Revolver (1973)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Sergio Sollima

Writers:

Massimo De Rita (screenplay)
Arduino Maiuri (screenplay)

Release Date:

November 1975 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

The last battle between crime and the law in every major city in the world.

Plot:

An Italian official's wife is kidnapped, and the kidnappers demand that a notorious prisoner be released in order for the man to get his wife back...

Plot Keywords:

Prisoner | Prison Guard | Prison | Threat | Kidnapping

Cast

Oliver Reed	...	Vito Cipriani
Fabio Testi	...	Milo Ruiz
Paola Pitagora	...	Carlotta
Agostina Belli	...	Anna Cipriani
Frédéric de Pasquale	...	Michel Granier
Marc Mazza	...	Bald Police Inspector
Reinhard Kolldehoff	...	French Lawyer (as René Kolldehoff)
Bernard Giraudeau
Peter Berling	...	Grappa
Gunnar Warner
Daniel Beretta	...	Al Niko
Calisto Calisti	...	Maresciallo Fantuzzi
Steffen Zacharias	...	Joe Lacour
Michel Bardinet
Sal Borgese	...	Suicidal Prisoner

Also Known As:

Blood in the Streets (USA)
Die perfekte Erpressung (West Germany)
In the Name of Love (USA)
La poursuite implacable (France)

Runtime:

USA:111 min

Country:

Italy | France | West Germany

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M | Finland:K-18 | France:-12 | Norway:16 (1977) | USA:R

Company:

Dieter Geissler Filmproduktion

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Inglourious Basterds (2009)

Soundtrack:

Un ami

A gritty Italian cop movie

I'm not as of yet an expert on Italian cop movies (I've only seen a handful), but I consider Sergio Sollima's "Revolver" to be a nice and gritty entry in this style of Italian exploitation film making. Vito Cipraini (Oliver Reed), an Italian police officer's wife is kidnapped and held for ransom. In order to get her back he must help a prisoner escape. Worried that the criminals will kill his wife anyway, Vito kidnaps the criminal anyway, holding him for ransom until a deal can be reached.

I had a lot of fun watching "Revolver", the violence is very gritty and makes an excellent emotional impact, especially during the opening scene. In addition, veteran director Sergio Sollima does a great job pacing the movie through out its 110 minuet length, he's best known for his Spaghetti Westerns like "The Big Gundown", but he makes a damn good cop movie as well. Oliver Reed is thoroughly excellent in his role, further cementing him as a great actor in my mind (fans of his should also check out the Hammer classics "Curse of the Werewolf" and "Parioniac", which just so happen to be my favorite Hammer movies). There's plenty of violence and gunfire in this one, which will make exploitation fans happy, but it also works very well as a straight film. Now, "Revolver" does have its flaws. Although the score is not, bad per say, its pretty forgettable and doesn't live up to Italy's otherwise awesome standards. Overall though, this is a solid and well made film.