Violent Naples (1976) User Reviews

Plenty of violent action in Lenzi's masterpiece cop drama!

[The_Void · 8/10 · 15 August 2006]

Umberto Lenzi tried his hand at just about every popular type of film in Italy during the sixties, seventies and eighties, and while he has some very nice entries on his list of directorial credits; it has to be said that he isn't the best director to try his hand at the likes of Giallo, zombie and cannibal movies. However, when it comes to crime films; Lenzi comes into his own, and just like Almost Human a couple of years earlier, Violent Naples is an entertaining and nasty little crime thriller. Like every film in this sub-genre, the major influence comes from the masterpiece American film 'Dirty Harry', and here we follow a copper not too far removed from Clint Eastwood's famous character. Commissario Betti is your typical disgruntled cop that favours violence over proper police procedure. He's fed up with the way that Naples is being run by the criminals, and so sets his sights on The Commandante. However, this man isn't easy to bring down, and since Betti is receiving no help from his fellow townsmen, the task of ending crime in Naples is left to our leading man.

The title of the film leads the viewer to expect lots of violence, and Lenzi certainly doesn't disappoint in this respect. We've got bowling balls to the head, a young woman having her face scraped off on a moving train, a man impaled on a sharp fence and many other such delights. Overall, it has to be said that this film isn't very original, but Lenzi injects some freshness into it with a barrage of exciting chase scenes (the best of which take a point of view shot from the front of a motorbike) and violent shootouts. The good thing about these Polizia movies is that they are played out for pure entertainment value, meaning that Lenzi is free from trying to be arty, and can pack in as much violence as he likes; a fact which is often capitalised on. The film benefits from a strong Italian cast, including Maurizio Merli; who may be no Clint Eastwood, but still delivers a strong and entertaining lead performance. John Saxon gets to join in the fun also, and there's also a place for fellow American actor Barry Sullivan, in the role of the villain. Overall, if you're into Italian cop movies; this isn't one to miss!

Violent Umberto Lenzi's cop thriller.

[HumanoidOfFlesh · 8/10 · 28 March 2004]

Umberto Lenzi's "Napoli Violenta" is a first class cop movie that really shocked me.It's exciting and really memorable with some nasty bits of violence(including a fence post impalement and bowling ball facial).Maurizio Merli is great as a veteran cop named Betti.He sets out to clean up a protection racket run by the Commandant(Barry Sullivan).Along the way,Betti befriends a little boy whose father is murdered by the criminals.Since Merli passed away in 1989,"Violent Protection" attained almost a cult status in some places.There are some great car chases and plenty of exciting gun-play.So if you're a fan of Italian crime genre give this one a look.Highly recommended.

Ultra-Violent and Mean-Spirited Naples!

[Witchfinder-General-666 · 8/10 · 13 May 2008]

Cult director Umberto Lenzi is probably most famous for his shocking Cannibal films "Cannibal Ferox" (1981) and "Mangiati Vivi" (1980). These are of course memorable films and more than worth watching for every exploitation fan, but, as far as I am concerned, Lenzi's greatest films date back to the 70s. Especially his mean-spirited and ultra-violent Poliziotteschi are absolutely essential to every lover of Italian Cult-cinema. "Napoli Violenta" aka. "Violent Naples" of 1976 is another action-packed, adrenaline-driven, ultra-violent and delightfully politically incorrect cop-thriller that no fan of Italian genre cinema should consider missing. While it is, in my opinion, just not quite as brilliant as Lenzi's foregoing Poliziottesschi "Milano Odia: La Polizia Non Può Sparare" (aka. "Almost Human", 1974) and "Roma A Mano Armata" (aka. "Rome Armed To The Teeth", 1976"), which is mainly due to the lack of the great Tomas Milian, who played sadistic criminals in these two films, this is yet another great and outrageously brutal Poliziottesco from Lenzi.

