This Italian Poliziotteschi has a different approach
than most in the genre with a more relaxed and comical attitude. This is
at times dramatically at odds though with the murders that are pure Giallo
spectacle. It is almost two films connected by a wandering plot. Director
Sergio Martino had helmed films in both genres - Poliziotteschi with The
Violent Professionals and Silent Action and Giallo with Torso, The Case of
the Scorpion's Tail, The Strange Vice of Mr. Wardh - though whether he merges
them seamlessly is questionable. But definitely visually interesting. There
are a number of scenes that are done very well - murders and chases with
a protagonist who keeps the viewer off-balance. In the mix is murder, prostitution,
kidnappings, action, trafficking and corruption.
That protagonist is Germi (Claudio Cassinelli)
an amiable man with a slight gap between his two front teeth, a broken-down
car and a habit of breaking or cracking his glasses that gives him a slightly
nebbish look. Initially, he seems to be a side character as he tries to pick
up a slim attractive curly haired redhead named Marisa (Patrizia Castaldi)
at an afternoon outdoor dance full of elderly couples. She appears to be
the main character as we had seen her earlier arguing with an older wealthy
man on the street. She brushes off the attentions of Germi and breaks his
glasses doing so. She has spotted a man with reflective sunglasses (Roberto
Possi) that she wants to get away from. She thinks she has lost him and goes
past the bloated landlady to the ghetto like apartment of a friend - finds
the door unlocked and walks in - the light switch doesn't work - always a
bad sign - and sure enough the man in the sunglasses is waiting for her in
the dark. In and out of the light, he stabs her to death. I guess she isn't
the going to be a main character after all. Not in a Giallo. Women are just
there to be murdered.
The cops come and leave but as they do,
a motorcycle comes by and steals the briefcase of one of the cops. In the
shadows watching this is Germi - he is back again - and the film shifts to
him as he finds the boy on the motorcycle, Gianni (Adolfo Caruso) and persuades
Gianni to join him in a night of thievery stealing the handbags of prostitutes
standing in the park while on the motorcycle. Germi isn't really interested
in their money but in something more - their notebooks with all the names
- he is searching for someone. He picks up a prostitute and asks her to find
him a minor for an Arab businessman. He doesn't really want to sleep with
her but says "Hell, I paid $50. I may as well". You keep asking yourself,
who is this guy - a conman, a crook trying to work his way in, someone out
for revenge or just maybe an undercover cop?
The plot weaves all over - a very comical
Keystone Cop car chase, a foot chase that ends up with a shootout on subway
tracks, a few other killings, a great scene in a movie theater (while watching
a Martino film) and then on top of a retractable roof, a shootout on a rollercoaster
and then finally on a train shuttle with cars on it. The script comes from
one of the greats in the Italian genre of crime, Ernesto Gastaldi, who had
this to say of the film "In my opinion, it's a minor film [...] the usually
very good Martino didn't manage to give the film a decisive shot-in-the-arm.".
I think I liked it more than he did! Mel Ferrer has a role as a police commissioner.
