Bandits à Milan

Viewers expecting conventional gangster shenanigans may find themselves bewildered by this frenetic, postmodern, documentary-styled study of four bank robbers terrorizing Milan. Graced with wit, wild violence, flashes of pop art sensibility, and wonderful music from Riz Ortolani, Bandits in Milan is a unique experience within the crime genre.

Scene-eating star Gian Maria Volonte puts in a high energy madman performance as the leader of the gang of bandits, grinning and simpering megalomaniacally throughout (and particularly evil-sounding in the German-dubbed version, Die Banditen von Mailand). A young and innocent-looking Ray Lovelock (billed as "Raymond") also appears to good effect, as does low-key Tomas Milian as the ironic police commissioner.

Artful and briskly paced, Bandits in Milan is a lot to absorb (particularly if, like me, you're reading subtitles) and merits multiple viewings. Devotees of art films and action alike are advised to give it at least one shot.

It's like an LP, this feature. On one side we see an almost documentary style of drama depicting a Milan in the throes of a (real) crime wave. On the other, we are introduced to some pretty successful perpetrators of those crimes who are robbing banks of millions of lire with impunity. The opening sequences in the company of their commissioner (Thomas Milian) are a little dry, but after about twenty minutes or so when we are introduced to the suave bandit-in-chief "Piero" (Gian Maria Volonté) who's gang adopt the simplest of facial disguises, avoid bloodshed when possible, and raid merrily - usually after carefully casing the banks in advance and ensuring there is some suitable diversion at the other end of town to distract the carabinieri. Of course, the easier it seems, the more ambitious they get and after recruiting the enthusiastic young "Tuccio" (Ray Lovelock) as their driver they embark on their biggest job yet. When that doesn't quite go to plan, the authorities are soon on their tails and things in this city turn distinctly perilous for policeman, robber and pedestrian alike as we embark on quite an epic car chase. Along the way we are treated to a lively score, some contemporary Italian artistry and a degree of confidence from a Volonté who combines menace, dark comedy and suaveness really quite effectively. After the freneticism of the second half of the film I felt that the denouement, though a little claustrophobic at times, did disappoint. It didn't dare have the courage of it's convictions which I thought a bit of a shame as the Fiats started to pile up all over the place. Once it gets into it's stride, this film doesn't hang about and it presents us with a daring brutality, Italian style, that is definitely different from your average plan, heist, chase, caper.

So, you like post-modernism eh? Try this one out, a pseudo-documentary told in a fragmented fashion that kind of starts out describing crime throughout Milan, but then shows the aftermath of a botched robbery, then the events leading up to the robbery, then the robbery, then the aftermath again. Hell, it doesn't even start to have a plot until about twenty minutes in - that's how weirdly constructed this one is.

You see, we follow Detective Tomas Milian as he uses documentary techniques to replay crimes that have happened in the past. At least I think that's what he says. We also get to see extortion rackets, gambling dens, and the burning of an escort girl before a robbery goes wrong and several innocent bystanders get whacked for their troubles (and this is where the story starts being coherent at all) - but who is behind these awful killings?

Turns out the gang have struck seventeen times before, including three robberies in one day. This gang is led by smiling, overconfident Gian Maria Volonte, who gets very philosophical about things. He even has a cover story - he runs a legitimate business during the day with his other two gang members also attending as 'employees'. They also pick up a third member in the form of young Ray Lovelock who wants to escape his boring life.

This is an odd take on the Euro-crime film, so cop Tomas Milian is basically pushed into the background to interrogate one of the robbers while the real emotional core of the film sits with Volonte, who loves his mamma and promises his wife the world, while being charming to his secretary (he gets her driving lessons) and nurturing the criminal career of Lovelock, all while laughing his head off about everything. We also spend a lot of time with character who have nothing to do with anything, like prank callers, and the escort girl from the start.

The best part about the film is the big robbery, as the gang do a lot of groundwork before the actual robbery itself, and we are shown in great detail the lives of the innocent people just about to be caught up in a world of violence. In fact, this bit is carried out so well that the rest of the film just kind of runs down to a halt. Strange.

You can see how this would have been an influence on Quentin Tarantino - the plot is all over the place, it's full of dialogue that has nothing to do with the plot, and it's rather violent. Just throw in Samual L Jackson, some funky music, and a fixation on the 'n' word and your good to go! For a very similar film, see Gangster's Law.

Top italian crime film with my favourite actor Gian Maria Volonte playing very very good.

An ahead-of-its-time Italian crime flick that neatly prefigures the genre's heyday in the 1970s. This one follows a gang of violent robbers running amuck in Milan and the dedicated cops on their tail. A good cast includes a star-making turn from Ray Lovelock, while the documentary-style stylings work a treat and the action is well handled.