Genre-star Maurizio Merli stars in the role of Comissario Betti for the third time (the first two Commissario Betti films were Marino Girolami's "Roma Violenta" of 1975 and "Italia A Mano Armata" of 1976, two priorities on my list of films that I haven't seen yet). Betti, who is known for his unorthodox methods hates criminals as much as he hates crime, and he has does not keep his beliefs a secret. When he comes to Naples, where he has worked earlier, the local criminal underworld, above all the Camorra, the Mafia of Naples, are already getting nervous, as they know that the Comissario, who has no mercy for criminals, is dedicated to clean up... Merli is once again great as the mustached and unorthodox copper Betti, who treats criminals in a way that makes Dirty Harry look like a social worker. The cast also includes the great John Saxon, and Barry Sullivan in the role of a Mafia-boss called "Comandante". The supporting cast furthermore includes many familiar faces for Italian genre fans, such as Guido Alberti as the chief of police, or the butt-ugly Luciano Rossi as a sadistic mugger. The score by Franco Micalizzi, who also delivered the score to "Roma A Mano Armata", is once again very good, and the camera work is fast-paced and great. "Napoli Violenta" is generally a violent film, and it has several moments of outrageous brutality. I will not give away more, but I am sure that most of my fellow Poliziotteschi fans will enjoy the film as much as I did. Brutal, gripping and breathtaking, "Napoli Violenta" is a film that fans of Italian Crime/Police films can not afford to miss!

Commissioner Berti finds gory grist to his ever-more violent mill!

[Weirdling_Wolf · 7/10 · 24 January 2014]

Untarnished Euro-crime favourite, 'Violent Naples' aka 'Napoli Violenta' (1976) is yet another thrillingly bellicose, fruitful cinematic coupling betwixt the mightily short-fused, Maurizio Merli & steely powerhouse Poliziottesco director, Umberto 'Cannibal Ferox'. Lenzi. This time out the irrepressible, routinely roundhousing rage of Commissioner, Berti (Maurizio Merli) angrily finds gory grist to his ever-more violent mill by unearthing the criminal machinations of rapacious drug overlord, Francesco Capuano (John Saxon).

Needless to say with thrill-master general, Umberto Lenzi behind the wildly-spinning wheels of this rampaging Poliziotteschi juggernaut, Lenzi's brutal fistful of molars, 'Violent Naples' excitingly escalates to a fever pitch of tumultuously unexpurgated thug trashing, Berretta blasting mayhem! The stolid performances of craggy-looking, Barry Sullivan, and devilishly handsome Euro-cult hero, Silvano Tranquilli offer a temporary reprieve from the hyper-masculinity of, John Saxon and Maurizio Merli! The musical icing on this spectacularly Moorish Euro-crime treat is capably provided by maestro, Franco Micalizzi, his electrifying crime-funk score robustly complements the wrathful modus operandi of commissioner Berti, going pell-mell after the scum and villainy like some incandescently vengeful, PCP-crazed, Dirtier-than-Harry cop! Berti's histrionic approach to justice evokes the catastrophic tableau of a blood-mad bull run amok within the genteel environs of a Fortnum & Mason tearoom!

Very good action movie.

[christopher-underwood · 7/10 · 8 June 2013]

Highly efficient, high octave stuff from director Lenzi and I'm not really sure why I'm not rating it higher. Thing is, I think, there maybe is not quite enough sex and violence! Actually there is violence a plenty, all through the film actually, but is is mainly guns and fists and the really outrageous and gory kills are shown so briefly that their impact is somewhat muted. Good job too, some may say, but this is a Lenzi pic and I was rather surprised. Nevertheless, this is violent action all the way and mostly out on the crowded, Naples streets. Colourful location shooting and some amazingly well shot street chases, on foot by car and motorbike. Very good action movie.

Law and order, Italian style

[Red-Barracuda · 6/10 · 4 June 2015]

Italian director Umberto Lenzi made films in many of the genres that were popular at different times throughout a career which spanned the golden age of Italian genre cinema. He will probably remain most (in)famous for his key contributions to the cannibal film cycle but, really, the sub-genre best suited to his sensibilities was the Italo-crime film, better known as the poliziottesco. These movies revelled in brutal action and often featured cops who dealt with crime fighting in a decidedly fascistic fashion; which brings us to the brilliantly - and accurately - titled Violent Naples. In this one we have a Dirty Harry style cop who prefers beating criminals up to questioning them; a punch now, ask questions later kind of thing. He arrives into a Naples rife with crime and run by criminals, a place where his brand of no-nonsense violent retribution seems like the obvious answer to combat the hordes of thieves, rapists and Mafia types bringing the place down.

