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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.

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.

Along with Fernando DiLeo and Sergio Martino, Enzo Castellari is one of the Italian genre directors whose work has really been rehabilitated lately thanks to people like Quentin Tarantino. And, however, you feel personally about QT, it's hard to fault his tastes. Castellari, whose father (Marino Girolami) and uncle (Romolo Guerreri) were also respected Italian directors, made many films in many genres, including Westerns ("Any Gun Can Play"),gialli ("The Cold Eyes of Fear"), and horror flicks("Sensitiva"). His two most famous films were "The Last Shark", which never shown in the US because of an injunction brought by the makers of "Jaws", and "Inglorious Bastards", which Tarantino recently (and very loosely) remade. This movie is not one of his more famous, but it is definitely one of Castellari's best.

Fabio Testi plays a cop who is taking on a big, mafia-connected protection racket that is shaking down businesses all over Italy, and using disgruntled left-wing university students, including a tough female ( ) to do it. Frustrated by the limitations of the law, Testi eventually puts together a gang of victims of the racket including Vincent Gardenia, a small-time crook who lost his nephew to the gang, an Olympic champion skeet shooter who lost his wife, and perhaps most touching, a restaurant owner who went crazy after the gang raped his young daughter and she killed herself. Together they plan an improbable, but not entirely unbelievable, campaign to take down the entire racket.

This movie has a lot of the elements of a police thriller, but also of a rape-revenge/"Deathwish"-type movie. I wouldn't really call it "fascist" though because it really doesn't glorify violence (not too many people are left alive by the end of this). The protagonists, especially Testi's character, are flawed, three-dimensional, and vulnerable rather than being just a heroic super-cop types. And this has downbeat, noirish elements like some of the early American police thrillers of that period (i.e. "Dirty Harry", "The French Connection", "Deathwish"), but that were definitely lost by the happy-fascist Reagan era. These aren't self-righteous, fascist crime fighters, but decent people driven to extremes in a violent, decaying society. Of course, as an action movie this is still very entertaining, but the realistic violence and three-dimensional characters always keeps it from simply degenerating into another cop-worshipping cartoon. Recommended.

Italian, very familiar tale of cop who breaks the rules, gets suspended from the force, and then proceeds to dish out justice. In this case, Fabio Testi recruits the crime victims for his vigilante force. The film does not disappoint in the violence, rape and general mayhem. One gigantic question has to be what is Vincent Gardenia doing in this movie? He seems tragically out of his wise cracking element, and his considerable dark comedic talents are totally wasted. Expect plenty of ultra mindless violence, pretty decent stunts, brief full frontal nudity, and little character development. Although the action is substantial, some is redundant enough that things drag in places. Good of it's kind, and recommended. - MERK

While not the bloodiest film per-say, this is easily one of the most violent, as in most death/action vs. running time ratio of any crime movie I've seen in recent memory. On top of that, it's got a good multilayered story of several men disenfranchised by a protection mob, who all team up to take out the trash in one massive vigilante-style raid. Most are very good characters too, especially Orso Maria Guerrini who goes from an average Joe skeetshooter to a silent assassin once the thugs rape and murder his wife. Renzo Palmer's transition is a little less subtle, and his vengeful character gets a little irritating. Vincent Gardenia is good as a very suave pickpocket and wise-guy, while Testi is his usual pretty-boy self who of course looks so handsome that in some shots he looks more like an Anime cartoon character than an actual human.

Despite the bad profanity-censored English dubbing (which substitutes 'basket' for 'bastard', 'dung' for the S-word etc.), this is otherwise a solid film. Before John Woo, this was as stylish and as violent as action movies got. There's at least 3 major shootouts, two of which are real standouts, and all of which have their fair share of amazing shots. For instance when Fabio Testi kills the thug who kills his partner – a slow motion shot of the thug flailing around in the foreground and Testi in the background shooting at him – you can see each exit wound corresponding to Testi's gunfire. Another amazing shot is film from inside Testi's car as it rolls down a hillside (complete with Testi inside trying to shield his eyes from the flying window-glass). Castellari demonstrates a solid eye for detail and is an expert at transitions – plenty of slow motion too. Big Racket also features some surprisingly good dialog in the case of most of the thug's threats, and then again near the end when the evil crime boss rants and raves about how to run a protection mob (and then turns out to be a total coward when guns are pointed at him).

