even more so than protagonists. He would play a character named Rambo (taken from the original novel FIRST BLOOD) in the 1975 film SYNDICATE SADISTS also starring Joseph Cotten. Here, Rambo is a motorcycle riding anti-hero who comes to town to visit a friend who has recently become a cop. His friend is killed in the line of duty so Rambo steps in and sets about turning the two rival crime syndicates responsible against each other.
That same year, producer Luciano Martino wanted a Franco Nero look-alike to headline a series of crime thrillers. The actor that won this honor was newcomer Maurizio Merli. The film was ROMA VIOLENTA (1975) aka VIOLENT ROME. The film was a huge success and cemented Merli as Italy's new action star of the time. Since Merli did in fact resemble Nero, his critics never took him or his films seriously proclaiming that his success rested solely on his similarities to Nero (actually, Merli always looked more like the construction worker in the Village People than he did Franco Nero). This bothered Merli to no end but one thing is certain; Merli was a better athlete than Nero could ever hope to be. Merli performed most of his own stunts and never appeared wooden in his action scenes. Merli would be a favorite of director Lenzi along with Milian. Although the two could not get along, Merli and Milian did at least two movies together, the classic THE CYNIC, THE RAT & THE FIST (1976) and the follow-up ROME ARMED TO THE TEETH (1977) which featured Milian as a vengeful hunchback. Apparently, Milian was a difficult actor to get along with much to the chagrin of Maurizio Merli and reportedly he refused to appear in the same scene with his Merli while shooting THE CYNIC, THE RAT & THE FIST (1977). But then, Merli wasn't necessarily the easiest actor to get along with either as his persona on screen was pretty much the man off screen as well.
Merli, while not the best actor, was efficient in the role of the embittered cop who despises a legal system that protects the guilty allowing the innocent to suffer without much hope of legal justice. He seldom got to show any other emotions besides those of anger and an often times sarcastic and callous attitude towards his superiors. But then this type of character suited Merli perfectly and he played it as such but he never escaped the Nero mold created for him despite his desire to do other types of movies to show that he could do something besides shoot a gun and bitch slap the bad guys senseless. He did get to showcase a more subdued cop in Lenzi's final polizio FROM CORLEONE TO BROOKLYN (1979). Here, his character follows the rules and never resorts to excessive force to accomplish his goals. Even with a less violent Merli, the film is still very exciting with action and suspense from start to finish.
However, in IL COMMISSARIO DI FERRO (1977; roughly translated as THE COMMISSIONER OF IRON) Merli gets to display a wide range of emotions for a change in relation to its ironic title. He plays a stoic cop who slowly loses his grip when his son is kidnapped by some criminals. One of the best Massi movies save for the final scene which was rushed for scheduling and monetary reasons.
Another popular actor who featured quite regularly in Italo crime movies was the aforementioned French actor/model Luc Merenda. Merenda would appear along with frequent American star Richard Conte in Sergio Martino's fine film THE VIOLENT PROFESSIONALS (1973). This film features a damn fine car chase-smash up during the opening. In several later films, bits of stock footage culled from this chase sequence would be pilfered for other polizio's. Merenda was also discounted by critics but not because of a resemblance to any particular actor, but that he was considered too good looking. Some notable Merenda flicks are NAPOLI SI REBELLA (1977; A MAN CALLED MAGNUM), GAMBLING CITY, THE LAST ROUND (1976; starring boxer Carlos Monzon) and Fernando Di Leo's classic THE KIDNAP SYNDICATE (1975). Merenda also did not get along with Tomas Milian and the two still do not speak kindly of one another.
Milian would also portray one of his most popular characters, 'Monnezza', first in Lenzi's FREE HAND FOR A TOUGH COP (1976) and then in DESTUCTION FORCE (1977; aka DIRTY GANG). In 1978 Milian would appear in a dual role again as a hunchback (seemingly the same one seen in ROME ARMED TO THE TEETH) and also as an off kilter mechanic (with a more than passing resemblance to his Monnezza character but with a different name) with a curly fro in Lenzi's LA BANDA DEL GOBBO (1978; aka BROTHERS TILL WE DIE). Good use of split screen is utilized here. He would also star in his most famous role in Italy. SQUADRA ANTISCIPPO (1976; aka COP IN BLUE JEANS). A series of 11(!) films all starring Milian. Only the first film is fairly serious with most of the remaining entries containing a lot of comedic elements. All are directed by Bruno Corbucci.
