Violent Naples (1976)

An uncompromising cop gets transferred to Naples on account of this city's atrocious crime levels. His no-hold-barred police methods are considered to be the perfect anti-dote.

Director:

Umberto Lenzi

Writers:

Vincenzo Mannino (screenplay), Vincenzo Mannino (story)

Stars:

Maurizio Merli, John Saxon, Barry Sullivan

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Maurizio Merli	...	Commissario Betti
John Saxon	...	Francesco Capuano
Barry Sullivan	...	'O' Generale
Elio Zamuto	...	Franco Casagrande
Maria Grazia Spina	...	Gervasi's Wife
Silvano Tranquilli	...	Paolo Gervasi
Attilio Duse	...	Antinori
Massimo Deda	...	Gennarino
Guido Alberti	...	Superintendent
Pino Ferrara	...	Don Peppino - Garage Owner
Carlos de Carvalho	...	Albini
Enrico Maisto	...	Poli, Commandante's Bodyguard
Tommaso Palladino	...	Head Racketeer
Carlo Gaddi	...	Brigadiere Silvestri
Gabriella Lepori	...	Mugging Victim

Storyline

An uncompromising cop gets transferred to Naples on account of this city's atrocious crime levels. His no-hold-barred police methods are considered to be the perfect anti-dote.

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Plot Keywords:

italy | french poliziottesco | italian exploitation | exploitation | cult film | 

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Thriller

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Second part of police commissioner Betti's trilogy, also including Violent City (1975) and A Special Cop in Action (1976).

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Quotes

Brigadiere Silvestri: You'll die in prison, you turd!

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Alternate Versions

The video version released by Paragon Entertainment is shorn by a minute as many scenes are abbreviated to exclude most of the film's rampant profane language.

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Connections

Referenced in Running Scared (2006)

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Soundtracks

Men Before Your Time
Written by Umberto Lenzi, Valli, Franco Micalizzi
Performed by Bulldog

User Reviews

Great chase scenes and a few interesting moments

"Violent Naples" is the second part of a loose trilogy of Italian crime films (poliziotteschi) about Commissario Betti, a Dirty Harry-style cop who is out to clean up the "violent" cities of Italy.

"Naples" is the only part of the trilogy made by someone other than Marino Girolani: for this second entry it's the infamous Umberto Lenzi in the director's chair, a filmmaker better known for his boundary-pushing gore films like the widely-banned "Cannibal Ferox" and other such delights.

If nothing else, "Violent Naples" shows that Umberto Lenzi was a splendid action filmmaker. Car and motorcycle chase scenes in this movie are extraordinarily well done, with Lenzi employing point-of-view shots and creative camera angles for exhilarating results.

The movie has a few other notable moments, such as a scene where a crooked jeweler pretends to flush a ring down the toilet, and our hero shows that it was a trick with a little tray in the bowl (apparently a common trick as well? How many jewelers make a habit of taking their customers into the bathroom?) and another scene where a woman has her face smashed against the side of a speeding train.

Most of the fisticuffs in the movie - and there are a lot - look like people punching air, but there are other more violent moments apart from the above, such as a man being shot with a machine gun.

Unfortunately, the movie has the same problems "Violent Rome" had: as the protagonist, Maurizio Merli makes absolutely no impression, and the movie has very little plot to string the violence and chase scenes together.

As such it was kind of an endurance contest sitting this one out, waiting for the next awesome chase scene or interesting moment, but Lenzi's entry in this trilogy is still the best, simply by virtue of having these things in it, and making them worth waiting for.

Details

Country:

Italy France

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

7 August 1976 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Violent Naples

Filming Locations:

Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paneuropean Production Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1