Needless to say, Violent Naples is severely politically incorrect, which of course, only serves to elevate its entertainment and cult value even higher. Lenzi's sledgehammer directorial style is a pretty significant factor in this. The pacing is fast due to his typically rapid choppy edits that propel us from scene to scene with no messing around. And his approach to violence could never exactly be described as reticent. There are loads of punch-ups and gun fights but also some moments of creative violence such as where a rapist dies by way of facial impalement via fence post and another occasion where a policeman is murdered by way of death by bowling ball. On the action front there is a pulse-pounding race across town on a motorcycle and a well-staged gun battle on a train carriage that includes a poor woman having her coupon obliterated when an unreasonable gangster shoves her head out a window into the path of an oncoming train. Lenzi even makes time to show his sensitive side too with scenes involving a young boy that introduces some pathos into all this mayhem, although these particular scenes are cheesy to the point of hilarity and only ultimately serve as a springboard for our tough cop hero to return to his day-to-day business of physically assaulting petty criminals in the name of good old 70's Italian law and order.

One of the finest Euro crime movies, without a doubt

[Bezenby · 9/10 · 2 August 2012]

Ever been to Naples? It's like a sprawling metropolitan city, only someone's decided to condense that sprawling city into a very small space, then add loads of markets and alleyways, then add loads of mopeds and cars, then add loads of people screaming in each other's faces at top volume. Naples is total bedlam from the moment you emerge from the train station. It really does chew you up and spit you out. I love the place, and would return there in a second, but will not argue with the opinion that it is, to be honest, an absolute hole.

Take it from me: I relished any time I spent there, but it does have an overcrowded, hyperactive atmosphere to the place. This seems to have infected the makers of Violent Naples, because nary have I seen such a Euro-crime movie that has so many story lines, or a pace that moves at 100mph....

Maurizio Merli is Inspector Berti - who has arrived from Rome on an assignment to another Italian city (he was hoping for something more exotic, but Naples is Italy's whipping boy so he regrets going there), and before you know it, he's getting death threats and is already on the case of some jewel thieves, and some rapists, and, to be honest, a trail leading to the boss of all bosses, Mr something or other (the film is so fast paced I didn't have time to catch his name - The Commandante - That's it!) Merli bothers himself at first with the rapists, the protection racket, and the jewel thief, plus an armed robber who manages to establish an alibi in sequences that had even my jaded wife's jaw dropping in awe at the actual lack of safety towards the actors or indeed the public...

Merli works himself up the line, exposing undercover police agents (none of whom receive a happy ending), wasting the rapists (one gets impaled on a fence, right through the jaw), and generally hassling John Saxon, a sleazy businessman who seems to have made a general series of mistakes leading to his heading into hiding...

Most folks, I'd guess, are introduced to Umerbto Lenzi through either his cannibal films (Cannibal Ferox, Eaten Alive), or his zombie efforts (Nightmare City) or for his late-eighties crap-fests (House of Lost Souls, Nightmare Beach), but I can say, without a doubt, that this guy was an expert in action film. He does not waste a minute of this film, even injecting a bit of pathos in the end as some sort of statement regarding the youth's arrogance in the face of corruption, or something. Look - If Tarantino were to re-make this classic, it would take him about nine hours.

Violent Naples is well up there in terms of greatness, in a genre the Italians rarely got wrong, and gets my highest recommendation. It's a sheer classic from start to finish.

Actually, I'm gonna mention how violent this film actually is, because at some points I had to say "For feck's sake!" at the TV screen. At first this happened when one of the rapists impaled his face on a fence, but when an armed robber pushes a woman's head out of a window in order for her face to be struck over and over again with a passing tram, my jaw hit the floor. Not to mention the guy used in a bowling alley or the ironic crippling of a kid, and you've got something mental here. It still doesn't manage to be as gory as Contraband, but it's sure up there.

