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The Tough Ones

Original title: Roma a mano armata
  • 19761976
  • RR
  • 1h 35m
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
1.4K
YOUR RATING
Maurizio Merli and Tomas Milian in The Tough Ones (1976)
  • Action
  • Crime
  • Drama
A tough, rule-bending cop pursues a maniacal, trigger-happy hunchback, a one-handed bank robber and their cronies in an effort to bring Rome's most powerful crime lord to justice.A tough, rule-bending cop pursues a maniacal, trigger-happy hunchback, a one-handed bank robber and their cronies in an effort to bring Rome's most powerful crime lord to justice.A tough, rule-bending cop pursues a maniacal, trigger-happy hunchback, a one-handed bank robber and their cronies in an effort to bring Rome's most powerful crime lord to justice.
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
1.4K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Umberto Lenzi
  • Writers
    • Umberto Lenzi(story)
    • Dardano Sacchetti(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Maurizio Merli
    • Arthur Kennedy
    • Giampiero Albertini
Top credits
  • Director
    • Umberto Lenzi
  • Writers
    • Umberto Lenzi(story)
    • Dardano Sacchetti(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Maurizio Merli
    • Arthur Kennedy
    • Giampiero Albertini
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 14User reviews
    • 26Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos67

    The Tough Ones (1976)
    The Tough Ones (1976)
    The Tough Ones (1976)
    The Tough Ones (1976)
    Tom Felleghy in The Tough Ones (1976)
    Maria Rosaria Omaggio in The Tough Ones (1976)
    Maria Rosaria Omaggio in The Tough Ones (1976)
    Andrea Fantasia in The Tough Ones (1976)
    Carlo Gaddi in The Tough Ones (1976)
    Biagio Pelligra and Luciano Pigozzi in The Tough Ones (1976)
    Rossana Canghiari in The Tough Ones (1976)
    Anna Maria Perego in The Tough Ones (1976)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Maurizio Merli
    Maurizio Merli
    • Inspector Leonardo Tanzias Inspector Leonardo Tanzi
    Arthur Kennedy
    Arthur Kennedy
    • Vice-Commissioner Ruinias Vice-Commissioner Ruini
    Giampiero Albertini
    • Inspector Francesco Caputoas Inspector Francesco Caputo
    Ivan Rassimov
    Ivan Rassimov
    • Tony Parenzoas Tony Parenzo
    Biagio Pelligra
    • Savellias Savelli
    Aldo Barberito
    • Detective Polianias Detective Poliani
    Stefano Patrizi
    Stefano Patrizi
    • Stefanoas Stefano
    Luciano Pigozzi
    Luciano Pigozzi
    • Moretto and Savelli's Henchmanas Moretto and Savelli's Henchman
    Luciano Catenacci
    Luciano Catenacci
    • Ferdinando Geraceas Ferdinando Gerace
    Carlo Alighiero
    Carlo Alighiero
    • Savelli's Lawyeras Savelli's Lawyer
    Carlo Gaddi
    • Oronzoas Oronzo…
    Claudio Nicastro
    Claudio Nicastro
    • Fenceas Fence
    Valentino Macchi
    • Francoas Franco
    Alessandra Cardini
    • Sandra Morettoas Sandra Moretto
    • (as Sandra Cardini)
    Gabriella Lepori
    Gabriella Lepori
    • Marta Assanteas Marta Assante
    Maria Rosaria Riuzzi
    Maria Rosaria Riuzzi
    • Paolaas Paola
    Corrado Solari
    Corrado Solari
    • Albinoas Albino
    Dante Cleri
    • Licenses and Permits Officeras Licenses and Permits Officer
    • Director
      • Umberto Lenzi
    • Writers
      • Umberto Lenzi(story)
      • Dardano Sacchetti(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      When Terry Levene distributed this film in the late 1970s, he replaced a few of the establishing shots with those of American locations. For an establishing shot of the Rome youth center where Tanzi meets Stefano, Levine used a shot of the Manhattan nightclub "Fascination". Strangely enough, in the later Umberto Lenzi film From Corleone to Brooklyn (1979) (which also starred Maurizio Merli as an Italian policeman), Merli drives by the club "Fascination" after he arrives in New York.
    • Quotes

      Commissioner Leonardo Tanzi: [Last lines] Freeze!

