Contraband (1980)

Cigarette smugglers in Naples run into problems with cocaine operations being set up by a rival smuggler. Full of violence, including a women's face being burned off with a blow torch and a... See full summary »

Director:

Lucio Fulci

Writers:

Gianni De Chiara (screenplay), Gianni De Chiara (story)

Stars:

Fabio Testi, Ivana Monti, Marcel Bozzuffi

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Fabio Testi	...	Luca Di Angelo
Ivana Monti	...	Adele Di Angelo
Marcel Bozzuffi	...	The Marsigliese - Francois Jacois
Saverio Marconi	...	Luigi Perlante
Enrico Maisto	...	Mickey Di Angelo
Ferdinando Murolo	...	Scherino
Fabrizio Jovine	...	Chief of Police
Daniele Dublino	...	Prosecutor
Guido Alberti	...	Don Morrone
Giordano Falzoni	...	Charlie
Giulio Farnese	...	Alfredo
Ofelia Meyer	...	Ingrid
Tommaso Palladino	...	Capece
Venantino Venantini	...	Captain Tarantino
Ajita Wilson	...	Luisa

Storyline

Cigarette smugglers in Naples run into problems with cocaine operations being set up by a rival smuggler. Full of violence, including a women's face being burned off with a blow torch and a graphic rape scene.

---

Plot Keywords:

smuggler | italy | sadist | police | mafia | 

---

Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

---

Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Official Sites:

Official Site

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

7 May 1982 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

Contraband

Filming Locations:

Naples, Campania, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

CMR International

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min 88 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

When Ingrid is first seen she clearly has red nail varnish, but when she reaches into her underwear for the drug lipstick, she has clear nail varnish.

---

Connections

Referenced in Fulci of the Apocalypse (2001)

User Reviews

Effectively brutal.

Lucio Fulci brings his unique brand of sadism to this okay entry into the Eurocrime genre. Fabio Testi stars as Luca Di Angelo, a cigarette smuggler / family man who does have some principles. His organization is now constantly being threatened by rival outfits who want to control the drug traffic in the area. Luca is ready for revenge when one of the first victims is his brother Mickey (Enrico Maisto), but the bad guys, led by the power hungry Marsigliese (Marcel Bozzuffi) up their game when they decide to kidnap Lucas' wife and son.

The script, credited to four people (including Fulci) is ultimately very routine. There's nothing special about any of the characters, even if they are entertainingly played. Testi, as always, is a rugged and studly "hero". The joy here lies in the fact that the movie is so utterly violent. A face is burned to a crisp with a torch, a throat is torn open, a head is shot apart, and bodies are continuously riddled with bullet holes.

Supporting Mr. Testi are Ivana Monti as Lucas' wife, Saverio Marconi as the cocky young mafia man Perlante, Fabrizio Jovine as a police chief, and Ajita Wilson as Luisa. The actors are fine, especially Mr. Bozzuffi as a thoroughly nasty and despicable villain.

The action set pieces are not spectacular, but they are fun, and Fulci gives this trashy story (complete with full frontal female nudity as well as gore) decent pacing and a visceral appeal.

Fans of Fulcis' bloody horror films from this period may also like this feature.

Look for Fulci near the end in a cameo as one of the gunmen.

Seven out of 10.