Un detective

A typical police mystery from Italy. It skirts with the giallo genre at times but is much more of a police procedural. Franco Nero gives good value as a corrupt cop who doesn't mind roughing up a string of suspects, and indeed the film plods a bit due to the basic and somewhat repetitive construction of him visiting and interrograting one suspect after another. Eventually the mystery is solved and the usual conspiracy exposed. Middle of the road for this genre.

A man is shot in the head in his apartment in Rome and corrupt cop Franco Nero ends up trying to solve the murder. There's a list of suspects including fashion models and photographers, a torn photograph may hold the secret to the case, and the murderer starts killing people in order to cover their tracks. Nero's journey to the truth takes him through the garishly coloured twilight of Rome's counterculture. That's a giallo plot, right?

Let's try again, look at this plot:

A man is shot in the head and corrupt cop Franco Nero gets caught up in the case due to taking bribes to carry out tasks for the rich of Rome. Nero finds that there are limits to his own corruption as he gets caught up in a never ending cycle of blackmail and deceit while clashing with the local police and trying to get answers his own way, which means heavy handed violent confrontation and terrifying some of the suspects. Will he find redemption or will his own greed be his undoing? That's a polizio plot, right?

This film is both but concentrates nearly 100% on Nero's investigation, as he runs from suspect to suspect accusing them of murder amongst other things. The whole reason he ends up being drawn in is that the murdered man is connected to a couple that Nero is asked to break up by rich Adolfo Celi (underused here, but still great). Adolfo doesn't want his son getting mixed up with some English chick, and judging by what Nero uncovers, he's right, as everyone Nero meets is a free living drug fuelled hipster, this being nineteen sixty-nine and all.

Florinda Bolkan plays Adolfo Celi's second wife and stepmother to the son in question, and it turns out her own sister's death may be part of the mystery. There's a lot of dialogue in this one and very little action, so once again the actors carry the film, even if in the end things do become a bit dull. Until the ending, anyway.

Romolo Guerrieri does however try and keep things interesting by way of very quick edits and a really stylish world for the actors to dwell in, but those expecting high-octane action or cheesy giallo murders will be let down. Another good but not great one.

Mixed bag

The acting is better than average for this kind of film.

And the mystery component is actually really well written and unravels nicely!

However, Franco Nero's character is such a jerk. Like he's impossible to care about as the hero because he treats everyone around him like a punching bag.

Also, the fact that his character is so clever and thinks ahead and solves mysteries, but he was somehow surprised in the end was unbelievable. That ending was truly garbage... especially compared to how well it was written leading up to it.

Un Detective, also known as Detective Belli or Ring of Death, is a dialogue-heavy murder mystery set in Rome. Franco Nero takes the lead as Stefano Belli, a morally ambiguous character who navigates a web of deceit, corruption, and violence.

The film draws inspiration from classic noir tropes, with a torn photograph serving as a crucial clue in a murder investigation. As Belli delves deeper into the case, he encounters fashion models, photographers, and a list of suspects. The story twists and turns, keeping viewers engaged throughout.

Nero's portrayal of Belli is captivating. He's a brute of a man, roughing up suspects without discrimination. His testosterone-fueled determination to solve the cases drives the narrative forward. The film's sordid content-police brutality, sexism, and excesses-reflects the era but remains surprisingly compelling.

One standout scene features Belli intimidating British model Sandy Bronson (Delia Boccardo) by dangerously driving through city streets. The cast includes an array of "Euro-babes," including Florinda Bolkan, Boccardo, and Susanna Martinkova.

While Un Detective lacks memorability, it's a decent entry in the European crime genre. If you enjoy gritty mysteries and Franco Nero's rugged charm, this film is worth a watch.

During Christmas time, a corrupted policeman "from the old school" (Franco Nero) acts like a private detective with pale eyes, ironic smile and direct methods. While he tries to get closer and closer to the identity of a mysterious killer, dead bodies pile up. He tricks with the true and false game to dig out some right clue, and deals in a fantastic sequence with the psychological torture of being a passenger trapped in a crazy car. Lost in a labyrinth of wrong leads in this very giallo fit little world of the fashion photo, he has to cop with the traditional "I don't know nothing" replies to make his path until "the end is near", whilst climate gets heavier around the giallist actress Florinda Bolkan.