The Italian Connection (1972)
"La mala ordina" (original title)

When a shipment of heroin disappears between Italy and New York, a small-time pimp in Milan is framed for the theft. Two professional hitmen are dispatched from New York to find him, but ... See full summary »

Director:

Fernando Di Leo

Writers:

Fernando Di Leo (story), Fernando Di Leo (dialogue),

Stars:

Mario Adorf, Henry Silva, Woody Strode

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mario Adorf	...	Luca Canali
Henry Silva	...	Dave Catania
Woody Strode	...	Frank Webster
Adolfo Celi	...	Don Vito Tressoldi
Luciana Paluzzi	...	Eva Lalli
Franco Fabrizi	...	Enrico Moroni
Femi Benussi	...	Nana
Gianni Macchia	...	Nicolo
Peter Berling	...	Damiano
Francesca Romana Coluzzi	...	Trini
Cyril Cusack	...	Corso
Sylva Koscina	...	Lucia Canali
Jessica Dublin	...	Miss Kenneth
Omero Capanna	...	Vito's Goon
Giuseppe Castellano	...	Garagaz

Storyline

When a shipment of heroin disappears between Italy and New York, a small-time pimp in Milan is framed for the theft. Two professional hitmen are dispatched from New York to find him, but the real thieves want to get rid of him before the New York killers get to him to eliminate any chance of them finding out he's the wrong man. When the pimp's wife and daughter are murdered in the course of the "manhunt", he swears revenge on everyone who had anything to do with it.

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Plot Keywords:

pimp | revenge | heroin | italy | whiskey | 

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Taglines:

When Godfather signs your contract... there's no place in the world you can hide!

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Italy West Germany

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

2 September 1972 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Black Kingpin

Filming Locations:

Milan, Lombardia, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cineproduzioni Daunia 70, Dear Film Produzione, Hermes Synchron

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Second part of Fernando Di Leo's "Milieu Trilogy" also including Caliber 9 and The Boss.

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Connections

Follows Caliber 9 (1972)

User Reviews

The spaghetti-Western CHARLEY VARRICK?

Now released under the absurdly named Mack Video as the absurdly named BLACK KINGPIN, LA MALA ORDINA, once known as MANHUNT, shows the Italian seventies policier director Fernando DiLeo in peak form. The Italian cops-mob-and-corruption movies often had a neorealist tincture, not far from such British cousins as GET CARTER or THE LONG GOOD FRIDAY. (The best in this vein is the dark, harrowing VIOLENT NAPLES.) But some of them were as ripe and over-the-top as concurrent works of Italian horror; and this saga of a small-town pimp pursued, God knows why, by Mr. Big and two Vincent-and-Jules-looking U.S.-made button men, looks like the product of some torrid motel-room coitus between Sergio Leone and Don Siegel. The faces are sweaty, the beatings (to evoke Roger Ebert's memorable phrase) suggest the sound of ping-pong paddles smacking naugahyde sofas--the only thing that's missing is the groan of an Ennio Morricone score. An evening of Shane Black quips it ain't, but ninety minutes of top-shelf hardboiled groove it is.