26th February 2018, 08:12 AM
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 | Cult Addict | | Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Barrow-in-furness | |
Naked Violence
Early crime thriller from Di Leo (1969) in which a detective must investigate the the rape/murder of a schoolteacher. Initially it looks like the students got drunk on Absinthe and gang raped her. However the detective believes something more is going on and begins digging deeper. He begins to uncover evidence of the teens being exploited by older women for prostitution and Cigarette smuggling.
This is a great little film. Not as good as some of the later Crime flicks he would make but still a solid film nonetheless.
Shoot first, die later
Domenico Malacarne is an up and coming detective beloved by the press after running down a robber in a gripping car chase. He's also admired by his father who is lower down the promotional ladder and proud at how far his son has climbed. Unfortunately Malacarne is also on the take, covering up and providing favours for a local crime family. He seem's to be managing both lives well, unfortunately the wheels come off his double life when he's asked to get a report from his fathers station. It's a minor issue, a local busybody reported the license plates of two cars blocking the entrance to his property. It's a non issue that would normally just get buried, however Malacarne's father is by the book and refuses to allow his son to remove the report. Things quickly spiral out of control and its not long before people start dying.
A terrific police corruption thriller with one of the most heartbreaking scenes in any Italian cop thriller. When Malacarnes father confronts his son about his corruption his devastation is evident. Shoot first, die later is then mainly a morality play on corruption with the characters life being destroyed by his own greed and ambition.
Kidnap syndicate
Two boys are kidnapped outside school. Antonio is the on of rich businessman Fillipini. His friend Fabrizio is the son of poor mechanic Colella. Fabrizio was not the intended target but gets taken trying to rescue his friend. The parents are contacted by the police who assist in dealing with the kidnappers. Unfortunately things are complicated by the rich Fillipini who is determined to play hardball and negotiate a lower ransom settlement. Colella is dismayed by this and the police chief explains that this is all business and that kidnapping has become something of an industry in Italy. The Tycoons hardball tactics end in tragedy however so the beleaguered mechanic heads off to settle the score himself.
Seemingly made on a lower budget than other Di Leo films. Kidnap syndicate reuses some of Luis Bacalov's Calibre 9 score. However its also one of his better films. The first half is a straight up kidnap thriller with Echoes of the Getty Kidnap as the rich tycoon with money to spare seemingly refuses to simply pay out instead of haggling on a price. Then, it morphs into a brutal revenge thriller. The revenge thriller portion tests logic in various places but is no less silly than the out and out gun battle at the end of rulers of the city. It seems to be a case of Di Leo venting at a society that places money and business above human life, with the humble working man burning it all down.
I watched the Raro blu-rays of these but its worth noting all three are on Prime.
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