"You Crud! You Make Me Want To Beat Your Ears In!"...

[azathothpwiggins · 24 August 2021]

From Director Umberto Lenzi, VIOLENT NAPLES follows Inspector Betti (Maurizio Merli) as he hunts down a vast assortment of scumbags, thugs, and other ne'er-do-wells. His quest leads him into the darkest depths of the drug-fueled underworld, where he uses a little police brutality to take care of the criminal element.

As crime-thrillers go, this is a great one. As its hero, Merli is tough, brave, and unstoppable on his mission to shut down the mob. The bad guys are quite colorful in a vile sort of way. One classic scene involves two of these psycho crooks who pick the wrong people to rob with tragic / hilarious results! Also, the scenes of motorcycles roaring through the streets of Naples are exhilarating!

Co-stars John Saxon as a seemingly mild-mannered businessman who is actually mixed up with a figure known as 'O' Generale (Barry Sullivan).

Hyper-violent and relentless, this is one of the best movies Lenzi ever made...

Violent Protection should please both fans and newcomers to the Poliziotteschi genre.

[tarbosh22000 · 7/10 · 13 August 2013]

Betti (Merli) is a Cop On The Edge who is brought to Naples to help bust up the protection rackets plaguing the city. The top brass doesn't necessarily approve of his unorthodox methods, but you can't argue with his results! It seems the crime wave Betti has been called upon to stop is being promulgated by "The Generale" (Sullivan), and he's intertwined with businessman Francesco Capuano (Saxon). Along the way, Betti befriends a sassy young boy, Gennarino (Deda, who reprised this role in the Violent Protection spin off movie Weapons Of Death (1977)). Now Betti must wage a one-man war on crime and the baddies are going to wish they had some protection from this violence! Violent Protection is an entertaining and worthwhile entry into the Poliziotteschi genre. Italy in the 70's was having some real problems with crime and kidnappings, and these hard-hitting cop movies came along to exploit that situation. Luckily, most of them are actually good movies that are highly watchable. Umberto Lenzi, like many of the directors of his generation, was a journeyman-style artist, a man versatile in every genre - Spaghetti Westerns, Giallos, Crime movies, Peplums, War movies and more - but is seemingly most known for his horror output in the 80's, like Cannibal Ferox (1981), Eaten Alive (1980) and the wonderful Nightmare City (1980). He brings his best attributes on board for Violent Protection, and the results are worth seeing.

Maurizio Merli was a mainstay of the genre, and it's no wonder, he's perfectly suited to the part of the determined and mustachioed cop. John Saxon also pops up a lot in these genre movies, and Barry Sullivan rounds out the cast of well-known names. There are plenty of memorable action setpieces, from the high-speed motorcycle chase to the scenes in the bowling alley and the train. The dubbed version has some interesting choices of dialogue, where characters call each other "You crud!" and "Ya fathead!" in that classic yell-y dubbed way we've all come to know and not love. But the excellent score by Franco Micalizzi pastes everything together nicely.

While the movie was released on one of our favorite VHS labels, Paragon, seeing as it's a dubbed and pan-and-scanned release, a cleaned-up widescreen DVD would do the presentation of this fine movie a lot of good. Maybe MYA or Raro will take the case soon. There is a great end-credits song, "A Man Before Your Time", which, confusingly, is said to have been played by The Bulldogs, but recorded by The Blue Jeans. We're not entirely sure what that means, but check out the song at the end.

In all, Violent Protection should please both fans and newcomers to the Poliziotteschi genre.

In search for some action?

