Banditi a Milano (1968)

A detective is assigned to head a manhunt for four violent bank robbers.

Director:

Carlo Lizzani

Writers:

Massimo De Rita, Carlo Lizzani

Stars:

Gian Maria Volontè, Tomas Milian, Margaret Lee

6 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gian Maria Volontè	...	Pietro 'Piero' Cavallero
Tomas Milian	...	Commissario Basevi
Margaret Lee	...	Prostitute
Don Backy	...	Sante Notarnicola
Ezio Sancrotti	...	Adriano Rovoletto 'Bartolini'
Ray Lovelock	...	Donato 'Tuccio' Lopez
Piero Mazzarella	...	Piva
Laura Solari	...	Tuccio's Mother
Pietro Martellanza	...	The Protector (as Peter Martell)
Carla Gravina	...	Anna
Luigi Rossetti	...	Robber
María Rosa Sclauzero	...	Piero's Secretary
Ida Meda	...	Moglie di Piero
'Bang Bang' Toto Ruta	...	Club Hitman
Evi Rossi Scotti

Storyline

A detective is assigned to head a manhunt for four violent bank robbers.

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Plot Keywords:

murdered in a police car | murder of a police officer | shooting a police officer | woman in jeopardy | years of lead | 

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Taglines:

These four men are on their way to do a day's work. Robbing banks. Killing people.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

29 March 1968 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Bandidos en Milán

Filming Locations:

Milan, Lombardia, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dino de Laurentiis Cinematografica

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

User Reviews

A different angle

So, you like post-modernism eh? Try this one out, a pseudo-documentary told in a fragmented fashion that kind of starts out describing crime throughout Milan, but then shows the aftermath of a botched robbery, then the events leading up to the robbery, then the robbery, then the aftermath again. Hell, it doesn't even start to have a plot until about twenty minutes in - that's how weirdly constructed this one is.

You see, we follow Detective Tomas Milian as he uses documentary techniques to replay crimes that have happened in the past. At least I think that's what he says. We also get to see extortion rackets, gambling dens, and the burning of an escort girl before a robbery goes wrong and several innocent bystanders get whacked for their troubles (and this is where the story starts being coherent at all) - but who is behind these awful killings?

Turns out the gang have struck seventeen times before, including three robberies in one day. This gang is led by smiling, overconfident Gian Maria Volonte, who gets very philosophical about things. He even has a cover story - he runs a legitimate business during the day with his other two gang members also attending as 'employees'. They also pick up a third member in the form of young Ray Lovelock who wants to escape his boring life.

This is an odd take on the Euro-crime film, so cop Tomas Milian is basically pushed into the background to interrogate one of the robbers while the real emotional core of the film sits with Volonte, who loves his mamma and promises his wife the world, while being charming to his secretary (he gets her driving lessons) and nurturing the criminal career of Lovelock, all while laughing his head off about everything. We also spend a lot of time with character who have nothing to do with anything, like prank callers, and the escort girl from the start.

The best part about the film is the big robbery, as the gang do a lot of groundwork before the actual robbery itself, and we are shown in great detail the lives of the innocent people just about to be caught up in a world of violence. In fact, this bit is carried out so well that the rest of the film just kind of runs down to a halt. Strange.

You can see how this would have been an influence on Quentin Tarantino - the plot is all over the place, it's full of dialogue that has nothing to do with the plot, and it's rather violent. Just throw in Samual L Jackson, some funky music, and a fixation on the 'n' word and your good to go! For a very similar film, see Gangster's Law.