Throughout the decade, scores of other cop movies were popping up all over the place such as Massimo Dallamano's COLT .38 SPECIAL SQUAD (1974), THE BLOODY PAYROLL (1978) starring Claudio Cassinelli, THE BLOODY HANDS OF THE LAW (1973) which featured a suitably nasty turn by Klaus Kinski, Ruggero Deodato's sole entry LIVE LIKE A COP, DIE LIKE A MAN (1975) which is considered to be the most violent of all Italo crime movies even with the scene of the eyeball removal rumored to be no longer in existence. EMERGENCY SQUAD (1974) starring Gastone Moschin and Tomas Milian, Sergio Grieco's VIOLENCE FOR KICKS (1975) hands down one of the slimiest movies of any genre and the same directors BEAST WITH A GUN (1976) starring Richard Harrison and Helmut Berger. Grieco is without doubt one of the least subtle directors and redefines the word exploitation.
Guiliano Gemma also did a handful of these movies including A MAN ON HIS KNEES (1979) from Damiano Damiani, A MAN TO RESPECT (1973) also starring Kirk Douglas from Michele Lupo, THE BASTARDS (1968) with Kinski as Gemma's brother(!) from Tessari and I AM THE LAW (1977) also starring Claudia Cardinale
One of the best is YOUNG, VIOLENT & DANGEROUS (1976) directed by Castellari's cousin Romolo Gurrieri who also directed numerous bandwagon movies. Here, Tomas Milian plays a detective (in a very unusual character turn) out to arrest three young men who have begun a crime wave in Rome that becomes more and more violent by the day. Written by the master Fernando di Leo, the film follows a similar pattern set down by the previous years VIOLENCE FOR KICKS but does it with a much more professional hand and although it's very violent, the sleaze elements never quite reach the level achieved by the Grieco film.
One film in particular, A SPECIAL GUN FOR TONY SAITTA (1976) aka BLAZING MAGNUM is as good as any introduction to the genre. An Italian & Canadian co-production, the film is wholly unrealistic but is bolstered by a jaw droppingly vicious performance by Stuart Whitman. Martin Landau and John Saxon also star. Saxon, a regular in these movies, is totally wasted as Whitman's partner. Whitman is so nihilistically insane in this movie that your mind wanders from all the illogical situations. Highly recommended for its sheer refusal to adhere to any form of realism and a totally outlandish 7 minute car chase that's one of the best ever seen.
One of the most notable aspects of the genre was that, despite there similarities to American crime flicks, many of these films were based on real incidents that were going on at the time in Italy. Sometimes criminal activity was involved in the films release. A producer was kidnapped and remained missing for a number of years over an unreleased movie called LA BONIDITA-THE BIG RIP-OFF. The film was recently discovered in a box full of Japanese movie reels and was released as a special feature from NoShame on their double disc release of COLT .38 SPECIAL SQUAD (1974).
Meanwhile, Merli would appear in one of his best movies, PAURA IN CITTA' aka FEAR IN THE CITY (1976). Here, Merli goes to extremes not seen in his earlier cop thrillers getting revenge on a crime boss and his gang after the deaths of his family. Guiseppi Rosati directs this surprisingly well made movie and is further enhanced by the presence of James Mason. Merli would then participate in a couple of crime flicks with former DP Stelvio Massi such as IL COMMISSARIO DI FERRO (1977) and CONVOY BUSTERS (1978). Around this time, Merli felt that the cop genre had run its course and wanted to try something different. Merli appeared in his first and only western MANNAJA (1977; Merli did appear briefly in a spaghetti western from 1967).
However, Merli and Lenzi would collaborate one last time for the final crime movie of director Lenzi's career, FROM CORLEONE TO BROOKLYN (1979). One of the best examples of the genre it is quite surprisingly, a very subtle venture when compared to Umberto Lenzi's other cop movies. It concerns Merli trying to get a witness to testify in America against a powerful Mafia boss. But first, they must get there and go from one obstacle to another to make it to court alive. The somewhat downbeat ending assures that more trouble lies ahead for Merli.
The genre was coming to a close about this time with a few forgettable releases here and there like DOUBLE GAME (1980) starring George Hilton. The genre had its best moments a few years earlier but the Euro crime movies have a cult following (mostly in European countries) that keeps the films alive today and many of these get very nice Italian DVD releases with special features but sadly, most are not English friendly at all. A number of these films also play on Italian television in widescreen and uncut, but again, no English options save for a small number of fans that create fan subbed or dubbed versions from existing VHS releases (most with inferior picture quality) that have a dubbed English track.