Big Racket

My interest in Italian cinema is usually limited to horror films, but I made an exception for this crime flick - and I'm certainly glad that I did! Actually, The Big Racket isn't a world away from the popular Italian Giallo styling, only instead of having a vicious murderer on the loose; we have a small town at the mercy of a group of organised thugs. For a film with this sort of plot, it's surprising just how good The Big Racket is. Italian films from the seventies have a bad reputation for not making a lot of sense, but not only does this one make sense - it benefits from a great, multi-angled story as well. The film sees a bunch of criminals sabotaging local businesses and asking for protection money from the owners to make them stop. The police presence in the town is largely ineffective, with the exception of one man - Inspector Nico Palmieri. Of course, you can't go around intimidating people and destroying their property for long before someone is going to fight back - and as the justice system isn't working, our hero has to find other ways to bring law and order back to his town.

The Big Racket benefits immensely from a strong leading performance courtesy of Fabio Testi (star of What Have They Done to Solange). Testi's portrayal of the angry police officer is perfectly judged to fit the movie, and I don't think there is an actor who could be better suited to playing the lead in this movie. He heads a strong Italian cast, who all do well in bringing their characters to life, as well as providing the movie with the Italian style that it revels in. The script is really good, and finds time to flesh out its characters as well as deliver witty dialogue that is always a part of this movie's bigger budget American cousins. The plot builds well throughout as there's always enough going on to keep things interesting. It all boils down to a fabulous conclusion which serves in ensuring the movie gets the bloody end it deserves, as well as rounding off the story perfectly. The Big Racket features a great sleazy atmosphere, in which the story is able to flourish, and the catchy music score helps to make sure that the film is technically sound. Overall, The Big Racket is a must see film for both crime fans and cult fans and comes with high recommendations from me!

Along with Fernando DiLeo and Sergio Martino, Enzo Castellari is one of the Italian genre directors whose work has really been rehabilitated lately thanks to people like Quentin Tarantino. And, however, you feel personally about QT, it's hard to fault his tastes. Castellari, whose father (Marino Girolami) and uncle (Romolo Guerreri) were also respected Italian directors, made many films in many genres, including Westerns ("Any Gun Can Play"),gialli ("The Cold Eyes of Fear"), and horror flicks("Sensitiva"). His two most famous films were "The Last Shark", which never shown in the US because of an injunction brought by the makers of "Jaws", and "Inglorious Bastards", which Tarantino recently (and very loosely) remade. This movie is not one of his more famous, but it is definitely one of Castellari's best.

Fabio Testi plays a cop who is taking on a big, mafia-connected protection racket that is shaking down businesses all over Italy, and using disgruntled left-wing university students, including a tough female ( ) to do it. Frustrated by the limitations of the law, Testi eventually puts together a gang of victims of the racket including Vincent Gardenia, a small-time crook who lost his nephew to the gang, an Olympic champion skeet shooter who lost his wife, and perhaps most touching, a restaurant owner who went crazy after the gang raped his young daughter and she killed herself. Together they plan an improbable, but not entirely unbelievable, campaign to take down the entire racket.

This movie has a lot of the elements of a police thriller, but also of a rape-revenge/"Deathwish"-type movie. I wouldn't really call it "fascist" though because it really doesn't glorify violence (not too many people are left alive by the end of this). The protagonists, especially Testi's character, are flawed, three-dimensional, and vulnerable rather than being just a heroic super-cop types. And this has downbeat, noirish elements like some of the early American police thrillers of that period (i.e. "Dirty Harry", "The French Connection", "Deathwish"), but that were definitely lost by the happy-fascist Reagan era. These aren't self-righteous, fascist crime fighters, but decent people driven to extremes in a violent, decaying society. Of course, as an action movie this is still very entertaining, but the realistic violence and three-dimensional characters always keeps it from simply degenerating into another cop-worshipping cartoon. Recommended.

While not the bloodiest film per-say, this is easily one of the most violent, as in most death/action vs. running time ratio of any crime movie I've seen in recent memory. On top of that, it's got a good multilayered story of several men disenfranchised by a protection mob, who all team up to take out the trash in one massive vigilante-style raid. Most are very good characters too, especially Orso Maria Guerrini who goes from an average Joe skeetshooter to a silent assassin once the thugs rape and murder his wife. Renzo Palmer's transition is a little less subtle, and his vengeful character gets a little irritating. Vincent Gardenia is good as a very suave pickpocket and wise-guy, while Testi is his usual pretty-boy self who of course looks so handsome that in some shots he looks more like an Anime cartoon character than an actual human.