An excellent comic book crime/action movie – let's hope that promised uncut DVD comes out soon in the US.

Guido and Maurizio De Angelis Soundtrack!

Notable actors: Fabio Testi! Renzo Palmer! Orso Maria Guierrini! Romano Puppo! Sal Borghese! Joshua Sinclair! Massimo Vanni! Stefania Girolami! Enzo G Castellari!

Enzo Castellari stands out in an overcrowded market by showing everyone how it should be done - a full on Poliziotesschi, brutal and action packed, but also delivered with that pure Castellari style. This is the ideal starting place for anyone because if you don't like this, the genre probably isn't for you.

A new breed of criminal are moving in on Rome's protection rackets. Fearless, violent and ambitious, they go from shop to shop in the Piazza Navona threatening the patroni but unaware that they are being tailed by cop Nico (Fabio Testi) and his sidekick Sal Borghese. Their smartly dressed boss Rudy (Joshua Sinclair) does notice, however, and the result is Testi having his car rolled off a cliff. With him inside it. Castellari of course introduces Rudy with a serious of quirky edits set to a drum beat and films Nico from inside the car in slow motion while he rolls about in a blizzard of glass. This is in the first ten minutes.

Basically this new gang have the populace terrified and Nico is struggling to find someone brave enough to come forward as a witness. One restaurant owner does (Renzo Palmer) and the result is his daughter getting kidnapped and raped by the gang. Palmer then becomes insane and starts killing any criminals he can get his hands on. This of course lands Nico in trouble with his boss.

A gang this ruthless make a lot of enemies and eventually it's from this pool of bereaved husbands, vengeful fathers, double-crossed gangsters and petty criminals that Nico has to gather a small army to take on the gang, resulting in a gun battle that isn't so much a shoot out as full on warfare that decimates the populace of Rome and leaves it a smoking ruin littered with corpses and burning cars.

There's a lot to recommend this one. Fabio Testi's frustration as the gang constantly wipe out anyone who stands up to them is something to behold. Massimo Vanni as the cocky gangster and his rape-happy mates stand out as they beat shopowners, incite riots and kill without thinking. Vincent Gardenia adds a bit of humanity as the old pickpocket who helps Testi and gets his nephew killed in the process.

Enzo does his usual tricks, from slow motion to unusual camera angles to quick edits, and you've got the usual funky soundtrack by Guido and Maurizio De Angelis. This is one of the best of 1976 and the genre, and although it's the only Eurocrime film Castellari made in 1976, he would also make Keoma the same year, and that's one of the best Spaghetti Westerns ever made. What a guy.

I must however point out that some moron who did the English dubbing decided to sanitise all the swearing, which marrs the film slightly. They all literally sound like Ned Flanders, talking about being in "deep diddly", or "that lousy basket" or "you mucker." Thankfully it doesn't ruin the film.

Enzo G. Castellari has enriched Italian cult-cinema in various genres, and "Il Grande Racket" of 1976 is arguably the coolest of them all. At least this breathtaking, ultraviolent and supremely nasty Poliziottesco has surpassed "Keoma" and the original "Inglorious Bastards" of 1978 on my list of favorite Castellari flicks. "Racket" delivers gritty, rough and brutal Italo-Crime excitement in its purest form and proudly stands up there with the works of Fernando Di Leo and Umberto Lenzi among the true highlights of 70s Italian Crime Cinema.

The vast majority of Italian crime flicks from the time are about unorthodox cops hunting sadistic criminals (inspired by "Dirty Harry"); some, such as Castellari's own "Il Cittadino Si Ribbela" ("The Citizen Rebels",1974, which I regretfully haven't yet seen) are about enraged citizens, who, after being tormented by thugs for too long, take the law in their own hands. This wonderfully gritty gem actually serves both premises! Cult-star Fabio Testi plays Rome police Inspector Nico Palmieri, who leads a hopeless battle against a protection racket of hoodlums who terrorize and torment a whole neighborhood of innocent people. Palmitieri's rough but legal methods always seem to fail, as the gangsters' surviving victims are too intimidated to talk, which is why a sleazy lawyer always gets his scumbag clients out. When all legal methods fail, the rough-and-ready copper is not afraid to bend the law in order to provide justice...