[Coventry · 8/10 · 5 August 2014]

Well, look no further! "Violent Naples" is the second entry in the masterful Commissario Betti trilogy, released in between "Violent City" and "A Special Cop in Action", and it's the only one not directed by Marino Girolami. Die-hard Poliziotteschi fanatics needn't worry, though. Quite the contrary in fact, because the man who took over the director's seat is none other than Umberto Lenzi: Italian cult director genius and particularly experienced in the field of Poliziotteschis. I tend to repeat myself when reviewing titles in this particular sub-genre of cinema, but "Violent Naples" is once more a brilliant cop thriller with harsh violence, exhilarating action sequences, fascinating characters, gritty atmospheres, mean dialogs and a splendid soundtrack. Straight from the opening credits, with a camera attached on the hood of a car that is rushing through the traffic-infested city to the tunes of awesome Franco Micalizzi music, you have the guarantee that Lenzi & Co will deliver 95 minutes of non-stop excitement. Commissioner Betti (no first name) gets transferred to Naples because this crime-laden metropolis is in desperate need for his unorthodox but highly efficient methods. Betti takes every case very personally and obsessively hunts down all type of criminals. He's equally intolerant for jewelry thieves, home-invading rapists, armed bank robbers and mafia kingpins that run a relentless protection racket. In the highest regions of the Naples crime hierarchy, there's a bit of a feud going on between Francesco Capuano and the nicknamed "Commandante", and Betti terrifically uses this to bring them both down. The highlights of the film are numerous and nearly impossible to list! There's the race across town on a motorcycle, which has to bring a dangerous but slick bank robber from the scene of the crime towards his waterproof alibi at the police station in less than ten minutes, or the vicious battle inside an upwards train carriage (that poor woman). Unforgettable as well are the bowling ball massacre and the impalement of Luciano Rossi's ugly mug on a fence. There isn't a whole lot structure in "Violent Naples" and it doesn't look as if Betti ever sleeps, but action addicts will get everything the wish for … and more!

Great chase scenes and a few interesting moments

[Groverdox · 6/10 · 8 January 2018]

"Violent Naples" is the second part of a loose trilogy of Italian crime films (poliziotteschi) about Commissario Betti, a Dirty Harry-style cop who is out to clean up the "violent" cities of Italy.

"Naples" is the only part of the trilogy made by someone other than Marino Girolani: for this second entry it's the infamous Umberto Lenzi in the director's chair, a filmmaker better known for his boundary-pushing gore films like the widely-banned "Cannibal Ferox" and other such delights.

If nothing else, "Violent Naples" shows that Umberto Lenzi was a splendid action filmmaker. Car and motorcycle chase scenes in this movie are extraordinarily well done, with Lenzi employing point-of-view shots and creative camera angles for exhilarating results.

The movie has a few other notable moments, such as a scene where a crooked jeweler pretends to flush a ring down the toilet, and our hero shows that it was a trick with a little tray in the bowl (apparently a common trick as well? How many jewelers make a habit of taking their customers into the bathroom?) and another scene where a woman has her face smashed against the side of a speeding train.

Most of the fisticuffs in the movie - and there are a lot - look like people punching air, but there are other more violent moments apart from the above, such as a man being shot with a machine gun.

Unfortunately, the movie has the same problems "Violent Rome" had: as the protagonist, Maurizio Merli makes absolutely no impression, and the movie has very little plot to string the violence and chase scenes together.

As such it was kind of an endurance contest sitting this one out, waiting for the next awesome chase scene or interesting moment, but Lenzi's entry in this trilogy is still the best, simply by virtue of having these things in it, and making them worth waiting for.

awesome Italian crime (minor spoilers)

[sangue · 10/10 · 14 June 2000]

1976 was a great year for the "poliziottsche" genre (Italian Crime films) and Napoli Violenta is no exeption. the late, great Maurizio Merli stars as inspector Betti, a no nonsense cop who spends his time slapping around thugs and delevering some of the best line ever heard (i.e "you crud, you make me wanna beat your ears in!")

Betti is transfered to napels where the local protection racket has the city in fear for their lives. but when the police try to help, no one seems to know anything. recieving no help from the town, Betti must bring down the racket by himself.

a highly entertaining film...fast paced, lots of action and stunts, and some surprising violence, including a bowling ball head smashing, a woman's head bashed up against a moving trolley, and a crook imapling his face on a fence while running from the cops. directed with flair by Umberto Lenzi, and set to a pulse pounding score by Franco Micalizzi. if you have yet to see an Italian crime flick, this is a good place to start

Senseless Violence in the Service of Entertainment. Yay!

