ITALIAN CRIME FILMS: An Overview & Reviews

[Arizona Colt]

I have not changed my opinion of Cynic and Teeth (although I like the alternate cut Assualt with a Deadly Weapon better). It's the other Merli films that I don't care for all that much.
It has been so long that I've seen any of them that I can't recall all the titles save for some of the more popular ones like Violent Naples and the other two of the "trilogy".

I just seem to feel that those 3 have been sold wrong to me.
They said they were action fests but had little action in it.
Naples and its companion pieces, always seem to turn into political intrigue/conspiracy movies or films that don't center around the exploits of Merli the policeman (then again, save for some of the violent set pieces, I don't recall much from them and could be wrong about the details of the subplots).
This is one of the reasons I prefer French Connection 2 to the original.
It centers around popeye.

Mike Malloy's documentary......I'm sure it's very enlightening, but how brazen is that to literally BEG fans to help you finish your movie when you, the filmmaker fail to secure the financing for YOUR OWN PROJECT?!?!?!?!

The film's main $20,000 budget was secured through investors.
The $10,000 raised through kickstarter was needed for film rights.
It wasn't begging. The people who put up the money were investors and will be compensated like any other investor.


The spaghetti westerns you mention fall into exactly the same mire as the crime flicks. Just as many, if not MORE of those STINK to high heaven especially since there were twice as many of them.

But the fact remains that I still enjoy them a whole lot more.
I think out of the 500+ films they made during that cycle (of which I've seen maybe 300 of) about 150 range from watchable to excellent pictures.
I'm having trouble getting through the first 20 of the Poliziotteschi that I've seen without wanting to give up.
It's down to personal preference.

I've already mentioned HIGH CRIME in the previous post.

There is either NO or VERY LITTLE political intrigue/conspiracies in those Merli movies you mentioned. They focus around Merli the cop and accentuate the violence over anything else. VIOLENT NAPLES and ROME ARMED TO THE TEETH are action packed movies. So you prefer the Aquarius Releasing cut as ASSAULT WITH A DEADLY WEAPON? A movie that makes absolutely zero sense and shuffles scenes around??? where did you see this as there is no DVD of this title I am aware of. Did you rent the old OOP VHS tape from Thriller Video?? The one with Sybil Danning doing an Elvira shtick before and after the movie??

The conspiracies/intrigue and "all that boring stuff" is in the OTHER Merli movies I mentioned. The ones with SOMETHING ELSE.

Yes, the contributors are compensated with a credit and a free copy of the doc when it's released a decade from now.

[Arizona Colt]

So you haven't seen the Sabato film?
Titoli? Anybody?

Yes, I own it. But you wouldn't like it. It's filled with a lot of that boring stuff. Political intrigue and things like that. If you didn't like the non stop violence and sleaze of VIOLENCE FOR KICKS, or the action oriented Merli movies, or the upper class Damiani movies, which ones do you enjoy, then?

[The Firecracker]

where did you see this as there is no DVD of this title I am aware of. Did you rent the old OOP VHS tape from Thriller Video?? The one with Sybil Danning doing an Elvira shtick before and after the movie??

No, the copy I saw was just the film.
I think Mike Malloy burned me a copy of it.

The conspiracies/intrigue and "all that boring stuff" is in the OTHER Merli movies I mentioned. The ones with SOMETHING ELSE.

It's quite possible I'm getting confused with those then (Malloy burnt me a good portion of his Merli collection which I have yet to sit through 100% of) but I distinctly remember not caring for the Naples trilogy.

Yes, the contributors are compensated with a credit and a free copy of the doc.

So? They knew what they were getting into.
We didn't hold them at gunpoint.

And it was a lot more than that.

released a decade from now.

Again, nothing about filmmaking is easy.

[Arizona Colt]

No, the copy I saw was just the film.
I think Mike Malloy burned me a copy of it.
It's quite possible I'm getting confused with those then (Malloy burnt me a good portion of his Merli collection which I have yet to sit through 100% of) but I distinctly remember not caring for the Naples trilogy.


So? They new what they were getting into.

And it was a lot more than that.



Again, nothing about filmmaking is easy.

Right. And Malloy got his copies "From those guys at lovelockandload". while his doc was still in production.

I have a friend working on a low budget flick at Warner. He can't finish it and the studio won't give him anymore money. Maybe he can get funding from the people? There's been lots of unfinished movies. Maybe EUROCRIME will start a trend?

[titoli]

So you haven't seen the Sabato film?
Titoli? Anybody?

No, I haven't. I have a friend who's got the whole bunch so i wouldn't have any problem watching them, but I don't like Sabato (I find him even more ridiculous than Merli).

