Senza ragione

Very bad Italian crime thriller that is also strangely and inappropriately dubbed into German!

Moskito (GOLDEN GLOBE nominee Franco NERO), his girlfriend Maria (Ely GALLEANI) and the crazy Memphis (Telly SAVALAS) rob a jeweler. The horses run away with Memphis there, so there are no deaths. During the chaotic escape, the trio has to spontaneously change the getaway vehicle. What the three tough guys don't notice: Little Lennox (Mark LESTER) is hiding in the back seat. A child in the power of three gangsters on the run...

This film is really a crude mix! Criminal farce with borderline moronic dubbing, youth drama and psychopath panorama all in one! ACADEMY AWARD nominee Telly SAVALAS really lets loose and leaves a good trail of blood behind. One tourist family from Germany in particular has to suffer badly. Also strange is the role of Mark LESTER, who appeared in OLIVER! (1968) and DER ZEUGE HINTER DER WAND / THE WITNESS BEHIND THE WALL (1971). His character turns out to be a severely neglected child who also develops a type of Stockholm syndrome. A quasi-nude scene by Mark LESTER in front of the mirror is also very borderline. You wouldn't ask a 15-year-old to do something like that in front of the camera today. Rightly so! In Italy in the 1970s, a lot more (in terms of nudity and violence) was possible, which makes these films generally very interesting. But it is a good thing that this era is behind us.

What remains is exciting riot and terror cinema: What you always wanted to see but didn't dare imagine...

This proved to be a rare case of a poliziottesco made with British funding; unfortunately, the result is undistinguished (except by its exceeding unpleasantness and borderline-camp approach) despite stars and director. The former is led by a wooden Franco Nero and an ultra-hammy Telly Savalas as a couple of would-be robbers (if anyone is able to believe either actor – who generally exude cool – as a duo of bumbling crooks, he's more gullible than I am!).

Their 'job' goes awry (ending in murder and saddled with cases of cutlery instead of jewels!) – however, the mismatched criminals see an opening to their dilemma when they inadvertently 'kidnap' the son of a British diplomat (a miscast Lester, who even gets to kick trigger-happy Savalas where it hurts at one point). Still, they never actually ransom him and their sole intent is to cross the border into France; tagging along with them is Nero's girlfriend (a wasted Ely Galleani): soon enough, though, she's had enough and decides to run away while the others are sleeping; the crazy Savalas notices this and, following the girl, kills her. In the meantime, Nero and Lester have woken up – the former thinks his accomplices may have double-crossed him, so he goes on the lam with the boy in tow; after a brief spell at a rich old lady's country estate (which features totally gratuitous rear nudes by both Nero and Lester!), Savalas catches up with them. They continue their trek, where the trio run into a family of German campers: the situation degenerates to the point where Savalas shuts them inside their trailer and tosses the lot into the river – though he's badly hurt in the process himself; typically, it all ends with the 'heavies' getting killed just as they're about to reach the border.

The film, therefore, contains most of the genre's typical elements – sleaze, sadism, violence, chases (the aftermath of the opening robbery when the getaway car causes havoc in the city's narrow back-streets and even disrupts a funeral procession is downright farcical), etc.; one mildly interesting aspect to it is that, by the end, Lester himself is seen to have been definitely (irrevocably?) marked by the experience – coming to feel excitement when an act of violence is committed.

An offbeat entry in the Italian crime genre that features elaborate flourishes of brilliance here and there but becomes increasingly disappointing as the story progresses. I love polizia movies and there's every reason to love this one too, from the reliable cast members to Silvio Narizzano's confident direction, but the story seems to lose focus as the running time increases and come the end there's a whimper rather than a bang.

It's a pity, because things kick off with a robbery followed by a blistering car chase which is one of the best I've seen in a long time. Once the robbers have become unwitting kidnappers, however, things really start to lose their way. The presence of the hostage would, you think, add to increased suspense and ransom demands, but none of this ever takes place and the police barely register. Instead, the plot meanders its way across the Italian countryside as Telly Savalas chews the scenery and Franco Nero contributes an oddly subdued turn.

The film's attempts to become a psychological drama fail thanks to the distractingly over the top cast members. Mark Lester's plummy British accent is an irritant to even this British viewer, while Savalas adopts a grating Southern accent (hence the title) which is truly irritating to listen to. In fact, I refuse to believe Savalas put this excruciating voice on himself and I prefer to think he's been dubbed. Nero, who gave such good value throughout his career as a leading man, is miscast as a clumsy robber and scenes like the one where he accidentally drops his gun are never believable for an instant.