[spetersen-79-962044 · 5/10 · 26 October 2011]

Let me make my position clear - I believe that Umberto Lenzi is one of the worst directors who ever lived. However, his movies are almost always highly entertaining. Nightmare City always gets a strong reaction, despite (because of?) its idiotic plot twists. Cannibal Ferox is so badly made, yet so nasty it is difficult to look away.

Violent Naples is Lenzi's attempt to make a cop movie. It's just an excuse to have one violent scene after another. Apparently Italian cops begin an interview by punching out their informants. At least this guy does. Also there is a gang who runs around raping women. Seriously, that's their whole purpose in existence. And what Italian movie would be complete without an annoying kid with no acting ability that you're supposed to like? Of course, instead you spend most of the movie praying for the brat's death.

The acting is surprisingly good for a Lenzi movie, at least for the lead. There is no real plot to follow, but who cares, really? Did we watch Dirty Harry for the tightly knit plots? Well, maybe - because the Dirty Harry movies actually DID have good plots. But you can tell Umberto didn't care - all he saw was the action, so that's all we get, all screened in the clumsy, yet adorable style which Lenzi fans (like me) can only applaud.

For sheer entertainment value, this Italian crime film's hard to beat

[Leofwine_draca · 10/10 · 27 November 2016]

A superior slice of Italian crime from the man who later brought us CANNIBAL FEROX, VIOLENT NAPLES is a fast-paced, stylish thriller which benefits from good, sometimes funny dialogue, a complex script, and plenty of action to keep it moving. Although not a horror film, it's definitely not a film for kids. Umberto Lenzi gives us scenes such as a woman getting her face torn off by a train, a man's head being used in place of skittles and a slime getting impaled through the bottom of his chin, scenes which make the later GOODFELLAS look tame in comparison.

Maurizio Merli stars in a career-defining role as a tough-as-nails cop who uses his own violent, unconventional methods to catch the criminals. He's a man who thinks with his fists and believes in true justice for thieves - a movie hero if ever I saw one. Merli is supported by a strong cast, including Barry Sullivan as the chief gangster and John Saxon, as cool as ever, as a crime boss who finds his life on the line. Much of the fun comes from the crazy dialogue this movie has, with lines such as "You crud! You make me want to beat your ears in!" achieving classic status amongst cult fans.

Things don't get much cooler than a motorbike speeding incredibly through Naples as stylish, jazzy music plays on the soundtrack. There's all manner of action, from fist-fights to gun battles, car chases, foot chases, even a train chase to top it all off. This is a very violent film, with people being machine gunned in full view and a high death rate, so the drama is near-constant. The location of Naples makes a nice change and a picturesque backdrop to the action. With loads of different sub-plots and characters, a reliance on exciting action to propel the film, good cast members giving it their all, and strong direction from Lenzi, this is one of the best of the Italian crime movies and a must for genre fans.

Makes me want to beat your ears in!

[Aylmer · 9/10 · 21 June 2017]

This film ought not to be good for several reasons.

For one, there's barely any character arc. These Italian crime movies follow an interesting pseudo-continuity from movie to movie. Side characters and villains die in one film but show up in another, sometimes played by other actors. Sometimes the same actors keep popping up but as different, though often similar characters. It's a kind of universe similar to the Toho Kaiju movies where the same actors would keep popping up as different people. Whether playing Inspector Tanzi, Betti, Berti, or Berni, Maurizio Merli is essentially the same character in all of these Eurocrime films probably owing most to his limited range. However he lights up every scene he's in with his undeniable intense charisma, making us happy he was typecast in an archetypal role that fit him so well.

Secondly, there's at least 4 different, very loosely connected plots to the film that the film skips in and out of with very little resolution other than some crook (or cop) getting jailed / killed. In what would make for a bewildering and chaotic viewing experience actually really works here in keeping up a breakneck and exciting pace from start to finish.

