User reviews

In the 1970s, Italian genre cinema was pretty much fad oriented. Always looking to cheerfully (and decidedly shamelessly) rip off whatever genre was popular in America at the time, be they spaghetti westerns, sword & sandal epics, or hard-boiled and rather racy takes on gritty American cop films, such as The French Connection or Serpico, only of course being Italian, they put their own exploitative spin on things. These cop films were known as Polizioteschi films, or more popularly, Eurocrime.

Eurocrime! The Cop & Gangster Films That Ruled the '70s, explores the mentality behind this genre, the factors that played part, and the players themselves, with contributions from the likes of Fred The Hammer Williamson, John Saxon, Henry Silva, Franco Nero, Joe Dallesandro & Luc Merenda, as well as from the technical end, from Enzo G Castellari and Claudio Fragasso.

While not without its flaws- it could have been leaner (it clocks in at over two hours, with some of it coming across rather needless padding), and fails to get any contributions (although this is probably not the maker's fault ultimately, in fairness) from the likes of Fabio Testi, Tomas Milian and Umberto Lenzi, and unforgivably hardly even mentions Di Leo, who even I, a relative novice to the Eurocrime genre am aware of- it's still a well researched and often pretty funny documentary on a prolific for its time, but often overlooked genre of Italian exploitation, with some cool clips and an awesome '70s score throughout.

Any fan of Eurocrime flicks should definitely check this one out, as it's very probably the only documentary you'll ever see on the genre, and again while not without its flaws, is overall a decent, well made and researched effort, with lots of entertaining anecdotes.

8/10, very enjoyable doc, and recommended.

Dealing with the 70s Italian gangster film/rip-off scene, this is a fantastic two hours of interviews mixed with clips mixed with some very original animation segueways, all soundtracked by an authentic superfly soundtrack.

There is a general sense of good fun that runs throughout, even during the chapters that address misogyny and organised crime. Worth watching just for the car chases and scenes of actors genuinely doing their own stunts (the episode with John Saxon and live machine gun rounds is particularly memorable).

You don't need to be a particular fan of exploitation to enjoy this film; in fact its triumph lies in the way in which it weaves its own stories from the recollections of the chief protagonists. Highly recommended.

I caught this at weekend at A Day Of Crime in Manchester. Through various communities and being a fan of Eurocrime movies i had very high expectations of this and they were exceeded.

The documentary catches the essence of what Eurocrime was all about, Tough Cops, Horrible Villains and everything in between, Car Chases, Cammora involvement it is all here.

All the great actors/directors who were present in the genre in it's heyday who are still alive give their input into why the movies were so special, what they were like to make, the death defining stunts, everything a fan of Eurocrime would want and more.

The greatest thing about this documentary though is that it does what all good documentaries do- it keeps you interested even if you have no interest in the subject matter- and it makes you laugh, it takes serious subject matter surrounding the genre and at points makes you cry with laughter due to the tales being told.

It is brilliantly paced and does not outstay it's welcome. I could have watched another hour or two of this.

For a first time director Mike Malloy really shows he has a talent for pacing, for asking the right questions, for garnering the best reactions from those interviewed who were involved in the whole Eurocrime scene.

I cannot recommend this highly enough if you are interested in Eurocrime. If you are not though you will become interested by the end and will be on the hunt for old VHS copies of these films before you know it.

Any fan of the 1970's Eurocrime genre will obviously enjoy this documentary, which features plenty of clips from this wonderful genre of (mostly) Italian films as well as interview clips from a lot of the major players like Franco Nero, Luc Merenda, Antonio Sabato, and director Enzo Castellari. I liked this doc a little better than some of the more recent ones though because instead of mixing in "fan-boy" interviews to handle the more in-depth analysis of the genre, the filmmakers actually did the heavy lifting themselves while wisely keeping the fan-boy gushing behind the scenes. Nor were there the typical pandering interviews of more well-known modern-day celebrities who may have been "influenced by" but really had nothing to do with the genre. (To be specific, the filmmakers didn't seek out Quentin Tarantino, who would served as BOTH a gushing fan-boy and a bit of celebrity pandering).