Fabio Testi, a regular leading man in Italian genre-cinema, delivers another great performance in his role here. Of all the films I've seen him in, I would say that this is Testi's second-best (the unmatched No 1. being Massimo Dallamano's 1972 Giallo-masterpiece "Cosa Avete Fatto A Solange"). The rest of the cast includes several familiar faces for fans of Italian cinema, such as Castellari-regulars Joshua Sinclair and Orso Maria Guerrini (who played Franco Nero's malicious brothers in "Keoma"), Salvatore Borghese (who was in many Bud Spencer & Terence Hill Comedies, as well as many Spaghetti Westerns) and others. It is notable that the gang of sadistic thugs in this film includes a particularly sadistic female (played by Marcella Michelangeli).

"Racket" brings the whole spectrum of genre-typical nastiness: Loads of bloody violence, rape, sadistic murders, brutal torture - there's plenty of it all here. The film is action packed, and, the action sequences are very well-done. The film si full of violent shootouts, car chases, fistfights etc., and, as usual Castellari provides some spectacular effects (such as a car rolling spinning over down a hill from the inside). The cinematography is very well-done, and the score is genre-typically great and underlines the adrenaline-driven atmosphere. All things considered, "Racket" is a spectacular example for Italian Crime Cinema, which ranges among the highlights of both director Castellari's and leading-man Testi's careers. A fan of Poliziotteschi in particular and Italian Cult Cineama in general should make sure not to miss this brutal, action-packed and remarkably gritty gem. Highly recommended!

I have now seen quite a few of the Italian crime films made in the 70s. The Big Racket is easily among the better Poliziotteschi I've so far run across. The violent action is non-stop. The film rarely takes a break for the viewer to catch a breath. Fabio Testi stars as Inspector Nico Palmieri, a cop determined to put an end to the protection racket run by a group of local thugs. But the seemingly small time thugs are actually part of a larger group with the goal of spreading their reign of terror to a much larger scale. Nico enlists the aid of a handful of men who have been directly affected by the gang's activities to help him wipe out the entire group of gangsters. But does this small seemingly rag-tag band of misfits stand a chance against a much larger band of killers?

The Big Racket is gritty, violent, sadistic, and nothing is held back. Director Enzo Castellari has crafted some amazing action sequences. The shootouts at the train station and the final battle at the warehouse are some of the better scenes of this type I've seen. And the scene featuring Testi rolling down a hill inside a car is so well done and so realistic that I actually worried about Testi's health. The Big Racket also features a couple of rape scenes that can be difficult to watch, yet they add immensely to the overall feel of the film and supply realistic motivation for the vigilante actions to follow. These scenes are brutal and sadistic and show the depravity these thugs are capable of and why they must be eliminated.

Fabio Testi gives one of his better performances that I've seen in The Big Racket. Unlike The Heroin Busters, where I never bought into Testi's character, he is completely believable in this film. The rest of the main supporting cast is just as good. My favorite supporting performance comes from Orso Maria Guerrini, the marksman who goes mad for vengeance after watching his wife get raped and burned alive. Much of the cast is made up of stunt people who do an adequate job given their limited experiences in front of the camera.

Overall, if you're a Poliziotteschi fan or just a fan of American cop films from the 70s and have never seen an Italian crime film, The Big Racket is a definite must.

No, not a film about cheating at Wimbledon, but rather an enjoyably trashy Italian crime flick about a tough cop determined to bring to justice the violent gangsters responsible for running a nationwide protection racket.

Fabio Testi (snigger, snigger) is Nico Palmieri, a hard as nails copper who is forced into taking extreme measures in order to defeat the bad guys. After usual police procedures fail to stop the escalating violence, Nico gathers together a group of embittered victims lusting for vengeance (plus an ageing hit-man keen to earn himself a passport) and sets out to blast the scum into oblivion.

Director Enzo G. Castellari (he who made the original Inglorious Bastards) conducts proceedings with gusto and an eye for an interesting shot (Testi's car crash, seen from inside the rolling vehicle, is particularly impressive), and despite an increasingly preposterous plot, this movie will prove to be loads of fun for those who enjoy the genre, with bloody shoots outs and fist-fights aplenty.

The diabolical English dubbing, which replaces swear words with some really daft alternatives, is also rather entertaining: it took me a while to understand exactly what was going on, but once I'd cottoned on, the words 'diddly' and 'basket' had me in stitches.