Despite the bad profanity-censored English dubbing (which substitutes 'basket' for 'bastard', 'dung' for the S-word etc.), this is otherwise a solid film. Before John Woo, this was as stylish and as violent as action movies got. There's at least 3 major shootouts, two of which are real standouts, and all of which have their fair share of amazing shots. For instance when Fabio Testi kills the thug who kills his partner – a slow motion shot of the thug flailing around in the foreground and Testi in the background shooting at him – you can see each exit wound corresponding to Testi's gunfire. Another amazing shot is film from inside Testi's car as it rolls down a hillside (complete with Testi inside trying to shield his eyes from the flying window-glass). Castellari demonstrates a solid eye for detail and is an expert at transitions – plenty of slow motion too. Big Racket also features some surprisingly good dialog in the case of most of the thug's threats, and then again near the end when the evil crime boss rants and raves about how to run a protection mob (and then turns out to be a total coward when guns are pointed at him).

An excellent comic book crime/action movie – let's hope that promised uncut DVD comes out soon in the US.

they don't make em like this anymore. i total recommend it to anyone who enjoys guns, car crashes, cheesy dialogue and 70's hairstyles. Fabio testi is better in this than in contraband. also blue undergrounds DVD picture quality is a vast improvement over the UK version. much better than Bronx warriors or the heroin busters, enzo casstellerie other efforts. story moves along at a cracking pace. music is what you would expect from this type of film in this era. the stunts are what make this film. the camera puts you right in the middle of the action, literally! you'll know what i mean when you see it. overall then, go for the blue underground DVD its a quality purchase.

Guido and Maurizio De Angelis Soundtrack!

Notable actors: Fabio Testi! Renzo Palmer! Orso Maria Guierrini! Romano Puppo! Sal Borghese! Joshua Sinclair! Massimo Vanni! Stefania Girolami! Enzo G Castellari!

Enzo Castellari stands out in an overcrowded market by showing everyone how it should be done - a full on Poliziotesschi, brutal and action packed, but also delivered with that pure Castellari style. This is the ideal starting place for anyone because if you don't like this, the genre probably isn't for you.

A new breed of criminal are moving in on Rome's protection rackets. Fearless, violent and ambitious, they go from shop to shop in the Piazza Navona threatening the patroni but unaware that they are being tailed by cop Nico (Fabio Testi) and his sidekick Sal Borghese. Their smartly dressed boss Rudy (Joshua Sinclair) does notice, however, and the result is Testi having his car rolled off a cliff. With him inside it. Castellari of course introduces Rudy with a serious of quirky edits set to a drum beat and films Nico from inside the car in slow motion while he rolls about in a blizzard of glass. This is in the first ten minutes.

Basically this new gang have the populace terrified and Nico is struggling to find someone brave enough to come forward as a witness. One restaurant owner does (Renzo Palmer) and the result is his daughter getting kidnapped and raped by the gang. Palmer then becomes insane and starts killing any criminals he can get his hands on. This of course lands Nico in trouble with his boss.

A gang this ruthless make a lot of enemies and eventually it's from this pool of bereaved husbands, vengeful fathers, double-crossed gangsters and petty criminals that Nico has to gather a small army to take on the gang, resulting in a gun battle that isn't so much a shoot out as full on warfare that decimates the populace of Rome and leaves it a smoking ruin littered with corpses and burning cars.

There's a lot to recommend this one. Fabio Testi's frustration as the gang constantly wipe out anyone who stands up to them is something to behold. Massimo Vanni as the cocky gangster and his rape-happy mates stand out as they beat shopowners, incite riots and kill without thinking. Vincent Gardenia adds a bit of humanity as the old pickpocket who helps Testi and gets his nephew killed in the process.

Enzo does his usual tricks, from slow motion to unusual camera angles to quick edits, and you've got the usual funky soundtrack by Guido and Maurizio De Angelis. This is one of the best of 1976 and the genre, and although it's the only Eurocrime film Castellari made in 1976, he would also make Keoma the same year, and that's one of the best Spaghetti Westerns ever made. What a guy.

I must however point out that some moron who did the English dubbing decided to sanitise all the swearing, which marrs the film slightly. They all literally sound like Ned Flanders, talking about being in "deep diddly", or "that lousy basket" or "you mucker." Thankfully it doesn't ruin the film.