Exécutions

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.

As in the classic films of Hollywood's black series (film noir), we are dealing here with a cynical and corrupt Commissario Belli (Franco NERO), who offers his services to the highest bidder on the open market. The lawyer Fontana (Adolfo CELI) is worried about his son Mino (Maurizio BONUGLIA). He is hopelessly in love with a beautiful Englishwoman (Delia BOCCARDO) and wants to enable her to have a career in recording. And all this with his father's money! The record company is based on the famous Via Veneto. And when the corrupt Commissario wants to pay the record boss a visit, he finds him murdered in his fancy apartment. Of course, Mino and his free-spirited Englishwoman in particular now come under fire from the investigating Commissario Baldo (Renzo PALMER). Baldo follows the law, while the corrupt Belli is prepared to share the bedsheets with all the suspected ladies in the case. Then there is the drug-addicted pop singer Emmanuelle (Susanna MARTINKOVA, who in real life was married to CINECITTA divo Gianni GARKO for several years), and above all the beautiful wife of the lawyer and stepmother of Mino: Vera Fontana (Florinda BOLKAN). The case becomes more and more confusing. And soon there are more deaths to mourn.

A very good representative of the successful EUROCRIME genre! Here the restless action of the 1970s is even less in the foreground, instead a grandiose social portrait is drawn using the means of classic film noir. The two CINECITTA beauties Laura ANTONELLI and Silvia DIONISIO can be admired in smaller roles. In the 1980s, Florinda BOLKAN (seasons 1, 2 and 7) and Delia BOCCARDO (season 5) made an exciting reunion in the globally successful Italian television series LA PIOVRA.

The wonderful images of the Via Veneto in the middle of Rome are particularly worth seeing. The male and female divas of the Roman CINECITTA film industry would come there every evening. Whether they were looking for a new role or a new love interest! Romolo GUERRIERI's film skilfully captures this shimmering atmosphere of the late 1960s.

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.

An unusual role for Franco Nero, policeman again, as in many other movies, only this time he's a corrupt cop, one who works for himself, for money, for a lot of money. He's trapped in a whirlwind of crimes, committed by a fatal woman, do not say who, maybe you'll guess which one of those beautiful actresses in the cast is the one. You'll have to choose from the beautiful Brazilian Florinda Bolkan, the beautiful Italian Delia Boccardo, and another beautiful one, the Czech Susanna Martinková. In a much too small role, one of the sexiest actresses of all time, Laura Antonelli. The film worth to be watched, you'll see also the excellent Italian actor Adolfo Celi and another Italian actor very talented, Renzo Palmer. Special good music by Fred Bongusto.