The Violent Professionals

A renegade Italian cop fears that the law is too restricted when trying to fight lawless criminals, especially after seeing a prisoner escape and kill more people. Why send him back to prison when he already had a life sentence? All future murders are free of charge. Then, a high-ranking cop is killed on the street and the renegade is given an audience -- he is free to fight crime in his own way, which is a bit reckless.

I've seen reviews compare this film to "Dirty Harry", which seems about right. If anything, the officer in this film goes beyond what Clint Eastwood's character would do. Working with prostitutes, infiltrating a crime syndicate -- even robbing a bank with them, resulting in the death of a pregnant woman. The title "violent professionals" really sums it up... though, whether this refers to the cop or the criminals is left ambiguous.

After seeing another film from the box set I retrieved this from ("Kung Fu Punch of Death") I had very low expectations. But, ignoring the low production value that runs rampant in Italian films, the story and action were pretty amazing. There's a car chase scene that can give "French Connection" a run for its money. If you can tolerate cheap films, this is a truly great crime film.

Would I watch this again? Sure I would. I'd love it if someone would clean up the picture, sound and give me subtitles instead of dubbing... but for what the film cost me I more than got my money's worth on it. Don't be afraid to watch "Violent Professionals".

So far I've seen five of these 70's Italian crime thrillers, 3 of them being straight up, Don Siegel and William Friedkin-influenced "cop on the edge with an axe to grind" Dirty Harry rip-offs. Out of those three, all of which are great, this has got to be the one with the coolest story-line (the other two being "High Crime" and "Violent Naples," to give you an idea of the standard here). While it is neither perfect nor entirely realistic, it is action-packed, bloody and riveting, a cocktail of elements common to the genre. And this particular "cop-on-the-edge," played by Luc Merenda, is so on-the-edge that he "poses" as a pimp muscling in on prostitution rackets with the facility of an old pro, gets innocent bystanders killed without hardly batting an eye, and cold-bloodedly executes surrendering criminals in front of the entire police department!

While he lacks quite the level of charisma and intensity delivered by Franco Nero or Maurizio Merli, Merenda holds his own. The primary reason he is able to do so here (the two secondary are Sergio Martino's competence in directing pulse-pounding action and the fact that the extremity I've come to expect from these films is as present here as anywhere) is the sucker-punch, no, make that downright subversive plot-line. Without giving too much away, suffice it to say that what appears to be shaping up into a slanted portrayal of fanatical domestic terrorists (not that groups like the Red Brigade need any slanting to look bad, just that dishonesty bugs me even if it's on the right side) proves later to be something entirely different. The ending of this film, while it would be typical in another context, blew me away.

To top it off, you've got a killer score by the mad De Angelis brothers (if you've seen "Keoma," note that it helps that the only song with words isn't translated into English), and the only fatal car crash I've ever seen in an action movie where the car doesn't inexplicably burst into flames. Three cheers for this gleefully brutal mayhem-fest with the added plus of an intelligent plot!

MILANO TREMA boasts some nice Milan location work and some very well-handled action sequences by Sergio Martino. The proceedings however get a little bogged down with a few too many subplots, unlikable characters, and lots and lots of talking about politics. Ernesto Gastaldi was one of the best of Italy's genre movie screenwriters, always able to inject some realism and dimensionality even into the small bit players. There's even some successful intentional humor, particularly during Luc Merenda's successful infiltration of a bank heist racket even though he's (a former?) chief of police.

The car chases in this film really take the cake though as some of the best of the genre, and quite early in the cycle too. Footage from the chases popped up in numerous other crime films, particularly Umberto Lenzi's. Also, a lot of the same henchmen would pop up in film to film from here on out. While at first I was irked that the two bumbling goons (Claudio Ruffini and Sergio Smacchi) who get tasked with tailing Merenda around just disappear without any resolution, I was delighted to see teamed again (possibly as the same characters?) in such films as THE CYNIC THE RAT AND THE FIST.

Granted, the success of this film, along with HIGH CRIME led to an explosion of Italian crime movies over the rest of the decade. The two films share much in common including featuring a fisticuffs- loving inspector using extreme methods to rid his city of crime to the tune of Guido and Maurizio De Angelis music. Oh yes, and Silvano Tranquilli appears in both, though his character here much less intimidating.

Many of the best Giallo directors tried their hand at the Dirty Harry-inspired Polizi sub-genre at some point, and The Violent Professionals is Sergio Martino's classy effort. The film isn't as good as Martino's Giallo efforts (few films are), but it still stands up as one of the better Polizi films. Martino packs the film with all the elements that make this sort of thing successful; we've got car chases, gun fights, fist fights, a headstrong lead character etc. Unfortunately, despite working from a script by ace writer Ernesto Gastaldi, The Violent Professionals does suffer from the classic Italian film problem of a confusing plot. The plot follows the murder of a police chief. Lieutenant Giorga doesn't take this very well, and decides to follow up the chief's investigation by going undercover in a local gang of low lives. His plan is to build up enough of a reputation for himself that will enable him to get close to the leaders of the group and learn their secrets; but this foolhardy plan runs into a lot of adversity...

Like many Italian crime flicks, this one takes place in Milan. I've never been to Milan, but I'm guessing that it was one hell of a sleaze den back in the seventies as these films don't exactly paint a pretty picture! Sergio Martino does well at presenting a gritty urban atmosphere, and this hugely benefits the film. Martino's direction is solid throughout, and he can certainly take his place as one of the finest directors that Italy ever produced. Even when I wasn't completely sure what was going on, Martino keeps the tension bubbling and the film ticks over nicely all the way through. The standout moment takes the form of a car chase through the streets of Milan, and cinematic chases have rarely been better. The acting is strong also, and the film features a brilliant performance from Luc Merenda in the lead role, as well as film noir regular Richard Conte in support. The film lacks a good female lead, but other than that it pretty does everything you would want it to. Overall, The Violent Professionals isn't the best film of its type - but it's certainly a good one and gets high recommendations from me.

Renowned genre maestro, Sergio Martino's aptly monikered, 'Violent Professionals' is another uproariously entertaining, ball-bustingly bellicose poliziotteschi classic that is frequently praised on a goodly number of Euro-crime threads, and its lofty position in rabid poliziotteschi fan's hearts is well deserved. 'Violent Professionals' undiminished ability to attract a multitude of Euro-cult fans is certainly due in no small part to the exciting 70s actioner's colourful celebration of gratuitous violence, and bravura ballistic carnage that adds so much pep to the exhilaratingly diverse exploitation oeuvre of gonzo director, Sergio Martino.

This appetizingly blunt, snub-nosed poliziotteschi comes replete with all the bloodthirsty thug-trashing bacchanalia to make it a resounding keeper!!! Granted, Luc 'smart hair of death' Merenda lacked the hypertensive, barbarian machismo of, Nero & Merli, he nonetheless cuts a beguilingly svelte figure amongst all the supercharged vehicular slaughter! Euro-crime's most debonair deadbeat-dropper, Luc Merenda, always manages to emerge from dutifully disseminating balaclava-clad thugs with his enviably coiffed thatch of lustrous hair immaculately intact! For me, dangerously dishy, Luc Merenda will ALWAYS remain the suavest-looking of the Poliziotteschi douchebag destroyers, a delectably dapper vendor of death, Euro-Crime's deadliest fashionista!!! Even as one of the most avid, Maurizio Merli freaks, Sergio Martino's muscular 70s Euro-crime thriller, 'Violent Professionals' ranks strongly against the very best by, Umberto Lenzi or, Stelvio Massi!