After his beloved mentor and superior gets killed, rough'n'tumble loose cannon police lieutenant Giorgio Caneparo (well played by the handsome and charismatic Luc Merenda) goes undercover as a vicious criminal in order to infiltrate the bank robbing gang responsible for the hit. Director Sergio Martino, working from a tough, complex script by Ernesto Gastaldi and taking a break from his usual giallo murder mystery thrillers, takes a welcome stab at the Italian crime thriller genre and comes up with an impressively tight, gripping and hard-hitting winner: the constant quick pace rarely flags, the tone is appropriately harsh and no-nonsense (several innocent bystanders get killed which include a little girl and a pregnant woman!), there are occasional startling outbursts of brutal'n'bloody violence, the intricate narrative offers plenty of neat twists and turns, and the action set pieces ate deftly staged with rip-roaring élan (a couple of protracted car chases are especially exciting). This film further benefits from excellent acting by a tip-top cast: Merenda makes for a perfectly rugged and amoral anti-hero, Richard Conte lends able support as smooth capo Padulo, and the lovely Martine Brochard acquits herself nicely as brassy junkie prostitute Maria. Kudos are also in order for Giancarlo Ferrando's fluid, polished cinematography, the moody, groovy score by Guido and Maurizio De Angelis, and the bitterly cynical bummer ending which concludes everything on a satisfyingly downbeat note. Highly recommended viewing for Italian crime cinema fans.
Review of The Violent Professionals
The Violent Professionals
(1973)
A splendidly hard-edged Italian crime thriller knockout
5 September 2008
Warning: Spoilers