Der Mann, der Venedig hieß

a very well made film, with a good cast and excellent photography, sadly falls short of the mark.

it seems that after about 1977, all Italian cop movies went through a change; less random scenes of violence and action, more plot and character development:

The Rebel (title of the Japanese video relese) concerns retired cop Nick Rossi (Maurizio Merli) who lets a friend talk him into becoming a body gaurd. Rossi agrees, then the man the are hired to protect gets shot in a Venetian glass shop. a fairly cool shoot out takes place, including an awesome scene where Merli jumps through a stained-glass window in slow motion, but the fim really drags on from here. it's not a bad film, but not what fans of the genre expect.

worth a watch for Merli/Italian crime complitists, but others shouldn' bother. not like you'd be able to find a copy anyway:)