Convoy Busters may not be the best Polizi movie ever to come out of Italy, but it's certainly an above average crime romp with a great cast and more action packed stunt sequences than you can shake a stick at! The film is set up a little differently to most of the Polizi movies that I've seen, as it's a movie of two halves and a lot of it takes place in settings unlike the thick urban atmosphere I've come to associate with this sort of movie; namely, a quiet seaside town and the rural countryside. Most of these films take influence from Dirty Harry, and Convoy Buster is no different as Maurizio Merli's maverick copper has a definite Clint Eastwood vibe about him; but the fact that it's a little different gives Convoy Busters a lot of credibility in my opinion. The story starts when the dead body of a young girl is found with her throat cut. Commissioner Olmi takes the case, but when his violent methods leave an innocent man dead; he gets transferred to a quiet coastal town. However, the fact that it's quiet doesn't mean there isn't any organised crime...
This is the first Polizi I've seen from director Stelvio Massi, and while it doesn't rival the likes of Umberto Lenzi and Enzo G. Castellari, I'm definitely interested in checking out more from him. Massi's handling is generally very good, and while the plot does have a few problems; certain sequences - the one in which the inspector shoots a few crooks from a helicopter in particular - are real standouts. There's plenty of action to keep the audience entertained throughout and it comes through in a steady stream. The stunts range from a very well done bar room brawl to a great sequence that sees Merli smash through a school window. The leading man puts in an excellent performance. He can look a little silly at times, but generally he fits the role very well and this was more than enough to keep this Eurocrime fan happy. It has to be said that Convoy Busters doesn't work from the most imaginative of scripts, but this isn't too important as Massi is more than equal to the task of making sure that what he has to work with is always entertaining as a film like this should be. Overall, Convoy Busters is well worth seeing and I certainly recommend it.