There is no denying the knowledge of some fan-boys like Tarantino, but this documentary still manages to impart a book-like knowledge of the genre by editing the player interviews into a kind of "power point" presentation. The documentary does a good job of explaining, for instance, the period and conditions where these movies were made, in a country which was at the time ridden with crime, corruption, violent mafiosi, and left-wing revolutionaries, but also one where people literally went to the movies 4-5 weeks on average and had an endless appetite for this kind of fare. You wouldn't think most of these movies would be any good given the rushed and impoverished conditions under which they were made, but they're actually MORE interesting on average than most of the over-produced Hollywood crapola you see these days, and it was no mistake that these cheap films also made up a lot of the America grindhouse filler that Tarantino et. al. spend so much time worshiping today.

I appreciated especially the interviews with the English dubbers like Michael Forrest and. I have personally said many bad things about these kind of guys over the years (especially when they managed to turn a serious Italian film into half-ass comedy), but they clearly had a difficult job and they took it a lot more seriously than perhaps I've really ever appreciated.

The only downside of this documentary is they missed a few of the major players like Tomas Milan (who I guess IS on the DVD extras), Barbara Bouchet, who really shouldn't have been that hard to find, and Fabio Testi. But I suppose that can't be helped. And obviously a lot people like director Fernand Di Leo are no longer with us. They do pay homage to Maurizio Merli (who is also dead) and Umberto Lenzi (who just refuses to do interviews with anybody), but I would have like to see more with Sergio Martino, who--whether he was available for an interview or not--was a lot more essential to the genre than Antonio Sabato or Joe Dallesandro. Still, these are minor quibbles. I would definitely recommend this overall.

I managed to see this yesterday at the Day Of Crime festival in Manchester, and was blown away. Eurocrime is my favourite genre, but there's not much information available relating to it. Thank God then, that this documentary has been made and we can now see the genres stars and directors discussing all the crazy, funny, amazing stories about making these great films. It's a long doc, but it packs in so much information that the time just whizzes by! It's one of the best documentaries about film i've ever seen and REALLY needs to be more widely available for fans of the genre like myself!! Please make this available on DVD soon!!

You get a real sense of the players, stars, and styles of the movies with loads of interviews and clips. Sure it doesn't talk to everyone and glosses over some people, but for an overview it's very well done and gets a lot across. At times it has a low production value, but it's not too obtrusive. You'll want to track down a lot of movies after watching it!

Very entertaining documentary about crime movies of the 70s in Italy. Quite a lot of people could be found and interviewed for this. It's almost like traveling back in time, when you watch this. The movie is also very well edited and shot. There is a clear distinction and structure through the whole thing (which can't be said about most of the movies discussed in the documentary of course).

If you like crime movies, than this will be an easy sell. It does appeal more to a specific group of people of course, but maybe some people will be curious and give it a try. I'm sure they will be tempted to get a few movies that are being discussed here. Mission accomplished I'd say!

This is a genuinely interesting, well-researched and therefore informative documentary on the emergence, duration, and eventual decline of a very specific genre. Namely, the "poliziotteschi" that dominated the 1970s: those rough and raw Italian made cop and gangster films that only in more recent years have received something of a revival.

The Italians were always quick to capitalize on a fad, taking their cue from American cop films like "Dirty Harry" and "The French Connection" and gangster cinema such as "The Godfather" (which inspired American-made knock-offs as well). However, they really put their own distinctive flair on these stories, upping the ante in terms of the violence and sleaziness taking place on screen.

Writer / director Mike Malloy gives us a number of extremely enjoyable interviews with the actors - both Italian and American - and filmmakers who were prolific in this genre. Among them are Franco Nero, Enzo G. Castellari, Mario Caiano, John Saxon, John Steiner, Henry Silva, Fred "The Hammer" Williamson, Chris Mitchum, Leonard Mann, and Luc Merenda.

