Squadra volante

Though undeniably enjoyable, the popular poliziottesco subgenre - which proliferated in Italy throughout the 1970s - is also frustrating because one can never tell the quality of a specific title until one has watched it himself (this is mainly due to the fact that this type of film has been largely dismissed by the critics, while at the same time turned into a cult by fans): the thing is that a handful of titles definitely merit a critical re-appraisal, while many others are overrated by the aficionados. Personally, during the last few years, I've sampled films which fall in both these categories - but, thankfully, EMERGENCY SQUAD turned out to be one of the best poliziotteschi out there.

Having just watched ROME ARMED TO THE TEETH (1976), whose narrative was all over the place, it's easy to see how EMERGENCY SQUAD benefits from having a tight, compelling plot line. Besides, I tend to find star Tomas Milian more interesting when playing an anti-hero (as here or in his better Spaghetti Westerns) than an out-and-out villain. The film is clearly inspired by both DIRTY HARRY (1971) - the taciturn, iconoclastic cop hero with a dead spouse - and THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971) - the desire for revenge has turned Milian's pursuit of gang boss Gastone Moschin (who, like Fernando Rey in that movie, also hails from Marseilles) into an obsession; curiously enough, the dock finale of this film anticipates the one in FRENCH CONNECTION II [1975]! Moschin (terrific as the anti-hero hood in MILANO CALIBRO 9 [1972]) is a credible villain here, also because the script has atypically made him a victim of tuberculosis.

The supporting cast is led by Stefania Casini, who has fun with her role as a ditzy gangster's moll but isn't really given a lot to do: the actress' above-the-title billing certainly suggests that her character will be more central to the main plot and that, perhaps, she'll become involved with Milian at some point - but they only get to share one scene at the very end! Also featured, among others, are Mario Carotenuto (as Milian's elderly sidekick and conscience) and Ray Lovelock (as one of Moschin's lackeys, though he exits the proceedings rather quickly in one of the film's best scenes).

Director/co-writer Massi's background as a cinematographer is evident in the film's stylish look (even if there's an over-abundance of zoom shots), and equally notable is the inventive editing technique adopted throughout (which shows a definite influence from modern American films - the overlapping of shots from successive scenes before a full transition being borrowed from EASY RIDER [1969], the juxtaposition in slo-mo of Moschin's death with that of Milian's wife at the climax from the work of Sam Peckinpah). Regular genre composer Stelvio Cipriani contributes an excellent and eclectic score, providing several variations on the catchy main theme throughout.

The plot, meanwhile, shows the gang cleverly take up various disguises to accomplish their criminal schemes (dressing up as undertakers, members of a film crew and priests during the course of the film); interestingly, the scene in which they hold a family hostage will be reprised in Milian's subsequent and better-known effort in the genre, ALMOST HUMAN (1974) - where he actually plays the psychotic leader of a gang of crooks. Also, the vulgar humor associated with the genre only makes itself felt in the scenes taking place on the set of an erotic movie and, later, in a hippie commune; in fact, the film's tone is generally quite serious - but this doesn't mean that the hard-boiled dialogue, which so characterizes the poliziotteschi, has been downplayed (thus raising the occasional chuckle, especially among those fluent in Italian).

I watched this via a recording off Italian TV but as the reception wasn't perfect - not to mention the fact that I was surprisingly impressed by the film - I'll have to pick up No Shame's reportedly solid R1 DVD release somewhere down the line...

This is probably the best of the many, many "polizieschi" flicks director Stelvio Massi directed in the 70's. It has a nice tight plot (unlike more meandering stuff like "Convoy Busters") and it benefits from strong acting by Tomas Milan, Ray Lovelock, and (especially) Gaston Moschin. Milan plays a renegade cop after a group of criminals who murdered his wife five years earlier. While posing as "polizieschi" filmmakers(!), the gang pulls a daring daylight robbery that leaves a policeman dead. They then try to flee Italy dressed as machine-gun toting priests(!!). Moschine plays "the Marseillese" the treacherous, cigar-chomping leader of the group. Lovelock plays a political radical and intellectual who works as the gang's wheel-man. Stefania Cassini plays the rather irritating bimbo girlfriend.

