Gang War in Milan (1973)
"Milano rovente" (original title)

A Milan produce vendor, whom moonlights as a pimp, faces off against a ruthless and greedy French gangster whom wants to unite the organized crime ring of Italy.

Director:

Umberto Lenzi

Writers:

Franco Enna (screenplay), Ombretta Lanza (story),

Stars:

Antonio Sabato, Philippe Leroy, Antonio Casagrande

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Antonio Sabato	...	Salvatore "Toto" Cangemi
Philippe Leroy	...	Roger Daverty
Antonio Casagrande	...	Lino Caruso
Carla Romanelli	...	Virginia
Alessandro Sperli	...	Billy Barone
Franco Fantasia	...	Chief Inspector Contalvi
Tano Cimarosa	...	Nino Balsamo
Marisa Mell	...	Jasmina Sanders
Piero Corbetta	...	Doctor
Vittorio Pinelli	...	Orso
Tony Raccosta	...	Lupo (as Domenico Raccosta)
Claudio Sforzini	...	Ricciolino
Carla Mancini	...	Gabriella
Luigi Antonio Guerra	...	Policeman
Vittorio Sancisi	...	Daverty Henchman

Storyline

Salvator Cangemi is a produce purveyor in Milan, Italy whom moonlights as a pimp and runs a profitable twin businesses. But the appearance of a ruthless and greedy French gangster called Le Capitaine threatens Toto's livelihood when Le Capitaine wants to unite the organized crime in Milian for him getting a large share of the profits. But Toto wants no part of Le Capitaine's organization and wants to continue running his own ring in a low-key quiet way. But no one says "no" to Le Capitaine and he threatens an all-out war to keep his organized crime ring, and reputation, intact.

---

Plot Keywords:

italy | pimp | gangster | frenchman | evil man | 

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama

---

Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

21 February 1973 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Gang War in Milan

Filming Locations:

Milan, Lombardia, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Telemondial

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

User Reviews

Pretty fun if you like Italian "polizieschi" in general

As other reviewers have said this Umberto Lenzi "polizieschi" really pales compared to the director's earlier "Almost Human", which was one of the best of the entire genre, and Anthony Sabato is indeed a poor substitute for the great Tomas Milan. But this one does have its moments. This movie is about a "gang war in Milan" (the English title) between Sicilian pimps and French-connection drug dealers. The leader of former group (Sabato)brings in another menacing Sicialian godfather "Billy Barone" (Alessandro Sperli, who gives by far the best performance here) who ultimately turns out to be an even bigger threat than the "Frenchies".

Most of the violence here is actually aimed at the prostitutes who get raped, beaten, have acid thrown in their faces, etc (although the testicles of one male character do suffer an unfortunate encounter with a car battery). The violence against women may be kind of turn-off for some, but it's also pretty standard for this genre. Marissa Mell is kind of wasted as the protagonist's gold-digging upper-class girlfriend, but the luscious Carla Romanelli (who played the sexy maid in "The Sensuous Nurse") is good as a sympathetic streetwalker.

The film is enjoyably amoral. The police are almost irrelevant, and the gangsters are all equally vicious and double-dealing (and all of them are perfectly willing to traffick drugs). This is not one of the great Italian polizieschi, but it's pretty fun if you like the genre in general like I do.