      Vincenzo Moretto, 'Il gobbo': Sorry if I'm interrupting you, copper! Let's go back tot he old ways, huh?

      [Holds up a 9mm bullet]

      Vincenzo Moretto, 'Il gobbo': Come on, be a good man. Remember this? I crapped it out for you?

      Commissioner Leonardo Tanzi: Yeah, go on . Kill me. You and Ferrender are done for. This place is surrounded.

      Vincenzo Moretto, 'Il gobbo': You heard him? He's still talking about Ferrender. You bloody fool! I killed him 3 months ago, arsehole! Who do you think it was at the morgue?

      [Kicks Tanzi]

      Vincenzo Moretto, 'Il gobbo': Who the fuck do you think it was?

      Commissioner Caputo: Stop! Drop the gun. Drop it!

      [Moretto does so]

      Commissioner Caputo: Turn around.

      [He does so]

      Commissioner Caputo: There are no suicide attempts this time, because I'll kill you myself. Like a wild dog.

      Commissioner Leonardo Tanzi: No, Caputo! You can't!

      Commissioner Caputo: [sighs] OK.

      [Proceeds to handcuff Moretto]

      Commissioner Leonardo Tanzi: [Caputo is shot] Caputo! NO!

      [He takes Caputo's gun, and goes after Moretto, who is escaping, and corners him in a dead end, and yells loudly]

      Commissioner Leonardo Tanzi: FREEZE!

      [Shoots him several times, killing him, and Moretto falls to the floor, firing one round from his handgun, and dies]

    • Crazy credits
      The opening credits are played while the camera in first person view mode (From a criminal's POV) drives through Rome looking at banks and building societies and leaves the city through a long, dark tunnel as the credits end.
    • Alternate versions
      The American release by Aquarius Distribution entitled "Assault with a Deadly Weapon" is missing the first 10 minutes, the beginning credits, and the ending credits. The American version also has several of the scenes reshot so that the originally Italian words on buildings and on people's notes appear in English. Also, the beginning credits list a variety of made-up Americanized names and credit Terry Levene (the head of Aquarius Distribution) as the film's producer.
    • Connections
      Edited from The Violent Professionals (1973)
    • Soundtracks
      Se l'averebbe saputo (If he'd known)
      Composed by Roberto Donati (as Donati) and Fiamma Maglione (as Maglione)

      Sung by Fiamma Maglione

    User reviews14

    Review
    Top review
    9/10
    Absolutely classic euro-crime
    Maurizio Merli and Tomas Milian star in probably the most typical, yet completely enjoyable Italian crime movie by Umberto Lenzi. With a blazing soundtrack by Franco Micalizzi and some exciting camerawork by Federico Zanni, this film is fast-paced and furious although the narrative makes relatively little sense. This reminds me of THE RAIDERS OF ATLANTIS, a film Dardano Sacchetti also penned, which was completely fun and enjoyable although it didn't make any sense whatsoever.

    The best scenes in this movie have to be the extended car chases. Milian hijacks an ambulence and kills all the people on board for no reason. When it crashes in a crowded flea market, Milian jumps out of the ambulence and just starts randomly firing his sub-machine gun into the crowd to create enough confusion to get away. Another great scene has a gang of upper-class teenagers led by the baby-faced Stefano Patrizi who get bored of nightclubbing and proceed to rape a girl and beat up her boyfriend in a vacant lot. Patrizi is wholely unsympathetic as he punches the boyfriend in the gut repeatedly and knees him in the face, then making weird gestures with a nearby piece of wood. Merli later pops by their nightclub and smashes Patrizi's face right through a pinball machine and then simultaneously beats the tar out of the six or so members of the gang!

    This film comes fast and furious. Good performances all around by a veteran cast (with Arthur Kennedy, Ivan Rassimov, and Luciano Pigozzi along for the ride). It's not the most coherent of Lenzi's works, but it's definitely a genre classic. Where's the DVD?
    helpful•10
    1
    • Aylmer
    • Dec 5, 2000

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 1978 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • Italy
    • Language
      • Italian
    • Also known as
      • Assault with a Deadly Weapon
    • Filming locations
      • Rome, Lazio, Italy
    • Production companies
      • Dania Film
      • Medusa Distribuzione
      • National Cinematografica
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 35 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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