Divided into several sections, the film has enough animation and visual gimmicks to transcend being mostly a "talking head" sort of affair, and it's delivered with an obvious passion for the subject matter. Topics covered include the origin of Eurocrime, the men who made the movies, the way that women tended to be treated in them (they usually didn't fare too well, unfortunately), the way that real life Italian crime organizations always made their presence known, the political climate in which they were released, and the way that they hastened their demise by adding too much comedy.

It seems like an oversight that Fernando Di Leo would barely get a mention; even as a relative novice to poliziotteschi, this viewer knows that Di Leo was a big name in this genre. Actor Tomas Milian gets a prominent mention, but is not seen during the documentary; a separate interview with him is an extra on the DVD release.

All in all, if you're like me and know that you've done little more than scratch the surface when it comes to Eurocrime, Malloy's movie will make you aware of how much there is to discover.

Among the funniest tidbits of information: Umberto Lenzi being outed as one of the "screamiest" directors that some of the actors had ever worked with.

Eight out of 10.

Having just come off a long love affair with Yakuza cinema I needed a break. Crime films have aleays interested me with their ethical conundrums so I was eager to learn more about the Italian take on the genre.

Having a decent documentary act as an introduction seemed like a good entre. Eurocrime provides a good measure of basic information. What made it difficult to absorb in one sitting was the editing, which heavily relied on a style of constantly moving images (picture within picture). This technique is imitative of trailers from the 60s/70s but it becomes tedious and distracting after just a few minutes.

Furthermore the quality of the film clips reflect a disinterest of the filmmaker in tracki ng down the proper film ratios and deinterlaced codecs. Same can be said for the interviews, which have that soap opera look of 30fps footage. Furthermore the subjects looked like they were just plunked down in front of a dirty grey curtain (or, alternately a distracting faux-scratchy film effect).

Frankly it gave me a headache but in the lobg run I appreciate the information more than the style so give it a look if the genre appeals to you.

Move over "Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation!" because I have a new favorite genre film documentary. It was actually destined that I would love this one, since I'm literally obsessed with Italian exploitation cinema from the seventies, and two sub genres in particular: the giallo and the poliziotesschi! Mike Malloy's masterwork unfolds exactly like you would expect from a documentary that is basically just a love-letter written by a devoted fan and addressed to his beloved genre. It's professional, well-structured and informative, with testimonials of the genre's (still living) main contributors, clips & footage of the biggest classics as well as more obscure gems and plentiful of great – and admittedly geeky – trivia!

I've been gazing and deep-diving into "Poliziotesschi" movies for many years already, and of course I already knew most things about the genre's historical background, trademarks and particularities that Mike Malloy brings forwards here in great detail, but – in all honesty – I was also expecting and even hoping to see this and received exactly what I wanted: personal heroes of mine (John Saxon, Henry Silva, Franco Nero, …) who are talking just as passionately and enthusiastically about untamed film-making as I would, even though 95% of the rest of the world either doesn't know these titles or looks down upon them. "Eurocrime! Etc…" exists of chronological chapters, starting with the symbolical birth of the genre in the early '70s and ending – in chapter 8 – with the exciting news that the "Poliziotesschi" is currently going through a sort of revival and how most of "old & trashy" movies are being rediscovered by a new generation of fans. The chapters in between cover a variety of fascinating insights, like an ode to the main contributors (directors as well as actors), the influence of the contemporary political and social climate, the rather discriminating role of women in these stories, the often thin connection with the real Mafia and other criminal organizations (like Red Brigade) and the regrettable downfall of genre together with the Italian cinematic culture in general.