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

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

Nico (Played by Fabio Testi) is a cop who puts his community first! When a gang of thugs start terrorizing the town, Nico gets together a band of vigilantes to destroy them. This is an action packed film, which is not light on cowboy shootouts, and really nicely choreographed fight sequences. Lots of rape, violence, and murder make "The Big Racket," an enjoyable poliziotteschi.

Very, VERY few movies out there are so damn perfect that they deserve an impeccable 10/10 rating… Pretty much all movies have at least one or two minor flaws, and so does Enzo G. Castellari's "The Big Racket", whether it's the horrendous English dubbing or the rough-around-the-edges editing. But what the heck, whenever a film provides me with this much adrenalin kicks and excitement, I simply must overlook the little shortcomings and reward it with a well-deserved 10! Castellari made a lot of magnificent movies, including the unforgettable western "Keoma" and the legendary war-adventure "The Inglorious Bastards", but this mixture between the so-called Poliziottesco and vigilante thriller ranks high among his best work, and should be experienced by every self-respecting fan of '70s grindhouse/euro- exploitation cinema. In the Italian crime thrillers of the seventies, the coppers are unorthodox and as good as lawless, but rightly so because the thugs they are battling are ultimately vicious and relentless. In "The Big Racket", all merchants of a middle-sized city are forced to pay incredible large sums for protection, and if they don't pay they see their life-work burned to the ground and their loved ones raped and butchered in front of their eyes. Police inspector Nico Palmieri risks his life every day (and you make that very literally) to put a stop to this mafia crime network, but he gets blocked by standard police procedures, corrupt superiors and sleazebag lawyers. When all his regular attempts fail, like infiltrating in the crime racket or setting up an ambush at the train station, Pamieri is dishonorably discharged. Not a bad thing, though, as now he can assemble a vigilante team of which each separate member has a very personal reason for blood vengeance. I'm a tremendous fan of the "Poliziottesco" genre and I truly love how the best films of such directors like Umberto Lenzi, Fernando Di Leo, Stelvio Massi and – of course – Enzo G. Castellari overwhelm the viewer with non-stop action, raw character portraits, brutality and spectacular stunts. "The Big Racket" hardly grants you the opportunity to breathe as you're constantly on the edge of your seat with suspense. The main villains in this film, including even a young female, are particularly hateful since they clearly also take pleasure in raping defenseless women and executing police officers. The victims, on the other hand, also noticeably suffer emotionally and physically (like, for instance, the restaurant owner and the Olympic champion skeet shooter). The phenomenally illustrated contrast between good and evil makes "The Big Racket" one of the most realistic films of its kind and sometimes even genuinely difficult to watch. When the thugs eventually get what they deserve, your first reflection immediately is that they still haven't suffered enough for what they've done; that's how engaging "The Big Racket" is, in fact! Needless to state that, with its graphic and uncompromisingly shown violence, the film is not suitable for people with a weak stomach or sensitive nerve system. Most of the stunts are also incredibly well-handled, like the sequence in which Palmieri's car is tumbling down from a cliff with him still in it! Fabio Testi gives a powerful performance. The best I've seen so far of his, although I have yet "Revolver" waiting on my must-see list and I'm also expecting a lot from that. The supportive cast is splendid as well and, as often the case in Poliziottesco gems as well, the soundtrack contributes a great deal to the grim atmosphere as well. 10 out of 10, without the slightest form of doubt or hesitation!

While nearly all gritty 1970's crime flicks are thematically modern westerns, Italian action auteur Enzo G. Castellari's THE BIG RACKET should have been one, literally: pitting cop Fabio Testi against a ferocious gang of ultra-violent thugs (spouting perhaps the worst dialogue ever): ferociously working for the director's stock-villain Joshua Sinclair...

Initially raiding random businesses for the usual collecting of contrived protection money: but this central town is far too large, busy and downright modern (as in, not rural enough) for such a formidably contained takeover to seem logical or realistic, ironically making this RACKET a b-movie that actually spent too much money for its own good...

