The Boss

The opening scene from The Boss shows what the 70's Italian crime film was all about. A mafia hit-man wipes out most of a rival family when he fires a grenade launcher at them from the projection booth while they sit back and watch Danish porn. In other words, the genre was about serious action, violence and a distinct lack of subtlety. This opening action duly sets into motion a violent mob war and we are off.

Fernando Di Leo shows here once again, that when it comes to poliziotteschi he was the undoubted master. The Boss is the third in an excellent loose trilogy about Italian organised crime. Milan Calibre 9 and The Italian Connection are the other two entries. This one is more specifically about the Mafia and its machinations. As such it's set in the Mafia homeland of Palermo, Sicily. I like how the poliziotteschi films are so city specific. This gives them all distinctive atmospheres; the city is almost a separate character. But in this flick there is no doubt Henry Silva is the star of the show. He plays the hit-man Nick Lanzetta and shows precisely why he is considered an Italian crime genre great. His stone-faced, monosyllabic approach is perfect for this ruthless character. Lanzetta is certainly one of the hardest screen gangsters ever. The movie basically depicts his rise through the ranks of the Mafia. He, like all the other characters is out for himself alone and he is pretty ruthless in getting to the top. There are no good characters in this film, no matter which side of the law they are on everyone is immoral to at least some degree. I think the Italians are so good at this kind of movie because they seemed to think nothing of populating entire movies with shady characters. It's not just the crime films that do this but a lot of the gialli take the same approach. It works especially well in these noir style flicks though, as they usually are making statements about corruption in the Italian authorities as well as looking at the crime gangs. The Boss does detail some of the inner workings of the Mafia too. But more than anything, this is a film that is so very enjoyable because it is loaded with lots of stylish violent action.

The third and final film in Fernando Di Leo's excellent Millieu trilogy, "Il Boss" of 1973 is an absolute masterpiece that easily ranks among the most brilliant Mafia films ever brought to screen. Director Di Leo had created one of Crime Cinema's all-time highlights already with "Milano Calibro 9" in 1972, and while the succeeding "La Mala Ordina" (aka.) "Manhunt" from the same year was still excellent, but slightly inferior, "Il Boss" equals the brilliance of the first film. Unlike its two predecessors, which played in Milan, "Il Boss" takes place in Palermo, Sicily. The film which begins with a memorably brutal opening sequence already, delivers raw action and excessive violence as well as a very realistic insight into corruption and organized crime. The film is tough-minded and uncompromising from the very beginning, and the characters, all of which are brutal, immoral and violent differ not in their moral values, but just in their toughness. The stone- faced Henry Silva in the lead alone makes this film an absolute must-see for every lover of crime cinema. Silva makes the toughest and most charismatic Mafia hit-man ever to have appeared on screen in his leading role of Nick Lanzetta, and the doubtlessly greatest role ever played by Silva, generally one of the greatest actors in Italian crime cinema.

This film, which revolves around power struggles and a kidnapping within Sicily's organized crime, delivers tons of raw action and sadistic violence as well as fine portion of criticism of social circumstances and corruption. Apart from that, it also has a unique atmosphere and gives a stunning and immensely realistic portrayal of the power struggles within the mafia. "Il Boss" is a film of superb, ruthless characters, and equally superb performances. As mentioned above, Henry Silva is one of my favorite actors and he is absolutely brilliant in the leading role of Nick Lanzetta here. Lanzetta is arguably THE toughest Mafia-hit-man character in Cinema-history, and Silva is the perfect, no, the ONLY choice to play the role. Yes, this truly is a film that makes it hard not to talk in superlatives all the time. The other performances are entirely great too, be it Richard Conte as a Mafia Boss, Pier Paolo Capponi, or Spaghetti Western star Gianni Garko, who is excellent in the role of a sleazy corrupt police detective. The ravishing beauty Antonia Santilli is also superb in the female lead as a seductive mobster's daughter, for unknown reasons she sadly didn't appear in too many other films. The brilliant score by Luis Enríquez Bacalov contributes a lot to the film ingenious atmosphere and general mood. Brutal, Tough-Minded and absolutely brilliant "Il Boss" is a personal favorite of mine that easily ranks among the greatest Mafia-flicks ever made! I could go on praising this film for a long time, but I will just finish my review with a recommendation: Watch this film as soon as you can! This is Italian genre-cinema at its finest, and an absolute must see for every lover of Cult-cinema!

I saw this for the first time recently aft reading a glowing review by Coventry n the other factor which pulled me into seeing this is Silva.

They say that this one is the final part of Fernando Di Leo's "Milieu Trilogy" also including Caliber 9 (1972) and The Italian Connection (1972).

I haven't seen the other two but this one ends with a note stating to be continued.

But a sequel was never made.

Silva is very convincing in the role of that of a ruthless hitman who doesn't hesitate to ill treat a hot nymphomaniac n is obsessed with photos of women with big juggs.

The opening scene of the theatre is very brutal n some of the shoot outs are pretty violent.

The only three things which bothers me, how the character of Silva slipped out of the shack?

What was the conversation towards the end just before when the movie ends with a note to be continued.

The movie has lots of unwanted chit chats.

One of his best films from Fernando Di Leo, violent and thrilling, sometimes thought of as the, 'King of the B's', and those were certainly considered the best of the poliziesco films. Known as writer and director early on of one of the best scripted spaghetti western and later for directing these splendid thrillers. Although he made a couple of sexy ones, Asylum Erotica (1971) with Rosalba Neri and Klaus Kinski and really liked, To Be Twenty (1978) with Gloria Guida and Ray Lovelock. But he is really known for these splendid action-packed poliziesco. This is the third of his trilogy, first with Caliber 9 (1972) and The Italian Connection (1972) even if these are thought of as better than this one this is still great and especially has a wonderful turn by Henry Silva. This is the one with the amazing killing in the porno cinema at the beginning and although there is a number of great actors like Richard Conte and the poor girl, who had to be kidnapped, is Antonia Santilli, had been in theatre and as a model and appeared in Playmen, an Italian adult magazine. She does a real performance in this, nude most of the time (a copy of the magazine in the film?) and has a sad ending, although I have to say that such a lot of people die in this one.

The indelibly iconic, 'Il Boss' remains a sinuous, stiletto-sharp, heroically hard-boiled Mafiosi-noir from famed poliziotteschi stylist, Fernando Di Leo. Starring the notably stern, Stoic to the point of terminal rigidity, Henry Silva, delivering yet another coolly charismatic performance as the vicious,ice-veined terror-thug, Nick Lanzetta, with fading Hollywood matinee idol, Richard Conte lending his swarthy, old world gravitas to the meaty role of octogenarian Sicilian king pin, Don Carrasco. All this uniquely explosive, stylishly rendered retribution is excitingly catalysed by another funky, uber infectious score by long-time, Di Leo collaborator, maestro Luis Enriquez Bacalov. 'Il Boss' thunderously remains an absolutely essential, mongoose mean Spaghetti shoot 'em up, and thankfully, Di Leo flinches not a jot from the requisite Mafiosi movie mantra of seriously squib-happy ultra violence! If you have yet to be dazzled by any of maestro, Fernando Di Leo's strikingly stylish, meticulously crafted gangster epics, one should manifestly start here, as the Neolithically nasty, Nick Lanzetta is one of the most mesmerically Machiavellian, blithely blood thirsty hit man to have ever blazed a ballistically bellicose swathe across the Silva screen!