The First Poliziottesco* (*Developed during Italy's turbulent Years of Lead (Anni di Piombo), the films reflected rising crime rates, political terrorism, and public distrust in state institutions. The term itself playfully merges polizia (Italian for police) with the Americanized suffix -esco (meaning "-esque") Wiki)
Director Steno (as Stefano Vanzina he was an Italian satirist, cartoonist, and writer/director of popular comedies, often starring Totò or Bud Spencer).
Written by Steno and Lucio De Caro. Cinematography by Riccardo Pallottini (known for Sword and Sandal flicks, Spaghetti Westerns, Sci-Fi and Spy Films), and Music by Stelvio Cipriani (a few of his pieces used in Grindhouse 2007).
The film stars Enrico Maria Salerno as Commissario Bertone (L'uccello dalle piume di cristallo) . Mariangela Melato (Swept Away, The Seduction of Mimi) as Sandra, Mario Adorf (Station Six Sahara. I Knew Her Well. The Red Tent) as District Attorney Ricciuti, Franco Fabrizi (I vitelloni, Nights of Cabiria, Witness in the City) as Francesco Bettarini, Cyril Cusack as Former Superintendent Stolfi, Laura Belli as Anna Maria Sprovieri, Jürgen Drews as Michele Settecamini, Piero Tiberi as Mario Staderini, and Corrado Gaipa as L'avvocato Armani the lawyer.
Story
We watch as a 1968 Alfa Romeo 1750 Berlina police interceptor descends a hill. From the looks of some of the foliage turning brown, it's probably mid October.
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Commissario Bertone gets out and asks the guy manning the reception desk for Mr. Stolfi. He replies that Stolfi is doing a TV interview.
Stolfi is giving some spiel about Pinocchio, and complains about psychiatrist's and sociologists creating problems for law enforcement, but the gist of it all is that he thinks something radical has to be done about the crime situation.
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Here starts a flashback.
We cut to a green police Alfa Romeo Alfetta Berlina with a blue "bubble gum machine" racing through the streets of Rome.
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| Franco Fabrizi as Bettarini on rt. |
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L'avvocato Armani is already at the police station. Bettarini just got off on a technicality. The press is there to interview Bettarini. While the press is rattling questions at Bettarini, Commissario Bertone sort of in the Dirty Harry mold is noticed and gets questioned also by Sandra a red haired press reporter and he complains about scum like Bettarini, can wiggle out from justice.
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| Mariangela Melato as Sandra |
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| Enrico Maria Salerno as Commissario Bertone |
This is what Stolfi was "admiring."
Cut to the title sequence.
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Here, is where we get the first sample of what this film does very well, gritty cinematography.
It puts you there. Not only in the streets in the heart of Rome, but also right into the action. The excellent editing, achieves realistic chase sequences that take us also through back streets and dirt back alleys past deserted warehouses that never see tourists.
We race down the service roads that ring the Leonardo da Vinci International Airport, and past deserted boatyards on the Tiber River delta by the Fiumicino where it joins the Tyrrhenian Sea.
We get signature "Roman Noir" shots of very atmospheric and gritty depictions of very early morning / first light Rome, along with moody Roman nights that are also equally mesmerizing thanks to Riccardo Pallottini's cinematography.
The title sequence begins with Mario Staderini wearing a brown sweater diving and Michele Settecamini wearing a jean jacket riding on a 750cc Moto Guzzi V7 through the Rome traffic.
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We cut to a husband wife outside the serranda (a locking roller shutter) to their jewelry shop. The husband is crouched down, unlocking it and then he slides it up.
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Two painters take a morning coffee break by sitting down up against the corner of the building nearest Mario on Moto Guzzi.
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The police are notified and all units are on the lookout for them. A patrol car spots them heading towards them and blocks the street. The two cops get out with rifles trained on Mario and Michele but when seeing the they are just two kids they hesitate.
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Anybody the police find riding on a Moto Guzzi are pulled in a questioned. Michele has Anna Maria drive to a deserted boat salvage yard and they break into to the boathouse.
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Michele climbs up into a cabin cruiser covered with a tarp and orders Anna Maria into the cabin.
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When she gets into the cabin Michele tells her to strip naked.
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Anna Maria at gunpoint complies. He tells her to throw he clothes to him. He doesn't want to rape her he just wants to prevent her from escaping.
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Back at police headquarters we again see Sandra and other reporters who are hoping for any scoops on the latest killings. We also see Bettarini once again brought in for questioning. He was found with a gun matching the caliber used in the jewelry heist killing. He calls his lawyer and gets instructions over the phone on how to bait the cops into violating his rights in a fight. He lays the phone down on the desk while the lawyer records what happens. He gets the results he wants. After a meeting between Bertone, D.A. Ricciuti and L'avvocato Armani he is again set loose.
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| Corrado Gaipa as L'avvocato Armani the lawyer. |
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Bertone invites the press on a sort of tour of the Roman high crime and red light districts. This sequence actually uses a Roman tour bus, with Commissario Bertone acting as the tour guide.
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The next say the police receive a call to go to an auto wrecking yard where they find the junkman severely beaten. He tells the cops that two other cops did it to get info on who he lent his Moto Guzzi to.
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At the hospital he gives out Mario's name and where he lives to District Attorney Ricciuti. They bring in Mario's mother and sister. His sister is a prostitute and her mother keeps the books.
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It all goes Noirsville when we see Mario in the company of vigilante cops getting taken for a ride.
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Mario is tied to an iron ring in the Il Parapetto, and executed. It's the first execution of the squad and Commissario Bertone has to deal with, and there's more to come
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So Bertone has to deal with not only this execution squad and the kidnapping of Anna Maria by Michele but also now the loyalty of his men.
Noirsville
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| Mario Adorf as District Attorney Ricciuti with Mariangela Melato |
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