Risking was apparently seen as something of a routine thriller upon its release in 1976; and despite a good first half hour and some decent scenes during the movie, I can certainly see the reason for that. The film is often considered a part of the "Poliziotteschi" genre, and for good reason as the film focuses a lot of the eternal war between Italy's cops and Italy's robbers; but the film also ties in a revenge theme and this somewhat distances it from the average Polizi thriller. The film begins with a jewel heist gone wrong as hapless criminal Massimo Torlani breaks into a jewel store, only to have the shutters closed on him immediately. Naturally, he is sent straight to jail; but the plot thickens when it transpires that the young man is actually an undercover police officer sent to jail to infiltrate a gang of crooks lead by Giulianelli. However, the copper has more on his plate than just orders from the top as the criminals were also responsible for paralysing his mother and he takes the opportunity to get some revenge.
The film stars Ray Lovelock, who gives a charismatic performance as usual; but fails to thoroughly convince as the undercover copper mostly down to his boyish good looks. I'm sure he was cast in the film more because of his popularity than because he was essentially the right actor for the part. The film gets off to a really good start as our hero finds himself in jail, gets in with the criminals and then breaks out of it. From there, the plot takes a bit of a downturn as the film loses focus and becomes more wayward. The plot also doesn't flow very well and at times feels like it's just skipping from one action scene to another. The fact that the story isn't exactly on course to make a point also lets the film down. However, the main reason for watching a film like this is always the entertainment value; and Risking isn't exactly lacking in that department. We've got fist fights, car chases and all the rest of it and the film is normally at least entertaining. I wouldn't call this an essential Polizi flick, nor one of the best; but it's certainly worth a look if you can find it.
