Rabid Dogs (1974)

Following a bungled robbery, three violent criminals take a young woman, a middle-aged man, and a child hostage and force them to drive them outside Rome to help them make a clean escape.

Director:

Mario Bava

Writer:

Alessandro Parenzo (story and screenplay)

Stars:

Lea Lander, George Eastman, Riccardo Cucciolla

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Riccardo Cucciolla	...	Riccardo
Don Backy	...	Bisturi (as Aldo Caponi)
Lea Lander	...	Maria
Maurice Poli	...	Dottore
George Eastman	...	Trentadue (as Luigi Montefiori)
Erika Dario	...	Marisa
Marisa Fabbri	...	Maria Sbravati
Luigi Antonio Guerra	...	Employee (as Luigi Guerra)
Gustavo De Nardo	...	Gas Station Attendant (as Francesco Ferrini)
Emilio Bonucci	...	Taxi Driver
Pino Manzari	...	Toll Collector
Ettore Manni	...	Bank President

Storyline

A gang of thieves hijack a man's car after botching their getaway from a robbery. They take a woman prisoner and command the man to drive them to safety. The man must try to cope with the bad situation he is in as well as trying to get help for a sick child that he is caring for.

---

Plot Keywords:

woman in jeopardy | psycho killer | psychopathic killer | having sex with skirt hiked up | sexual abuse | 

---

Taglines:

Lock the doors, rollup the windows, and buckle up ... for the ride of your life!

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Mario Bava: as a walk-by extra during the crowd scene.

---

Goofs

In the Anchor Bay and Arrow Video presentations of the original film, Marisa Fabbri is credited twice (once in the opening credits, and again in the ending credits) while Erika Dario receives no credit. This error does not occur in the original Spera Cinematografica prints, the Lucertola Media DVD or in the "Kidnapped" cut.

---

Alternate Versions

Originally shot in 1974 under the title 'L'uomo e il bambino', this film was shelved when one of the film financial backers died and ownership of the picture became entangled in bankruptcy proceedings before post-production had been completed, which prevented its theatrical release. The film sat on a shelf for almost 25 years until actress Lea Lander rescued it from oblivion by helping finance a DVD release: a new short prologue was shot, according to Bava's original script, and editing and scoring were completed using existing available materials. In 2002 producer Alfredo Leone and director Lamberto Bava (Mario's son), allegedly dissatisfied with the DVD edit, produced a new restored version of the film. Lamberto Bava and his son Roy shot additional footage and original composer Stelvio Cipriani created a new complete musical score (though the DVD release employed some of Cipriani's cues and themes, the film was never properly scored in 1974). This restored version, produced by Kismet Entertainment Group and retitled "Kidnapped", premiered theatrically in the US on May 31, 2002 as part of a Mario Bava retrospective at the American Cinematheque's Egyptian Theater in Hollywood

---

Connections

Featured in Bava and Eurocrime: An Interview with Umberto Lenzi (2014)

---

Soundtracks

Hold On To Me
(Appears in the 'Kidnapped' version)
Words by Myriann D'Antine
Music by Stelvio Cipriani
Sung by Simona Patitucci

User Reviews

A gritty, realistic masterpiece.

It is ironic that Mario Bava, master of Italian fantasy, should make a gritty, realistic thriller as his last film. Gone are the atmospheric lighting that made films as Lisa and the Devil and Kill, Baby, Kill! so unforgettable. The claustrophobic scenes in the getaway car are expertly handled. The increasing hysteria of the gangsters and the anxiety and despair of the kidnapped woman are, in true Italian fashion, slightly over the top. It works, though. Bava never loses his grip on the situation and one is kept on tenterhooks throughout. This, then, is classic 70's low budget filmmaking and it is a shame we had to wait for more than 20 years to finally see it. Rabid Dogs is up there with Edgar G. Ulmer's Detour and Ida Lupîno's The Hitch-Hiker as one of the best examples of this exciting subgenre.

Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

25 February 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Kidnapped

Filming Locations:

Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Spera Cinematografica, International Media Films, Kismet Entertainment Group

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Mono Dolby SR (version 'Kidnapped')

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1