Ricco the Mean Machine

Ricco the Mean Machine 

Genre: Crime, Poliziottesco, Gangster Film

Original title: Ricco

AKA: Cauldron of Death / Gangland / The Dirty Mob 

Director: Tulio Demicheli

Year: 1973

After serving time in prison Ricco Aversi is released & seeking revenge on the gang that murdered his father

Ricco The Mean Machine begins with a bloody shootout which shows a man being blown away at point blank range. It soon becomes clear that this is Rico's rather that has been killed & rico is hellbent on making his fathers killers pay. The character of Rico is played by Christopher Mitchum, the son of legendary 50s actor Robert Mitchum. With his blonde fringe he has an air of casual coolness about him though he does come across as emotionless with his big droopy eyes & then there's a scene where he shows off some martial arts skills that leaves a lot to be desired. He is serviceable to a point & likable enough to get behind but I couldn't help but think the film would of been so much better with somebody such as Tomás Milián, or even Ray Lovelock as the films leading man. 

Christopher Mitchum, forever in his fathers shadow & for good reason.

We're introduced to the character of Scilla (played by Italian genre film regular Barbara Bouchet)  as she's conning people by asking if they have any change for her counterfeit bank notes that her uncle is making at home, this whilst in a skimpy outfit to help seal the deal. She soon becomes Rico's girl & also partner in crime which leads to a fantastic scene where she distracts a car which is delivering a large shipment of money by giving us a fantastic striptease in the middle of the road, Rico throws both men over a bridge as they exit the car. Whilst I don't usually admire Barbara Bouchet compared to some of the other sexbombs of Italian cinema I can't deny that she looks fantastic as a redhead here in Ricco.

The star of the film is without a doubt Arthur Kennedy as the unimaginatively named Don Veto. An experienced actor who had played a big part in Lawrence of Arabia but to fans of Cult Italia he's also the Sergeant in Let Sleeping Corpses Lie. His portrayal as the gang mob leader who is feared for his ruthlessness really gives the film its best moments. Anybody who betrays him or dares step in his way will end up tossed into a chemical pit where they'll melt do death. In one scene his right hand man is caught sleeping with the Don's girl (the beautiful Malisa Longo) & is held down whilst they remove his penis with a flick-knife before disposing him in the chemical pit. It's brutal & graphic in its horrific nature, in fact so horrific that in some places the film was released as Cauldron of Death with a poster which boasted a tag-line that read 'tender flesh, burning acid' which surely must be conned people into thinking they were about to see a horror film.

Despite any shortcomings Mitchum may have as a leading man it doesn't hurt the film too much as its so brilliantly written with strong characters, memorable scenes & a solid Nando De Luca score. Director Tulio Demicheli who is a lesser known figure in Italian genre cinema with films such as The Two Faces of Fear & Sabata The Killer does a terrific job here balancing a well scripted revenge story with some harsh violence & keeps it moving at a pace that'll keep you gripped throughout. 

Rating: ★★★★

"Got any change?"

The Italian Connection

The Italian Connection 

Genre: Poliziottesco, Crime

Original title: La mala ordina

AKA: Hired to Kill / Manhunt / Black Kingpin

Director: Fernando Di Leo

Year: 1972

When a shipment of heroin disappears between Italy and New York, a small-time pimp in Milan is framed for the theft. Two professional hitmen are dispatched from New York to find him, but the real thieves want to get rid of him before the New York killers get to him to eliminate any chance of them finding out he's the wrong man.

The Italian Connection is the second part of Fernando Di Leo's "Milieu Trilogy", it's another fantastic crime thriller that is fast paced with violence that is harsh, bordering on brutal & there's plenty of unforgettable moments throughout.

The cast reads like a who's who of Italian cinema. You have the films star, Mario Adorf who plays the pimp framed for the theft of a shipment of heroin. He's hunted down by two professional hit-men played by none other than Woody Strode & the legendary Henry Silva, a pairing which Tarantino without a doubt took inspiration from for the characters of Jules & Vincent in Pulp Fiction. The supporting cast is also incredibly strong with Adolfo Celi, Luciana Paluzzi, Peter Berling, Femi Benussi & Giuseppe Castellano to name just a few!

Despite being a loose trilogy where neither film continues on or shares the same characters it was still surprising to see Adorf play our protagonist after playing such a bastard in Milano calibro 9, though of course he is still no saint! I was expecting the American duo of Silva & Strode to be the "heroes" of the picture so it refreshing to see the film not make obvious choices with its cast. The films sense of moral ambiguity really is one of its great strong points. 

There films highlight without a shadow of a doubt happens when key characters are murdered (no spoilers on Cult Italia!) & Adorf gets involved in a chase with the murderer in an absolutely outrageous chase/action sequence which goes on for what must be near ten minutes! Now first of all, Mario Adorf is a pretty hefty guy that definitely packs a couple of extra pounds. So to see him chase this guy by foot, by car, through a theme park & then into a brutal fight to the death must of taken a lot out of the guy. To any fans of Family Guy I'd compare it to when Peter fights the chicken & it goes on & on & on, getting more violent and more outlandish as it progresses. Well imagine that but with real actors! Some of the stunts are insane with Adorf hanging onto a van for dear life and head-butting his way through the window-screen. His anger in this film is like nothing I've ever seen before & is fightingly realistic. There was no CGI in those days, I don't know if a professional stunt-man was used in any of those scenes but either way some crazy son of a bitch really did put his body on the line for this picture & god bless him for doing so.

