Racket

My interest in Italian cinema is usually limited to horror films, but I made an exception for this crime flick - and I'm certainly glad that I did! Actually, The Big Racket isn't a world away from the popular Italian Giallo styling, only instead of having a vicious murderer on the loose; we have a small town at the mercy of a group of organised thugs. For a film with this sort of plot, it's surprising just how good The Big Racket is. Italian films from the seventies have a bad reputation for not making a lot of sense, but not only does this one make sense - it benefits from a great, multi-angled story as well. The film sees a bunch of criminals sabotaging local businesses and asking for protection money from the owners to make them stop. The police presence in the town is largely ineffective, with the exception of one man - Inspector Nico Palmieri. Of course, you can't go around intimidating people and destroying their property for long before someone is going to fight back - and as the justice system isn't working, our hero has to find other ways to bring law and order back to his town.

The Big Racket benefits immensely from a strong leading performance courtesy of Fabio Testi (star of What Have They Done to Solange). Testi's portrayal of the angry police officer is perfectly judged to fit the movie, and I don't think there is an actor who could be better suited to playing the lead in this movie. He heads a strong Italian cast, who all do well in bringing their characters to life, as well as providing the movie with the Italian style that it revels in. The script is really good, and finds time to flesh out its characters as well as deliver witty dialogue that is always a part of this movie's bigger budget American cousins. The plot builds well throughout as there's always enough going on to keep things interesting. It all boils down to a fabulous conclusion which serves in ensuring the movie gets the bloody end it deserves, as well as rounding off the story perfectly. The Big Racket features a great sleazy atmosphere, in which the story is able to flourish, and the catchy music score helps to make sure that the film is technically sound. Overall, The Big Racket is a must see film for both crime fans and cult fans and comes with high recommendations from me!

Ever studly Fabio Testi stars as dedicated police detective Nico Palmieri in this Eurocrime action picture. Nico is determined to bust the pesky thugs running an aggressive protection racket. Soon, these creeps are moving on to other crimes like drug running, rape, and murder. Nico will let nothing stop him from attaining his goal.

In the later portions of "The Big Racket", the story turns into the always appealing scenario in which one or more characters assemble a group of specialists for a mission. Among those recruited by Nico are men who've been impacted personally by the activities of the bad guys.

Director Enzo G. Castellari could always move from genre to genre with ease, and here he creates a stylish - if somewhat overlong - movie that benefits the most from some enthusiastic performances by the actors playing the antagonists. One of them is a gleeful young woman who enjoys dispensing punishment just as much as her male counterparts.

There's an engaging, meaty role for American actor Vincent Gardenia, as ageing criminal Pepe. While it's always a treat to see him in anything, it's not terribly satisfying to hear someone elses' voice coming out of his mouth. Although he was fluent in Italian, he was dubbed for both the Italian and English language versions. Renzo Palmer is likewise effective as store owner Giulti, who seeks vengeance on behalf of his daughter. Italian genre cinema buffs will also recognize Joshua Sinclair and Romano Puppo.

Noteworthy for a sometimes very sleazy approach (more than one female gets raped), a respectable amount of squib use and violence, well executed action, and an atmospheric score by Guido & Maurizio De Angelis.

Well worth a look for Eurocrime fans.

Seven out of 10.

When a powerful gang of extortionists forces the businessmen of an Italian city to pay for their protection, the tough Inspector Nico Palmieri (Fabio Testi) investigates the case; however he is surprised by the racketeers and ends seriously injured. When he is discharged from the hospital, he joins the victims of extortion trying to find a witness to testify in court since the mobsters are always released by the Attorney Giovanni Giuni (Antonio Marsina). Only the restaurant owner Luigi Giulti (Renzo Palmer) accepts the burden; but his daughter is brutally raped by the gangsters and commits suicide later. Nico is pressed by his superiors to drop the case but he invites his friend Pepe (Vincent Gardenia) to help him using illegal methods believing that the end justifies the means. There is a war between the criminals and the police with tragic consequences, and Nico is fired from the police department. Nico decides to join Luigi; Pepe; a marksman that saw his wife being raped and burned alive; the owner of a nightclub that should use brace for the rest of his life; and a felon that wants a passport and destroy the gang in a battle that becomes bloodshed between vigilantes and criminals.

"Il Grande Racket" is a great non-stop action movie, with a violent story of racket and revenge à la Charles Bronson and conclusion à la Spaghetti Western. Of course there are clichés and exaggeration in the situations and shootouts, but in the context they work perfectly well for fans of this genre. The dubbing in English is awful, as usual, and I do not understand why not keep the original language with English subtitles. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): Not Available

they don't make em like this anymore. i total recommend it to anyone who enjoys guns, car crashes, cheesy dialogue and 70's hairstyles. Fabio testi is better in this than in contraband. also blue undergrounds DVD picture quality is a vast improvement over the UK version. much better than Bronx warriors or the heroin busters, enzo casstellerie other efforts. story moves along at a cracking pace. music is what you would expect from this type of film in this era. the stunts are what make this film. the camera puts you right in the middle of the action, literally! you'll know what i mean when you see it. overall then, go for the blue underground DVD its a quality purchase.

A script doesn't necessarily have to be realistic to be good. In my opinion, all it needs its to make sense, to be credible within itself. This movie has it all and its very fast paced. It is a very good attempt to expand the perspective of the action movies back then, and I consider it, along with "Perros Callejeros 1 and 2" the best european action movies of the 70s, the background for much of the filmmaking that we see today as "new", and a great spectacle. The enchant of these movies is that, even though some special effects are not credible at all (some of the shot wounds don't bleed at all), those that do required cars to be burnt and some stunts to expose themselves are better than those the new computarized hollywood movies have.It doesnt make you feel like you are watching cartoons. I admit that the beauty of movies is fantasy. But when i compare this movie to any action movie from hollywood, I come to the conclusion that fantasy doesn't necessarily have to please anybodies wishes nor to be custom made for a certain public, but to show different prespectives than those that public has.

the only problem...Real hard to find