Il racket dei sequestri

The British 1976 crime drama, an early work of director Michael Apted ("Gorky Park", "Blink", "The World Is Not Enough") Stacey Keach plays an alcohol-addicted London ex-cop who becomes involved into a kidnapping drama and tries to free the daughter of a friend from a brutal gangster mob.

Stacey Keach's performance is brilliant, and Michael Apted is not only focussing on the thrilling crime plot but also on the portrait of a self-destroying loser nature and alcoholic. The rest of the cast is also outstanding, featuring Edward Fox as despaired father of the kidnapped daughter and David Hemmings as brutal gangster boss. There are some scenes of typical seventies' sex, hard violence and breath-taking action like a money transporter robbery at the end.

David Hentschel's electronic progressive rock score in the style of Goblin, Pink Floyd and Alan Parsons Project supports the dark atmosphere and hard action of this thrilling and sometimes disturbing crime drama. A great, little forgotten movie.