[titoli]

ROME ARMED TO THE TEETH - Roma a mano armata (1977) This has the advantage of an episodic structure, so the screenplay is a little more acceptable than those having a linear plot, a task which seems beyond the capacity of the people involved in creating these kind of movies. Still it falls often into the ludicruous, with Merli apparently being always in the place where a crime is committed (or maybe these crimes were so many that Rome must have been a hell of a place to live in in the '70's). Merli makes me laugh each time he goes into action, he's so incapable of acting. 5\10

[titoli]

MILANO ODIA: LA POLIZIA NON PUO SPARARE - (ALMOST HUMAN) 1974

In the italian dvd there's an extra feature with three reviews written when the film first came out. Well, I think they exactly mirror the opinion most people had at the time and later. And also mine. This is Milian's worst performance: He acts over the top and has the wrong mimicry and the wrong gestures continuously. His character has no logic: sometime he acts like a evil genius, sometime like a crazy, imbecile man. And that reflects on the plot, which is really embarrassing as to logic. F.E. Milian decides the best way to kidnap a girl is to use his own girlfriend's car. Does this makes sense? Of course not but most of the plot hinges on this moronic decision. I could add tons of inverosimilitudes to this (the way he got hold of the weapons: can a dealer be such an imbecile? And the way the ransom is paid. And  the man who admits the frightened girl into his home forgetting to close the door. I stop here). Still the movie can be seen for some reasons: the car chase, the final scene (but a bar near the trash heaps? Come on...), Laura Belli and Morricone's score (not exceptional but good). The Martino production probably is the reason why Lenzi's direction looks as such. 6\10     

[The Firecracker]

No, I haven't. I have a friend who's got the whole bunch so i wouldn't have any problem watching them, but I don't like Sabato (I find him even more ridiculous than Merli).

I don't care for him either but apparently that one title is really good.
Let me know when and if you see it.

[The Firecracker]

Yes, I own it. But you wouldn't like it. It's filled with a lot of that boring stuff. Political intrigue and things like that. If you didn't like the non stop violence and sleaze of VIOLENCE FOR KICKS

Non-stop violence?
There is that barbed wire stuff and I think a shootout in a factory?
Saw it once a long time ago and I never plan on revisiting it again which is pretty much how I'll treat the others I've seen that I didn't care for.

or the upper class Damiani movies,

You're not paying attention.
I said I liked How To Kill A Judge.
That's twice now I've had to repeat an opinion of my mine (the first being my feelings on High Crime)
You sure you're reading ALL of my posts?

which ones do you enjoy, then?

Now I know you haven't been paying close attention.
I've given my preferences but overall I don't enjoy the majority.

[The Firecracker]

and Morricone's score (not exceptional but good).

I found the score to be one of the few things that didn't catch my attention.

[The Firecracker]

Maybe he can get funding from the people?

Ask Chris Alexander, head editor of FANGORIA.
He sent a mass message to all of his email pals "begging" for money to fund a project.
Last I checked he was using Kickstarter to fund that same project that presumably will have the magazine's name over the title.

All I'm saying is there is nothing low about it.
Even the big guys (compared to us) use it.

[Arizona Colt]

You're not paying attention.

You sure you're reading ALL of my posts?


Now I know you haven't been paying close attention.

LOL, no, I am paying CLOSE attention. You opinion changes on a whim depending on who it is you're talking to.

[Arizona Colt]

Even the big guys (compared to us) use it.

The "Big Guys" go asking fans to finish their movies?

What is "compared to us"? I assume your role has expanded since we last talked which was something like a year or two ago when this documentary was going on...well, silly me, it's still going on since it still hasn't even come out yet. You said you merely got a location provided by some rich gay man you know. Are you a full fledged producer now? Congratulations if so and it may partially explain your alternate personality perception of these movies.

[The Firecracker]

LOL, no, I am paying CLOSE attention. You opinion changes on a whim depending on who it is you're talking to.

Nope, you're just not paying attention.

[The Firecracker]

The "Big Guys" go asking fans to finish their movies?

Again, Chris Alexander is asking for funding the same way we were.
And his project is a Fangoria one.
I won't be repeating this anymore as it's all there for you to read in my previous post.

What is "compared to us"? I assume your role has expanded since we last talked which was something like a year or two ago when this documentary was going on...well, silly me, it's still going on since it still hasn't even come out yet. You said you merely got a location provided by some rich gay man you know. Are you a full fledged producer now? Congratulations if so and it may partially explain your alternate personality perception of these movies.

"Compared to us" meaning we're the little guy.
Much smaller than Chris Alexander who himself isn't that big of a fish.
His project will probably cost somwhere in the vicinity of $900,000 to $5,000,000.
Eurocrime cost less than a College tuition.

I have a associate producer's credit for reeling in Franco Nero, using the rich gay man who is a friend of Franco's, and Chris Mitchum as well as providing B-camera for several interviews.

Congratulations if so and it may partially explain your alternate personality perception of these movies.

I don't see how if I would probably have to pretend to like them if I have an important credit on a doc about them.

There is nothing alternate about my perception of the movies.
When I praised them I had only seen a few that were good.
I've seen a lot more now and I'm finding it very difficult to find good things to say about the new ones.
It's a case of the bad outweighing the good.
You've used my few comments to turn this into a page long charade for no apparent reason (and I've allowed it because apparently I'm stupid) and have thus wasted enough of my time as well as your own.
I won't continue with this senseless banter especially if it's going to continue to derail the thread.