Following Di Leo's fine erotic drama LA SEDUZIONE (1973), I decided to check out the other as-yet-unwatched film of his I owned on VHS. It's another of the many action flicks he made and, in retrospect, it emerges as second-tier material. There's little that's new here in terms of plot, the action sequences aren't among the most memorable Di Leo directed and Luis Bacalov's pulsating score, while effective on its own, is awfully reminiscent of the one he composed for CALIBRE 9 (1972)!
The plot is actually just as topical, in view of the recent kidnapping - and death - of a toddler which shook Italy. The film's first half, involving the kidnapping itself and the negotiations about the ransom, is pretty routine (certainly light years away from Kurosawa's riveting treatment of a similar situation in his masterly HIGH AND LOW [1963]) - though aided by the presence of James Mason (who's not really at home in these surroundings!), Valentina Cortese (delivering a rather hysterical performance) and Vittorio Caprioli (whose gestures and language Di Leo always manages to render hilarious and irresistible). Likewise, Luc Merenda is too ordinary-looking to pass muster in comparison with the unconventional heroes of other Di Leo poliziotteschi like Gastone Moschin in CALIBRE 9, Mario Adorf in THE Italian CONNECTION (1972) and Henry Silva in WIPEOUT! (1973). The element of sentimentality over the killing of Merenda's son because industrialist Mason (whose son was also kidnapped) refuses to pay up is heavy-handed, while Merenda's long-winded pursuit of the kidnappers (by pretending to get in on the dealings) doesn't convince. In the end, it's passable as entertainment but it's nowhere near as engrossing as Di Leo could be at his best!
The plot is actually just as topical, in view of the recent kidnapping - and death - of a toddler which shook Italy. The film's first half, involving the kidnapping itself and the negotiations about the ransom, is pretty routine (certainly light years away from Kurosawa's riveting treatment of a similar situation in his masterly HIGH AND LOW [1963]) - though aided by the presence of James Mason (who's not really at home in these surroundings!), Valentina Cortese (delivering a rather hysterical performance) and Vittorio Caprioli (whose gestures and language Di Leo always manages to render hilarious and irresistible). Likewise, Luc Merenda is too ordinary-looking to pass muster in comparison with the unconventional heroes of other Di Leo poliziotteschi like Gastone Moschin in CALIBRE 9, Mario Adorf in THE Italian CONNECTION (1972) and Henry Silva in WIPEOUT! (1973). The element of sentimentality over the killing of Merenda's son because industrialist Mason (whose son was also kidnapped) refuses to pay up is heavy-handed, while Merenda's long-winded pursuit of the kidnappers (by pretending to get in on the dealings) doesn't convince. In the end, it's passable as entertainment but it's nowhere near as engrossing as Di Leo could be at his best!