Meanwhile Fabio Testi, an Italian tough guy actor/sex-symbol (again sublimely dubbed by STAR TREK icon Michael Forest), has to out-toughen those perfect, pretty looks: yet hardly ever alone, given a co-starring partner whether it's British David Hemmings in the same director's following year's (and far superior) THE HEROIN BUSTERS or previously traipsing alongside Oliver Reed in Sergio Sollima's REVOLVER...

Here his detective partner is actually a superior action hero in the proficiently karate-chopping, mustached actor/stuntman Sal Borgese, who, unfortunately, in the DIRTY HARRY fashion... specifically THE ENFORCER involving a similar marauding gang that includes a sexy lethal fatale... he inevitably becomes a predictably dead partner...

Albeit quickly replaced by a resilient con-man sidekick in DEATH WISH veteran actor Vincent Gardenia, whose highly recognizable stage-voice is horribly dubbed with what sounds like a bad soap opera actor...

And so, ultimately, following the rudimentary gun-blasting, knife-wielding, glass-shattering storefront raids... including the unnecessary rape of a storekeeper's preteen daughter... THE BIG RACKET throws around too many subplots for the good of both the audience and leading man: neither quite sure of who exactly is being battled -- or why.

A brilliant addition to the Italian crime genre and sure to capture the heart of any sleaze lover, "The Big Racket" is definitely one of the best in it's class.

Fabio Testi is a knockout as the protagonist, a renegade cop who is out for blood and justice, assembling a team of outcasts to punish the wicked. Plenty of blood and violence adorn this flick, and I recommend a couple of cold Peroni's and a plate to spaghetti for the perfect evening.

All in all, probably my second favorite Castellari effort, second only to "The Inglourious Bastards" but I think "The Big Racket" is technically a BETTER film. No complaints at all here.

10 out of 10, kids.

The Big Racket is very simple, but it hits the spot as far as these gritty Italian crime films from the 1970s go (Wikipedia tells me the name of this sub-genre is "poliziottesco," which sounds really cool).

There are extortionists who are shown doing their thing right from the start, and then a slick police officer who wants to take them down, even though doing so is kind of overwhelming. There's an amazing scene early on where they push his car down a massive hill, and it feels like both the actor and the camera are genuinely inside it as it tumbles down.

Elsewhere, the filmmaking and editing both go a long way in making The Big Racket feel punchy and gritty, but it's also not afraid to be the kind of gritty that's also over-the-top. I guess gritty doesn't always mean the same thing as grounded, because The Big Racket has a fair amount of bombastic action, but it's mostly quite satisfying.

You sort of know exactly what you're in for after just 15 or 20 minutes of this, but that wasn't really a bad thing. I had fun pretty consistently, even if the surprising scenes ended up being far rarer than the fun ones. You could criticize the whole thing for being a bit derivative of other crime/thriller/action/cop movies of this era, but The Big Racket does that kind of thing better than most. There's a slickness and speed to so much of that, all to the point where I'm more easily able to forgive some other shortcomings.

It is one of Castellari's very best and actually three of his greatest within a couple of years. After this one is Keoma (1976) a wonderful spaghetti western and another poliziotteschi with The Heroin Busters (1977) but the first one maybe the best. We have a mafia connected protection with ruthless racketeers and disgruntled left-wing students happy to have violence, sleaze and cause any trouble they can enjoy. Fabio Testi always good is really at his best here and of course is up against his top police and the lawyers. He clearly has a difficult job and gradually he has to move further and further away from the orthodox position. The terrible action by the gangs even with the rape and burning of a wife and the awful gang rape of the young girl whose father would not play the game. So, it is all set up for Testi and his friends to really get the whole lot at the end.

When it comes to nasty violence in movies, you can't beat the 1970s, and if you're looking for that '70s brand of brutal action, you won't find anything better than "The Big Racket". There is certainly a lack of morality evident in the voyeur mentality of the makers, but on the other hand, there is also no attempt to shy away or hide from the very real consequences of both violent criminal and vigilante actions. The story moves up through the gears, showing each stage in the escalation of violence, as the frustrated police protagonist tries everything legal, semi legal and illegal to stop the villains, before finally going rogue. When the "diddly" finally hits the fan, Fabio Testi and his crew of vengeful victims show the "baskets" whose boss, but everyone pays a heavy price along the road to perdition. To quote Harrison Ford's character in the movie Presumed innocent, "there may not be justice but there is punishment". Clint Eastwood and Charles Bronson can't touch this.