Henry Silva is always such a joy to watch, each time he appears the film springs to life that little bit more. In some ways it is a shame that the film wasn't more about he and Strode's characters as I'd liked them to both receive more screen-time. Having said that, one of the films real strengths is how it balances the plot & characters keeping everything so tight, a lot goes down in its 90'odd minute running time but it always remains easy to follow & each characters actions are clear to the viewer. 

The Italian Connection remains one of the absolute essential releases not only of the Poliziottesco genre, but of cult Italian cinema in general. It is a film where pretty much everything is in place from the great direction of  Fernando Di Leo, to the superb cast to the funky soundtrack from Armando Trovajoli. Its grittiness, shocks & thrills entertains throughout delivering an unforgettable piece of cult cinema. Simply put, one of the greats.

Rating: ★★★★½

Henry Silva & his wonderful dressing gown. 

Live Like a Cop, Die Like a Man

Live Like a Cop, Die Like a Man

Genre: Poliziottesco, Crime

Original title: Uomini si nasce poliziotti si muore

Director: Ruggero Deodato

Year: 1976

Fred and Tony are members of an elite 'special squad' of police in Rome, Italy whom are licensed-to-kill, undercover cops whom thrive on living dangerously.

Live Like A Cop, Die Like A Man took me all of about 30 seconds to win me over. It starts with with two guys on a motorbike brutally killing a women whilst trying to steal her bag. Our anti-heroes with the blandest names ever (Fred & Tony) played by Marc Porel & Ray Lovelock are part of Rome's Special Squad and begin to chase the thieves on motorbikes. This turns into a 10 minute chase sequence through the streets of Rome. It's a thrilling beginning that sees some high risk stunts with cafés being destroyed, cars being used as ramps & a brutal, yet somehow hilarious murder of a guide-dog. With this kind of action from the get-go it wasn't hard for me to fall in love with this film.

The characters of Fred & Tony are pretty much as anti-hero as you can get. They have no problem whatsoever killing criminals (often before they've commuted a crime), using torture, stealing & abusing women to get what they want. It's like a complete bastardised version of Riggs and Murtaugh! Despite this, the pair are highly entertaining & their general attitude of doing anything they damn well please to get the job done provides many a thrill during its lean 90 minute running time. 

Director Ruggero Deodato shows off a degree of the brutal violence, sleaze & general grittiness that he'd show in later pictures such as The House on the Edge of the Park & Cannibal Holocaust. though here it does occasionally come off a tiny bit cartoonish in its outrageousness. Also the film benefits from the brilliant screenplay from the director of the Milieu Trilogy, Fernando Di Leo, whom is arguably the genre's most famous filmmaker. You also get a decent score from Ubaldo Continello, though the use of a couple of Ray Lovelock's Bob Dylan-esque folk numbers feel completely out of place. Perhaps he agreed to do the film if they'd use his music but either way its a very unwelcome distraction. 

Also in the cast is Bruno Corazzari (a character actor who seems to always play shady character's in Italian genre films), Adolfo Celi (as the boss of the Special Squad) & Marino Masé 

Overall its a tight, explosive & thrilling piece of Italian crime-cinema with plenty of memorable scenes, harsh violence & contains possibly the two "badest" cops that you'll ever see on screen.

Rating: ★★★★

Fred & Tony, make Dirty Harry look like a pussy.

The Suspicious Death of a Minor

The Suspicious Death of a Minor

Genre: Giallo / Poliziottesco

Original Title: Morte sospetta di una minorenne

AKA: Suspected Death of a Minor

Director: Sergio Martino

Year: 1975

Police detective Paolo Germi and the mysterious Marisa meet each other at a dance hall. Germi is unsuspecting of the secret Marisa is carrying with her: adverse conditions forced her into prostitution. As Germi finds the young girl brutally murdered, he decides to go after her killers. During his investigation, he enters a world of intrigue and obfuscation that leave an endless trail of blood.

By 1975 the Gialli craze in Italy was dwindling down with less & less being made. This might explain why The Suspicious Death of a Minor blends into so many genres. It starts off in typical Gialli territory with a killer in sunglasses stalking and murdering a young girl but then soon quickly turns into a Poliziotteschi where the pieces of the puzzle are being slowly unwrapped. There's also some really over the top slapstick comedy thrown in which I'm not entirely sure tonally fit the picture, after all it is a film about child trafficking & underage prostitutes, yet somehow it just about gets away with it. 

Sergio Martino directed this picture & it feels completely different to any of his other Gialli but then Martino directed everything from Gialli to sci-fi to comedy to Spaghetti Western's & always managed to pull of whatever genre he dealt with convincingly. He remains under appreciated & often overlooked when people think of Italian genre directors. Martino pictures for better or for worse never fail to entertain me & for me he deserves to be up there with the very best. Also, look out for Martino's Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key playing in a scene shot in a cinema.

The score is by Luciano Michelini who I've never heard of but is really memorable. It's a kind of driving prog-rock which is reminiscent of something Goblin would do. Definitely one which will work as a great soundtrack even without the film.

The star of this film though is Claudio Cassinelli, we spend quite some time with his character wondering why he cares so much before it all becomes clear, I really dug how they drop that bombshell onto the viewer, I cottoned onto what he might be but still I felt it was really well done. There's some great scenes like a shootout on a rollercoaster & an over the top car chase which provide the thrills. There is a bit of downtime around the hour mark where the picture loses a tiny bit of pace but this is one hell of an enjoyable ride.

It's an odd film which you could easily argue isn't a gialli but I guess it was inevitable that the genre would eventually evolve & try to branch out into different territories. This is a fine example of one of the later entries before the American influence really took over these pictures.

Rating: ★★★★

Claudio Cassinelli: like Dirty Harry, with specs.