Tag: eurocrime

Fernando Di Leo’s Milieu Trilogy

Caliber 9 (1972), The Italian Connection (1972) and Il Boss (1973) are movies directed by Fernando Di Leo.

WHAT HAPPENS?

Caliber 9 tells the story of Ugo, a former gangster who is forced back into the criminal life. The Italian Connection follows Luca, a pimp who is framed for stealing a shipment of heroin. Il Boss is the story of Lanzetta, a hitman who finds himself in the middle of warring Mafia families.

ONE LINE (Actually, TWO Lines) REVIEW

The highlight of Fernando di Leo’s trilogy is Caliber 9 – a terrific, hard-boiled crime movie. The Italian Connection is a clunky mess, while Il Boss is long-winded but features the best action of the three.

THE ACTORS

Gastone Moschin plays Ugo Piazza with a hardened, but zen-like quality. Ugo doesn’t say much but his words matter. The strength of the character lies both in his blunt physical prowess and acceptance of his unfortunate situation. He’s squeezed between the Mafia and police but doesn’t make excuses. Moschin’s choice as a lead actor is intriguing – his jagged, scarred face would suggest otherwise, but he gives a uniquely effective lead actor performance.

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Revolver

Revolver is a 1973 movie directed by Sergio Sollima.

Revolver tells the story of Vito Cipriani, a jail warden whose wife is kidnapped. In order to save her, Vito has to unravel the layers of a crime syndicate and rely on a recently freed prisoner.

There’s a basic Eurocrime movie formula: an international actor duo confronts the rotten pillars of the “system”, a hippie element is introduced and wild car chases and shootouts ensue. Revolver doesn’t stray far from the blueprint, yet it transcends the genre, proving itself as a smart, stylish crime movie.

Revolver’s place as one of the best Eurocrime movies is predicated on an accomplished Spaghetti Western director in Sergio Sollima and two terrific leads in Fabio Testi and Oliver Reed.

Testi displays his usual charming and cynical qualities in portraying Milo Ruiz, a prisoner with murky underworld connections. Testi’s sardonic nature provides a counter to Reed’s intensity.

Reed is extraordinary – particularly as the movie progresses. He plays a hardened prison warden whose life is unraveled when his wife is kidnapped. Reed’s expressions of shock and rage are perfect for Eurocrime cameras – his intense eyes convey the desperation of his character.

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The Tough Ones

The Tough Ones is a 1976 movie directed by Umberto Lenzi.

The Tough Ones, aka Roma a Mano Armata tells the story of Inspector Tanzi, a detective disillusioned with a legal system that is exploited by criminals. He pursues various members of a crime syndicate to exact justice.

Lenzi delivers a quintessential Poliziotteschi movie. Maurizio Merli plays the hard-boiled detective fed up with the system. Giampiero Albertini is Caputo, the loyal partner who meets a tragic fate. Arthur Kennedy is the crusty, bureaucratic Commissioner trying to reign in his maverick employee.

The Tough Ones is standard fare for the genre – but when the qualifications are erratic car chases, violent shootouts, killer clothes and endless sermons lifted from Dirty Harry, the movie delivers on all accounts.

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