La polizia ringrazia

I wasnt aware of the sub genre titled "Poliziotesschi", until I read the reviews here for this title. Yeah, i'm definately a fan. I watched docu recently, where Martin Scorsese talks about post war film making in Italy and a movement called "neo-realism", there is definately an element of that to be found here in this genre also. These early 70s Italian movies definately had a big influence on American film makers for decades to come. The Sopranos, Nico (also known as Above the Law), & Sidney Lumet's Serpico & Prince of the City, are all examples that spring to mind of popular culture 80s/ 90s cinema/ Tv, which are direct descendants of this subgenre. I found this film intelligent and analytical. Most likely these themes have a historical foundation in 1970s Italian politics as they appear often, but they exist in every country to one extent or another, maybe so, more than we would like to admit. The biblical quote I refered to in the review title, used by a character in this movie, resonated at the end of the movie when the brave officer falls foul of his good intentions. Its gritty powerful storytelling.

The police say thank you: Italian crime classic with Mario Adorf and Jürgen Drews

With this film by Stefano "Steno" Vanzina (production: Roberto Infascelli) the great wave of Italian Poliziotteschi films of the 1970s really began. In Italy it grossed ITL 1.7 billion in the box office, but the film was not quite as successful in cinemas in West Germany.

Commissario Bertone (Enrico Maria Salerno) is a very sophisticated police officer who is increasingly despairing of politics and what he believes is a far too lax justice system. He has various arguments, especially with public prosecutor Ricciuti (Mario Adorf). The crime rate in Rome is rising and rising. The misery is made clear to the distinctive journalist Sandra (Mariangela Melato) in an almost sociological-scientific way. The head crook Bettarini (Franco Fabrizi) and the young Michele Settecamini (Jürgen Drews), who brutally holds a young woman (Laura Belli) hostage in order to cover up a robbery, act as a symbol of the fact that the criminals are increasingly capable of taking more risks takes. But then something unexpected happens! Apparently there is a syndicate on the streets of Rome whose mission is to murder criminals and other undesirable people who have been spared justice. Almost as a revival of the fascist past and the abolished death penalty, police officers who were fired because of excessive use of force seem to be behind it. Can that even be possible? What does the former police chief Stolfi (Cyril Cusack) know about it?

This is really tough stuff, which is presented here in an outstanding mixture of action spectacle and social psychological treatise. Exciting, direct, informative and so in tune with the times that it touched a nerve with the audience. A great moment in Italian genre cinema! Rousing, provocative, frightening!

The lead role was originally supposed to go to sex comedy star Lando Buzzanca, but luckily that fell through. Enrico Maria Salerno simply fits this role better. Pop singer Jürgen Drews probably got his small role by chance and at the request of co-producer Dieter Geissler. But he does his job really well. Respect! In 1976 he was supposed to perform with the Les Humphries Singers (Sing Sang Song) at the Eurovision Song Contest and land a huge hit in German-speaking countries with "Ein Bett im Kornfeld".

Great police film that you should definitely see as a EuroCrime fan!

I really love those Poliziotteschi pictures from Italy, it's has an incredible sense of realism, a veteran Police Commissioner Bertone played by the great Enrico Maria Salerno has been pushed by press, society and several groups against policemen violence, meanwhile many assassins, drugs dealers, crooks are free for their smart defence lawyers, also by the prosecutor (Mario Adorf) that pressure him to best treatment of those human beings , so quickly enter the Dead Squad commanded by ex-cops and judges, a closed club, a crime picture who dared to touch in a true sensitive point, so rarely even in this specific genre, a criticism or a farce, actually this fact had occurred on the mostly major cities around the globe and still on action, except where the law has a fully control, valuable offering by Italian Poliziottesque's era!!!

Resume:

First watch: 2019 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7.5

Director Steno (birth name: Stefano Vanzina) is best known as a director of comedy (e.g. films with Bud Spencer and Terence Hill), but this crime thriller is everything but a comedy. It tells the gripping story of an organized vigilante group that kills criminals who couldn't be convicted by the police.

Enrico Maria Salerno is brilliant as the police officer who tries to discover the big ones behind the vigilante group. Mario Adorf is convincing as ever - once more portraying a rather dubious district attorney. This Italian-German co-production is also remarkable for singer Jürgen Drews who plays one of the criminals that fall victim to the vigilantes.

All in all, "La Polizia Ringrazia" delivers impressive social comment and handles the topic with a complexity one rarely sees in a crime thriller. Highly recommended.

This is definitely a kind of Italian MAGNUM FORCE or even STAR CHAMBER, the kind of film for which I would have more guessed a director such as Damiano Damiani or Pasquale Squieteri - though it's a bit too much action bloody packed for both of their styles. Anyway Steno was more used to Bud Spencer's comedy flicks, saturday evening cinema. Yes this is a so gloomy, downbeat story but that makes you really think about many politics matter in the Italian state of the mid and late seventies. and it is not necessarily question here of mafia of any kind. That's also a real surprise. But after all what's the difference?