An inexplicable interlude, set at night with no lighting, means that a full twenty minutes of the plot takes place in almost complete darkness and by this stage I was starting to lose my patience. Things do pick up occasionally when Savalas commits further depravities – the interlude with the German campers is a highlight – but his antics pale in comparison to the likes of Tomas Milian in ALMOST HUMAN and ASSAULT WITH A DEADLY WEAPON, where the scriptwriters and director knew how to play up their star to his full potential. In the case of REDNECK, it feels like a missed opportunity.

In my long and numerous years as an exploitation fanatic, I've seen many weird films, but this "Redneck" is weird with a capital W. One thing's for sure, the scenario is poor and unworthy of the talents of the two lead actors, but the strange mix of cruel killings and eccentric character behavior somehow keeps you glued to the screen. The original title translates as "Without Reason" and is definitely more suitable than "Redneck". In my dictionary, a redneck still is a toothless, small-town hick, and nobody in the film fits that description. It's a compound of poliziotesschi thriller and kidnapping drama, funded by both British and Italian money and starring two international top stars (Franco "Django" Nero, Telly "Blofeld" Savalas) as well as an upcoming young talent (Mark "Oliver" Lester).

The film starts more than promising, with Nero and Savalas robbing a jewelry store in a busy city center. The heist goes awry, naturally, and they do not only end up killing the store clerk but also crash the getaway car subsequently into a hearse and a fruit & vegetable stand at the local market. They hijack a car, unaware there's a boy in the backseat. He, Lennox, turns out to be the son of a prominent diplomat, so the police and media automatically assumes it's a deliberate kidnapping for ransom. So far, this all sounds like a good and fun, albeit derivative, poliziotesschi. The plot then goes bonkers. They get separated, and Nero develops a sort of father/son bond with the kid whilst Savalas joyously pushes dead ladies in automobiles from cliffs.

The two things (actually, one thing) that make "Senza Ragione" fascinating are the multiple cruel and downright shocking murders of innocent people, and Savalas' completely surreal and unpredictable reactions to these murders! His character - Memphis - commits the vilest and cold-hearted crimes, but immediately after he sentimentally bursts into tears and shouts to the heavens that it wasn't his fault. Memphis is a very strange being altogether, who sings at the most inappropriate moments and talks with a hideous Southern accent. I also presume he's an oppressed homosexual, or at least someone struggling with a severe identity crisis. The ambiguity, and the unanswered questions, make it even more unforgivable that "Senza Ragione" contains so many dull moments, though.

A pair of thieves called Mosquito (Franco Nero) and Memphis (an extreme Tour-De-Force by Telly Savalas) pull off a heist into a jewelry but it goes wrong . Both of them along with their accomplice called Maria (Ely Galleani) escape and take a car where is hidden a little boy (Mark Lester , also producer) . They are pursued and attempt to cross the border into France . Memphis thinks his colleagues may have double-crossed him , so he goes on the lam with the boy in tow and he carries out a criminal spree .

This is a thrilling tale with a twisted screenplay by D'Amico and Wells based on a story by Rafael Sanchez Campoy ; it contains psychological characterization , grisly killings , tense situations , excitement , though resulting to be a mediocre flick dealing with a failed theft and the thieves take it on the lam after the heist goes awry . This thriller has some delirious components, most notably the interpretation and the quirky roles , but is low on real emotions and high on scenery chewing and strangeness . It's atmospheric and slickly developed ; however extremely nasty characters and dark disturbing scenes create an inappropriate film . There are moments worth highlighting though like the violent theft and escape , a great sequence where Memphis terrorises a family of German tourists with unexpected and tragic results . This is an offbeat as well as far-fetched picture realized in unlikely style portraying lurid events . Telly Savalas steals the show as a wacko with ominous purports , though sometimes hands the role overblown and overacting way , as filmmaker Silvio Narizzano proved unable to control him . Average cinematography by Giorgio Tonti , being necessary a right remastering because of the copy of the film is washed-out . Atmosheric musical score by Maurizio Catalano and John Cavacas .

The motion picture was middlingly produced and directed by Canadian-born director Silvio Narizzano . He gained high reputation for his shooting of human dramas , as from the mid-1950's, worked in British television in a variety of genres ranging from thrillers and horror to serious dramatic works . Silvio subsequently filmed a Hammer film titled ¨Fanatic¨ with Tallulah Bankhead and his best picture was ¨Georgy Girl¨ with Lynn Redgrave . He also had successes with ¨Why shoot the teacher ?¨ and ¨The class of Miss MacMichael¨ ; however failed directing a Western titled ¨Blue¨ with Terence Stamp . The rest of career has been uneven to say the least and it often seems that he has followed over-heating his movies to fever level such as ¨Rednecks¨ also titled ¨Senza Ragione¨.