Colt 38 Special Squad does pretty much everything you would want an Italian crime flick to do - and it does it in style! Like many of the best Polizi flicks, this one takes most of it's influence from Don Siegel's masterpiece Dirty Harry, with the weapon used by Clint Eastwood's disgruntled copper obviously being the main point of interest. As is the case with many of these films, the rising crime in Italy takes centre stage, and the plot is based on the police's attempts to halt the crime through an innovative new means. Hard bitten police captain, Capitan Vanni, is fed up of the way that his city is being run by criminals - "The Black Angel" in particular, whom Vannia has an old feud with. So, he gets clearance from his superiors to set up a 'special squad' - a team made up of four of the police's best shooters, all armed with Colt .38's for maximum impact on organised crime! But the stakes are raised when The Black Angel steals some dynamite, and starts putting his time to good use by blowing up various things within the city...
The film is directed by Massimo Dallamano, who is of course, most famous for his 'Schoolgirls in Peril' trilogy. Dallamano does another excellent job here, as he manages to keep up the fast pace throughout and the film is never boring for a second. The characters are surprisingly easy to get on with, and for an Italian crime flick; it's all rather believable too, which is a bonus. French actor Marcel Bozzuffi takes the lead role and does an excellent job with it. While he is clearly meant to come off a bit like Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry, Bozzuffi makes the role his own and gives himself sufficient distance from the classic Eastwood character to ensure that he's not just an imitation. The great Ivan Rassimov co-stars and gives another convincing bad guy performance. The Black Angel is surely one of his most interesting roles, and fans of Rassimov won't want to miss this! It all boils down to an invigorating and worthwhile conclusion that does the film justice. Overall, Colt .38 Special Squad is certainly at the top of the Polizi genre and comes highly recommended!
