Les féroces

It took a while to grow on me, but by the time I had finished with Young, Violent, Dangerous, I realized how much I enjoyed the film. I found myself caring about the characters and what would become of them. Young, Violent, Dangerous is the story of three young punks out getting some kicks by knocking over a gas station. Their crimes soon escalate (bank robbery, murder, kidnapping, etc.) to the point where they get the attention of the entire Milan police force. The film is filled with some unexpected violence as the young thugs show just how tough they are and how little they care about human life. Throw in a few decent car chases and you've got a nice little Poliziotteschi. The ending is another unexpected moment with a nice twist.

While Tomas Milian gets top billing, he really does very little other than smoke cigarettes, talk on a police radio, lecture people, and stay about three steps behind the young criminals. Eleonora Giorgi and Stefano Patrizi are the real stars as the kidnap victim and head of the gang respectively in a couple of very nice performances. The low point of the film is the character played by Benjamin Lev, Joe. He's supposed to be the clown of the group (Why do all gangs have one of these guys?) but he comes off as an utterly ridiculous, hyena-laughing moron who I grew to detest more and more as Young, Violent, Dangerous wore on.

LIBERI ARMATI PERICOLOSI aka. YOUNG VIOLENT DANGEROUS of 1976 seemed promising to me for a variety of reasons. Being a hardcore fan of Italian cult-cinema I am always looking forward to watching gritty Poliziotteschi from the 70s, in particular when the script was written by master filmmaker Fernando Di Leo (MILANO CALIBRO 9, LA MALA ORDINA, IL BOSS,...) and the credited star is the great Tomas Milian, whose impressive career covers the leads in all sorts of Italian cult movies, and Poliziotteschi in particular (most notably Umberto Lenzi's films such as the brutal 1974 masterpiece MILANO ODIA: LA POLIZIA NON PUÒ SPARARE).

While YOUNG, VIOLENT, DANGEROUS (which is a wrong translation as the original Italian title translates "Free, Armed, Dangerous") is an entertaining and worthwhile film, I cannot deny that I was slightly disappointed in director Romolo Guerriri's movie. My two main complaints are the fact that Tomas Milian had far too little screen time, and that the musical score was crap (by the high genre standards). The Italian Poliziottesco is a politically incorrect, brutal, gritty and testosterone-driven genre, and a large part of the greatness of its violent and sleazy masterpieces consisted in the greatness of its scores which accentuated the grit and action. The score to this movie is the constant repetition a boring and wussy-sounding hippie-song which seems terribly out of place.

My second complaint about the movie is Tomas Milian's role. Milian is cool as always, but his role is far too small. Also, Poliziotteschi-cops are meant to be unorthodox ruffians who hate criminals and take the law in their own hands, as opposed to sensitive social workers who blame society for the evil-doings of criminals. The movie is about a bunch of spoiled kids from good families who start robbing and killing people just for the heck of it. Their trigger-happy leader is played by Stefano Patrici, who is best known for being offed by tough-cop Maurizio Merli in Umberto Lenzi's ROMA A MANO ARMATA (1976). The youths are violent all right, but they are also quite annoying, especially one idiot with a stupid grin who constantly cracks painful jokes. The 'good' female lead is played by the beautiful Elonora Giorgi, who is best known for her role in Dario Argento's INFERNO (1980).

In 1974, Tomas Milian had played one of the all-time greatest villains as the diabolical Giulio Sacchi in Lenzi's masterpiece MILANO ODIA. Also a murderous psychopath on the loose, Giulio Sacchi was sadistic and purely evil, and believable in just that. The baby-faced killers in this film tend to annoy. Nonetheless, the film has its qualities. It is gritty and sometimes quite suspenseful, and it has several outbursts of sleaze and bloody violence. The cinematography is great, especially the car-chases are very well-filmed.

