The Violent Four (1968)
"Banditi a Milano" (original title)

A detective is assigned to head a manhunt for four violent bank robbers.

Director:

Carlo Lizzani

Writers:

Massimo De Rita, Carlo Lizzani,

Stars:

Gian Maria Volonté, Tomas Milian, Margaret Lee

5 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gian Maria Volonté	...	Piero Cavallero
Tomas Milian	...	Commissario Basevi
Margaret Lee	...	Prostitute
Don Backy	...	Sante Notarnicola
Ezio Sancrotti	...	Adriano Rovoletto 'Bartolini'
Ray Lovelock	...	Donato 'Tuccio' Lopez
Piero Mazzarella	...	Piva
Laura Solari	...	Tuccio's Mother
Pietro Martellanza	...	The Protector (as Peter Martell)
Carla Gravina	...	Anna
Luigi Rossetti	...	Robber
María Rosa Sclauzero	...	Piero's Secretary
Ida Meda	...	Moglie di Piero
'Bang Bang' Toto Ruta	...	Club Hitman
Evi Rossi Scotti

Storyline

A detective is assigned to head a manhunt for four violent bank robbers.

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Plot Keywords:

bank robber | extortion | whore | white slavery | bank robbery | 

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Taglines:

These four men are on their way to do a day's work. Robbing banks. Killing people.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

M

Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

29 March 1968 (Italy)

Also Known As:

The Violent Four

Filming Locations:

Milan, Lombardia, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dino de Laurentiis Cinematografica

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

User Reviews

One of the best gangster movies ever made

BANDITS IN MILAN took my breath away. I mean that literally. At one point I was so upset by this film that I gasped loudly. That's a first for me, and I've seen a lot of movies that were meant to inspire gasping.

Having seen the bulk of the poliziotteschi (Italian made cop/crime movies) and a horde of gangster films from every country, I feel confident in saying that this is among the elite of the crime films in cinema history. Anyone who has ever seen an Italian pulp thriller from the 60s or 70s knows that Tomas Milian is a staple in the sub-genre, and here he delivers one of his finest performances as a young, ambitious police commissioner who is looking to bust an evasive, high-profile criminal (Gian Maria Volonte, rarely better).

The style of the movie is something to behold. It veers wildly from classical narrative approach to documentary style verite, even going as far as to show the film crew that is following Milian's commissioner around Milan! Crazy, and highly unconventional. The photography is rich and impressive, and the moments of action and violence (particularly the now infamous heist/getaway sequence) are shocking, terrifying and visually inventive.

It's too bad that Paramount - the U.S. distributor for this movie - has yet to release BANDITS IN MILAN on any video format. As far as I know, it has yet to be released on any video format in the world. I recently learned that it was immensely popular upon theatrical release. So where is it??? I managed to get a crummy bootleg from an online seller, and although it's watchable it's still just a tease. Come on, Paramount! Enough with the Star Trek re-releases. Bring on the good stuff already!