Il grande racket (1976)

Director:

Enzo G. Castellari

Writers:

Enzo G. Castellari (screenplay)
Massimo De Rita (screenplay)
(more)

Release Date:

12 August 1976 (Italy)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Someone's gonna pay...

Plot:

Nico Palmieri is a police inspector who battles against hoodlums terrorising a sleepy Italian village, extorting cash from the locals.

Plot Keywords:

Police | Restaurant | Suicide | Hospital | Blood Spatter

Cast

Fabio Testi	...	Inspector Nico Palmieri
Vincent Gardenia	...	Pepe
Renzo Palmer	...	Luigi Giulti, restaurant owner
Orso Maria Guerrini	...	Gianni Rossetti
Glauco Onorato	...	Piero Mazzarelli
Marcella Michelangeli	...	Marcy
Romano Puppo	...	Doringo
Antonio Marsina	...	Attorney Giovanni Giuni
Salvatore Borghese	...	Sgt. Salvatore Velasci (as Salvatore Borgese)
Joshua Sinclair	...	Rudy - il Marsegliese (as Gianluigi Loffredo)
Daniele Dublino	...	Commissioner
Anna Zinnemann	...	Anna Rossetti (as Anna Bellini)
Edy Biagetti	...	Chief of Police
Salvatore Billa	...	Fabrizi
Giovanni Bonadonna	...	Cuomo
Franco Borelli	...	Oreste Saclà
Pietro Ceccarelli	...	Luigi Mayer
Domenico Cianfriglia	...	Rudy henchman
Giovanni Cianfriglia	...	The Ox
Roberto Dell'Acqua	...	Luigino
Ruggero Diella	...	Piccio, Pepe's Nephew
Dino Mattielli	...	Prison Guard
Carmelo Reale	...	Vraspar - International Fence
Angelo Ragusa	...	Giancarlo, "The Badger"
Massimo Vanni	...	Vanni
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Franco Ukmar	...	Thug at Fabrizi Plant
Angelo Boscariol	...	Spectator at Station (uncredited)
Omero Capanna	...	Rudy Henchman (uncredited)
Enzo G. Castellari	...	Cowardly Storekeeper (uncredited)
Nestore Cavaricci	...	Spectator at Station (uncredited)
Carolyn De Fonseca	...	Anna Rossetti (voice: English version) (uncredited)
Ottaviano Dell'Acqua	...	Boy (uncredited)
Michael Forest	...	Nico Palmieri (voice: English version) (uncredited)
Lina Franchi	...	Scared Woman at Supermarket (uncredited)
John Gayford	...	Rudy (voice: English version) (uncredited)
Stefania Girolami Goodwin	...	Stefania, Giulti's Daughter (uncredited)
Edward Mannix	...	Luigi Giulti (voice: English version) (uncredited)
Emilio Messina	...	Thug (uncredited)
Fulvio Mingozzi	...	Bar Owner (uncredited)
Benito Pacifico	...	Rudy Henchman (uncredited)
Osiride Pevarello	...	Gate Guard at Fabrizi Plant (uncredited)
Renzo Pevarello	...	Gunman at Fabrizi Plant (uncredited)
Sergio Ruggeri	...	Man in Supermarket (uncredited)
Ted Rusoff	...	Salvatore (voice: English version) (uncredited)
Leonardo Scavino	...	Storekeeper (uncredited)
Martin Sorrentino	...	American Tourist (uncredited)
Robert Spafford	...	Mazzarelli (voice: English version) (uncredited)
Frank von Kuegelgen	...	Vanni (voice: English version) (uncredited)

Directed by
Enzo G. Castellari

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Enzo G. Castellari		screenplay
Massimo De Rita		screenplay
Massimo De Rita		story
Arduino Maiuri		screenplay
Arduino Maiuri		story

Produced by
Galliano Juso	....	producer

Original Music by
Guido De Angelis
Maurizio De Angelis

Cinematography by
Marcello Masciocchi

Film Editing by
Gianfranco Amicucci

Production Design by
Franco Vanorio		(as Francesco Vanorio)

Costume Design by
Luciano Sagoni

Makeup Department
Andreina Ambrosini	....	makeup artist
Massimo De Rossi	....	makeup artist
Agnese Panarotto	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Pietro Ceccarelli	....	production manager (as Lanfranco Ceccarelli)
Renato Fiè	....	assistant production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Rocco Lerro	....	assistant director

Art Department
Giovanni Corridori	....	set constructor
Stefano Paltrinieri	....	assistant production designer

Sound Department
Luigi Salvatore	....	boom operator (as Luigi Salvatori)
Goffredo Salvatori	....	sound engineer

Stunts
Ottaviano Dell'Acqua	....	stunts
Angelo Ragusa	....	stunt double: Fabio Testi (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Tullio Marini	....	chief electrician
Mauro Masciocchi	....	assistant camera
Maurizio Santi	....	assistant camera
Antonio Schiavo Lena	....	camera operator (as Antonio Schiavolena)
Giacomo Tomaselli	....	key grip
Claudio Tondi	....	assistant camera
Franco Vitale	....	still photographer

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Carlo Gentili	....	costumes

Editorial Department
Cesarina Casini	....	assistant editor

Other crew
Salvatore Farese	....	paymaster
Giacomo Longo	....	production secretary
Paolo Rampazzo	....	administrator
Maria Pia Rocco	....	script girl

Production Companies

• Cinemaster S.r.l.

Distributors

• Titanus Distribuzione (1976) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Blue Underground (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Cinefear (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Irfan Film (1977) (Turkey) (all media)

Also Known As:

"The Big Racket" - USA (dubbed version)

Runtime:

104 min | UK:101 min

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:16 | UK:(Banned) (1977) | UK:18 (2002; cut version) | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | France:-16 | UK:18 (cut) | Hong Kong:III

Filming Locations:

Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Cinemaster S.r.l.

Trivia:

Even though American actor Vincent Gardenia spoke Italian fluently, all of his lines in the film - which was shot in Italian - were dubbed by an Italian actor.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Luigi loads a fresh clip into his MP-40 but does not chamber a round before he shoots himself.

Quotes:

Luigino:[gesturing with a doll he is holding to the storekeeper] Is this the kind that makes water?
Storekeeper:Yes, everything, it's the latest model from Japan.
Luigino:One of these days they'll make one that bleeds real blood... when you cut its throat!

Castellari's career home run.

A brilliant addition to the Italian crime genre and sure to capture the heart of any sleaze lover, "The Big Racket" is definitely one of the best in it's class.

Fabio Testi is a knockout as the protagonist, a renegade cop who is out for blood and justice, assembling a team of outcasts to punish the wicked. Plenty of blood and violence adorn this flick, and I recommend a couple of cold Peroni's and a plate to spaghetti for the perfect evening.

All in all, probably my second favorite Castellari effort, second only to "The Inglourious Bastards" but I think "The Big Racket" is technically a BETTER film. No complaints at all here.

10 out of 10, kids.