Syndicate Sadists (1975)

A biker's brother is killed while investigating the kidnapping of a young boy, the byproduct of a war between two crime families. The biker vows to get revenge by finding the kidnapped boy and destroying the two families.

Director:

Umberto Lenzi

Writers:

Vincenzo Mannino (screenplay), Vincenzo Mannino (story)

Stars:

Tomas Milian, Joseph Cotten, Maria Fiore

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tomas Milian	...	Rambo
Joseph Cotten	...	Paternò
Maria Fiore	...	Maria Scalia
Mario Piave	...	Pino Scalia
Luciano Catenacci	...	Conti
Guido Alberti	...	Owner of Billiard Salon
Femi Benussi	...	Flora
Silvano Tranquilli	...	Dr. Marco Marsili
Shirley Corrigan	...	Conti's mistress
Antonio Casale	...	Philip Duval
Rosario Borelli	...	One of Paterno's men
Luciano Pigozzi	...	One of Conti's men
Mario Novelli	...	Franco
Bruno Di Luia	...	One of Conti's men
Giuseppe Castellano	...	One of Conti's men

Storyline

A biker's brother is killed while investigating the kidnapping of a young boy, the byproduct of a war between two crime families. The biker vows to get revenge by finding the kidnapped boy and destroying the two families.

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Plot Keywords:

j&b scotch | kidnapping | motorcycle | police shootout | police uniform stolen | 

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Genres:

Crime | Action | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

April 1976 (USA)

Also Known As:

Rambo's Revenge

Filming Locations:

Sesto San Giovanni, Milan, Lombardia, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dania Cinematografica, Medusa Distribuzione

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film predates First Blood (1982), the film which introduced audiences to the John Rambo of David Morrell by seven years. Tomas Milian happened to read David Morrell's novel while flying from the U.S. to Rome. Loving the story he tried to talk some Italian producers into making a film out of it, with him starring as John Rambo. Nothing came of this, but he was allowed to use the Rambo moniker in the next poliziottesco he starred in, Syndicate Sadists (1975). The film does not borrow elements from the novel, with Umberto Lenzi stating he was more influenced by the crime films of Don Siegel.

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Quotes

Rambo: Listen, Conti; life is just one hole. You start from a hole, you feed yourself through a hole, you shit from a hole, you finish up in a hole. And the one in this barrel can put you into that last hole.
Conti: I don't believe you'd pull that trigger.
Rambo: The chamber's loaded with dum-dums. If I put one in your brain, they'll have to re-paper the walls.

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Connections

Referenced in Car Field Stories (2018)

User Reviews

doesn't quite live up to its blood an' thunder moniker.

Incestuous bedfellows, Umbeto Lenzi and Tomas Milian team up again for the bellicose Cops an' Robbers mash up ' Sydicate Sadists', while this isn't on par with the legendary sleaze-fest 'Almost Human' it still manages to deliver the requisite amount of gonzoid thrills an' spills that fills chat rooms far an wide with gibbering fan boy praise. Plot adheres rigidly to formula; with Milian playing ex-cop biker, Rambo! whose penchant for revenge is most apropos since he is given ample opportunity for bullet spattered, jaw-cracking retribution after he discovers his brother has been killed; which engenders some relentlessly gritty crime funk grooves by veteran Franco Micalizzi, nutbag bike chases, and all manner of ubiquitous Italian crime overkill. All in all 'Syndicate Sadists' is an entertaining, exploitative riff on, Dashiel Hammet's Red Harvest, and Lenzi/Milian heads are unlikely to be disappointed, although it doesn't quite live up to its blood an' thunder moniker.