But, arguably the most exhilarating chapter handles about everything that makes this exploitation sub genre truly unique: the unseen brutality and cruel depiction of violence, the guerrilla-style methods that were used to shoot the infamous car chase sequences, the unorthodox stunt work and the innovative tricks that allowed each Italian director to deliver up to three or four films per year. I could easily write half a novella on how brilliantly everything is captured in the slightest detail, but instead I should just be encouraging everyone to track down the documentary and get overwhelmed by it yourself. In order to be 99% complete and 1% objective, I should add that there are a few things missing as well. A few people are missing, in fact. Even though they all get briefly mentioned at one point or another, Mr. Malloy maybe should have given slightly more attention to people like Fernando Di Leo, Ray Rovelock, Stelvio Massi, Marino Girolami and a few others. Also, although admittedly they primarily excelled in other genres – notably horror – and each only made one "Poliziotesschi" classic, some love for Lucio Fulci ("Contraband"), Mario Bava ("Rabid Dogs") and Rugero Deodato ("Live like a Cop, Die like a Man") would have been nice…

9/10 for the documentary itself, but upgraded to 10/10 because of the 30+ original trailers that feature as a fantastic extra feature on the DVD.

Everything you wanted to know about a genre you did not know existed. This is a fascinating look at the Eurocrime genre presented in a really entertaining way. A must watch.

In 2012, filmmaker Mike MALLOY released this very enlightening documentary about the subgenre of Italian poliziotteschi, which were released in large numbers between 1968 and 1980. In interviews with numerous actors of the crime film boom of the time, the background, the special style and the working conditions in the Roman film industry of CINECITTA are explored. Everything is implemented in such a way and garnished with numerous excerpts from the films of the time that information and the best entertainment go hand in hand.

The interview partners are the actors Joe DALLESANDRO, Richard HARRISON, Leonard MANN, Luc MERENDA, Christopher MITCHUM, Franco NERO, Antonio SABATO, John SAXON, Henry SILVA, John STEINER and Fred WILLIAMSON. Also present are the directors Mario CAIANO and Enzo G. CASTELLARI. John DULANEY, Michael FOREST and Ted RUSOFF show how important dubbing was in the CINECITTA films. And the screenwriter Claudio FRAGASSO also has his say.

In addition to anecdotes about Maurizio MERLI, whose films have now made him the face of the EUROCRIME genre, and the director Umberto LENZI, who made some of the most spectacular Poliziotteschi, the conditions under which these films were made are also explained. Although the Italians were inspired by Hollywood productions such as THE GODFATHER, DIRTY HARRY and THE FRENCH CONNECTION, they nevertheless created their own works that were firmly anchored in contemporary Italian society at the time. Classics such as EXECUTION SQUAD by Stefano VANZINA, THE VIOLENT PROFESSIONALS by Sergio MARTINO and HIGH CRIME by Enzo G. CASTELLARI, with their enormous box office successes, laid the foundation for the boom in Italian police and gangster films, which was to last until the end of the 1970s.

This also makes it clear why such competition with Hollywood could arise in Italy in particular. Since only a few films were shown on Italian RAI television and Italians went out in the evenings anyway, several trips to the cinema a week were not uncommon. In this way, a film industry was able to flourish that was able to stand up to the studio system in Hollywood for at least three decades.

I was perusing documentary titles, on Tubi, when I ran across Eurocrime! The Italian Cop and Gangster Films That Ruled the 70s. Though the description of this film peaked my interest, I honestly didn't know what to expect. In the past, when I've done this, I have often been disappointed, in the films I've chosen. But, this time, I was pleasantly surprised. In fact, from frame one, this documentary grabbed and held my attention. Anyway, in a nutshell, Eurocrime! Is a fast paced, action-packed, documentary, which includes a whole slew of interesting interviews, with pertinent 70s stars. Bravissimo!!!

Saw this years ago at the Fantasia FilmFest and it really stayed in my thoughts over all these years. Watched it again this past week on Tubi and remembered why. Truly documentary at its finest. A film handmade by a director deeply passionate about the tough guy genre. Unlike so many documentaries of the past few decades that put the filmmaker front and center so you learn more about them than the subject matter, this doc stays almost exclusively with the words and faces of the actors, producers and directors who made these amazing Italian films. Makes one realize how much films and film movements are rooted in a time and place Can't recommend this documentary enough!