Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Enrico Maria Salerno | ... | Commissario Bertone | |
Mariangela Melato | ... | Sandra | |
Mario Adorf | ... | District Attorney Ricciuti | |
Franco Fabrizi | ... | Francesco Bettarini | |
Cyril Cusack | ... | Former Superintendent Stolfi | |
Laura Belli | ... | Anna Maria Sprovieri | |
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Jürgen Drews | ... | Michele Settecamini |
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Corrado Gaipa | ... | L'avvocato Armani |
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Giorgio Piazza | ... | Secretary of Justice |
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Ezio Sancrotti | ... | Commissario Santalamenti |
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Piero Tiberi | ... | Mario Staderini (as Pietro Tiberi) |
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Diego Reggente | ... | Journalist |
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Ada Pometti | ... | Mario Staderini's Sister |
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Sergio Serafini | ... | Journalist |
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Fortunato Cecilia | ... | The Informer |
This is a story of a secret organization of former police officers, who go beyond the law, to kill notorious criminals without trial. One police inspector, (Enrico Maria Salerno) tries to stop them, but the attorney (Mario Adorf) is not convinced by his conspiracy theories, so the inspector is basically on his own and can't trust anyone.
Director Steno (birth name: Stefano Vanzina) is best known as a director of comedy (e.g. films with Bud Spencer and Terence Hill), but this crime thriller is everything but a comedy. It tells the gripping story of an organized vigilante group that kills criminals who couldn't be convicted by the police.
Enrico Maria Salerno is brilliant as the police officer who tries to discover the big ones behind the vigilante group. Mario Adorf is convincing as ever - once more portraying a rather dubious district attorney. This Italian-German co-production is also remarkable for singer Jürgen Drews who plays one of the criminals that fall victim to the vigilantes.
All in all, "La Polizia Ringrazia" delivers impressive social comment and handles the topic with a complexity one rarely sees in a crime thriller. Highly recommended.