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 / Blade / Stiletto (as Aldo Caponi)
Lea Lander	...	Maria / Greta Garbo
Maurice Poli	...	Dottore / Doc / Doctor
George Eastman	...	Trentadue / Thirty-two (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.

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Plot Keywords:

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

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was so low budget, after two days of shooting, Bava had to fire Cinematographer Emilio Varriano and take over that job himself in order to have enough money to complete the film.

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Goofs

When Doc looks up from tinkering with a car's engine in his first scene, the camera crew is reflected in his sunglasses.

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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

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Connections

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

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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 Realistic and Gritty Crime flick

Cani Arrabiati/Rabid Dogs is a terrific crime drama from the usually horror film-minded Mario Bava. This movie shows why he has been admired by directors around the world for many before and after his death. It is well done because of it's closed atmosphere that entrap the main characters of the story. Rabid Dogs gives an indication that he could succeed outside the horror genre. It's different from his other films because he goes for realism instead of fanstasy.

A couple of things it does have in common with some of his other feature films is it deals with the themes of human nature, greed, and the sheding of the skin to reveal the true self of the person. This film is more closer to Dog Day Afternoon(1974), then The Last House on the Left(1971) when it comes to story. Until recently, this film was lost to the public due to be unfinished for over twentie years. Rabid Dogs could be consider a companion piece to his film A Bay of Blood(the first slasher flick) in that they share some of the same themes and philosophies. It would be one of the last films Mario Bava would direct(the next two would be Shock(1977), and a made for TV movie) before his death at age 66 in 1980.