Merli takes to the scum-ridden underworld of 70's Naples like a duck to water, never taking any nonsense from anyone and performing a lot of impressive stunts without use of a double. This film brilliantly makes use of the crowded markets and cobblestone alleys in a way that no other Naples-centered Polizioteschi film (such as WEAPONS OF DEATH, which I also liked) manages. It's all brilliantly handled with surprising assuredness by Lenzi and Fabrizio De Angelis (in his first outing as a producer) to create a feeling of both classy filmmaking and rugged and violent exploitation simultaneously.

I haven't even mentioned the two American co-stars Saxon and Sullivan, here mainly for international marquee value but both giving memorable performances as a desperate crooked businessman and an untouchable crime boss respectively. Sullivan glides through the film in a part you'd usually expect to see Richard Conte in.

So what are the weaknesses? Well personally while I'm a huge fan of Franco Micalizzi's music, I find his main theme for this film to be a bit weaker than ROMA A MANO and CINICO scores this film is sandwiched between. I love the speed-bike chases but I think they run a little too long and with some goofy fast-forwarded footage that could have easily been cut around. Also on the English dub, a lot of the dialog comes off as quite awkward and poorly synced, but Michael Forest gives Merli's character the perfect voice intonations and emotion.

Honestly, if you're interested in Italian mob movies and want a place to start, this film is the perfect way to put your toe in the water. It fits in wonderfully with any of the other three Merli/Lenzi outings as the leaders of the genre in terms of pacing and fun.

Classic Italian Crime Flick

[sydneyswesternsuburbs · 10/10 · 18 August 2011]

Director Umberto Lenzi who also created other classic flicks, Women from Deep River 1981, Eaten Alive! 1980 and Man from Deep River 1972 and another classic Italian crime flick, Rome Armed to the Teeth 1976 has created another gem in Violent Protection.

Starring Maurizio Merli who was also in other classic Italian crime flicks, Violent Rome 1975 and Umberto Lenzi's Rome Armed to the Teeth.

Also starring John Saxon who has also been in other classic flicks, From Dusk Till Dawn 1996, Animal Instincts 1992, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors 1987, A Nightmare on Elm Street 1984, Tenebre 1982 and Black Christmas 1974.

Also starring Barry Sullivan.

I enjoyed the violence and great car chase scenes.

If you enjoyed this as much as I did then check out other classic Italian crime flicks, Blood and Black Lace 1964, The Cat o' Nine Tails 1971, The Godfather 1972, The Godfather: Part II 1974, Weapons of Death 1977, Beast with a Gun 1977 and High Crime 1973.

One of Lenzi's better Poliziotteschi

[bensonmum2 · 8/10 · 20 April 2007]

Commissioner Betti (Maurizio Merli) has been sent to Naples to help clean up the city. Armed robbery, rape, extortion, and murder are everyday occurrences in Naples. Betti soon realizes there are two crime bosses behind most of the mayhem - Capunao (John Saxon) and the Commandante (Barry Sullivan). The two are at war and Betti's caught in the middle. Betti is a no nonsense kind of cop who is perfectly comfortable using whatever tactics necessary to get the job done. But how far is Betti willing to go to get his man?

Trying to do a short summary of a movie Violent Naples is almost impossible. The movie is in reality little more than a series of action-packed set-pieces strung together with an all but invisible plot thread. Intricate plot details are hardly the point of a film like Violent Naples. Instead, it's about the action and the pacing. And Lenzi was as good at this as anyone who ever made a Poliziotteschi. Violent Naples moves from fire bombings to beatings to bank hold-ups to gunfights to rape without missing a beat. Lenzi doesn't give you time to catch your breath before your off to the next action set-piece. I was impressed and found memorable the very same moments noted in almost every other review or article written on Violent Naples – the vicious bowling scene and the amazing camera work of the motorcycle chase scene. As good a moments as I've yet run across in a Poliziotteschi.

Along the same lines as Violent Naples' paper-thin plot, if you're looking for character insight and development, look elsewhere. Merli's Betti is as two dimensional a leading character as you'll find. We know almost nothing of the man. Similarly, we know next to nothing about the baddies played by Saxon and Sullivan. In fact, sitting here writing this, I can't even remember what their disagreement was about. Like I wrote before, details like character motivation are secondary to the action. And honestly, I wouldn't want it any other way.