Massi does a pretty good job keeping the plot together for a change. He splits the screen time between the bickering, treacherous gang and the relentless cop. This is far from Milan's best role, but he's pretty decent. Lovelock plays an interesting character who should have had more screen time. Cassini, very atypically, keeps her clothes on for some reason (although there's plenty of gratuitous nudity involving a porno club and a scene where the gang holds an entire family hostage, apparently just so they can feel up the mini-skirted teenage daughter and rip her blouse open a couple times). Cassini is a good actress, but her character is pretty annoying and really serves no function. I was very impressed though with Moschin, who I've only seen previously in the sex comedy "Erotomania". He is a far more effective presence in this genre than in comedies. (Although his final face-off with Milan is kind of disappointing).

In any event, this is worth watching, especially if you like the Italian crime thriller genre.

I'm a big fan of these Italian crime flicks, and while Emergency Squad may not be the best one to come out of Italy during the seventies; it's decent enough and does deliver most of what I have come to expect from this sort of film. Emergency Squad does not really add anything new to the genre, and director Stelvio Massi did do better four years later with the Maurizio Merli vehicle 'Convoy Busters'. The main reason I wanted to see this film was for the fact that it stars the excellent Tomas Milian, though like Stelvio Massi; this doesn't represent his best work either. Tomas Milian plays Interpol officer Tomas Ravelli, who finds himself on the trail of a gang of crooks after a botched robbery which left a police officer dead reveals that one of them is using the same gun that was used to kill his wife years earlier. Although it's not his case, Ravelli goes after the criminals anyway to gain revenge for what they did to his wife. He later forsakes the police force, leaving him free to get the crooks by any means necessary...

One of the reasons why this isn't Milian's best work is down to the role he is playing. Almost Human clearly shows that Milian is much more at home playing sadistic criminals; so seeing him as a copper, even one that is happy to break the rules, just isn't putting him in a position to do what he does best. The supporting cast doesn't stand out as much as Milian (as usual), though it does feature esteemed stars such as Ray Lovelock and Stefania Casini. The film does feature the staples of the genre; there's a fairly good car chase, plenty of shootouts and the leading man gets to throw his weight around on several occasions. The film benefits from tight plotting and a storyline that doesn't veer off on a tangent often, as plot lines in other Polizi flicks often do. There's not a great deal of violence in the film, though that isn't a big problem as the plot itself usually contains enough to keep the audience entertained. Overall, I won't name Emergency Squad as one of the very best of the genre, but it's a decent enough film and I can recommend seeing it to my fellow Polizi fans.

Interpol agent Ravelli (Tomas Milian) gets a new clue after five years of investigating a robbery where his wife got killed accidentally from a stray bullet. It leads him to a master criminal called Marseilles, who is trying to keep away from the police after his latest robbery partially failed. Revenge is in the air...

Pleasurable crime film. Milian, as usual, gives a good performance as a policeman whose only goal in life is to avenge his wife's death. Good locations, OK casting and a great sense of street credible grit not forgetting good pacing. Slightly more original script wouldn't have hurt, either.

Released on video in Finland in the eighties.

This time round we've got Milian playing a cigar chomping, revenge obsessed cop out to catch (and kill) the men who machine gunned his wife by accident. I could have sworn that this film was part of a series of films starring Milian in the same role, but I see no mention of it here.

The marked men in question have just pulled off another heist, and we spend probably more time with them than we do with Milian. You've got Ray Lovelock as a left-wing militant, Gaston Black Thumb as the leader with the gorgeous chick lady woman, that guy who was a cop in The Bird With The Crystal plumage and two other guys. Gaston's character is a lot more interesting that Milian's as he's a smart bad guy who's got his own agenda.

This film isn't a fun as some of Enzo Castellari or Umberto Lenzi's gangster films, but Stelvio Massi is no fool. His camera work is very inventive and the films looks great. Plenty of violence, car chases, sexism, you know the drill. It's good!