Overall, LIBERI ARMATI PERICOLOSI is a decent-enough film that should entertain my fellow Eurocrime fans. However, the genre has brought forth many films that are far better; people who are not yet too familiar with Poliziotteschi are well-advised to check out anything by Umberto Lenzi, Fernando Di Leo or Enzo Castellari before this.

Liberi armati pericolosi (1976) or Young, Violent, and Desperate (United States title) turns out to be interesting enough and with plenty of vivid action , suspense and violence . In this violent thriller , three youth men (Stefano Patrizi , Benjamin , Max Delys) embark a criminal spree by killing here and there , while engaging in bank robbery , crossfire , and thrilling car chases . They're pursued by a tough , hard-nosed commissioner (Tomas Milian) who will stop at nothing to detain them , however , failing in his purports , while the whole police force mobilizes throughout highways by means of roadblocks to track down the nasty delinquents carrying out a relentless manhunt. As the punks make a fast stop to pick up a girlfriend (Eleonora Giorgi) and then in high speed towards Switzerland . More blood will be shed and more violence will be executed before this sinister saga ends in an unpredictable final.

A criminal fiction with suspense , intrigue , frantic action , turns , a lot of twisted incidents , at the same time charged with tension and high level staging which the viewer could really enjoy . Formula thriller with plenty of action , crisply edition , tension , intrigue , suspenseful , skin bared and lots of violence in exploitation style . It belongs to Italian Poliziesco sub-genre , including ordinary trappings , being essentially developed in the Seventies , titles like Milano odia: la polizia non può sparare (1974), Free Hand For a Tough Cop (1976) , Brothers Till We Die (1978) , From Corleone to Brooklyn (1979) were the most popular and brutal of his thrillers . Compellingly directed by Romolo Guerrieri , after directing his successful Spaghetti Westerns : 10.000 dollars for a massacre , Johnny Yuma , Seven guns for Timothy ; in the late 1970s , Romolo turned to the police thrillers or polizieschi , which rejuvenated his confidence and his popularity , directing this Liberi armati pericolosi (1976) in which some youngsters carrying out upon a terrifying series of bloody crimes . Stars Tomas Milian giving a nice performance as a two-fisted Inspector , but he isn't the typical Italian cop , the Dirty Harryesque police detective acting as a judge , jury and executioner , but a methodical commissario who even gives advices to malefactors' parents . Unknown main and support cast providing decent , tough exaggerated interpretations , exception for some familar faces as the gorgeous Eleonora Giorgi , Stefano Patrizi and brief appearances from Venantino Venatini , Peter Berling , Tom Felleghy , and a young Diego Abatantuono . Resulting in a fascinating Italian exploitation thriller that is interesting enough , though it has several flaws , shortcomings, gaps and failures . It has some characteristic elements from Poliziesco sub-genre , including exploitation , brief nudism in charge of the beautiful young Eleonora Giorgi , grisly violence, murders in cold blood with special mention for the supermarket slaughter , along with the necessary seasonings as the typical car pursuits with crashes and falls.

The motion picture was professionally directed by Romolo Guerrieri , though with no originality , being pretty predictable and extremely violent . Romolo is a good craftsman who has directed all type of genres such as post-nuke Sci-fi as ¨ The last warrior¨, Italian crime or Poliziottesco as "Young, Violent, Dangerous" , ¨City under siege¨ , "Ring of Death" and western as ¨10.000 Dollari per un massacre¨ , Johnny Yuma¨ and ¨Seven guns for Timothy¨. Rating : 6.5/10 . Passable and acceptable , it will appeal to Poliziottesco enthusiasts.

This is an interesting movie. It is a tendency of Italian exploitation movies in general to eschew logical plotting and character development to focus on elaborate cinematic "set pieces". While this usually works with gialli (and some would say cannibal and zombie films)it is often problem in the Italian crime films where the set pieces usually involve shoot-outs and overlong car chases, two areas where the Italians had NO chance of outdoing bigger-budget Hollywood films (although they often did their damnedest). This film is interesting therefore because it DOES have a lot of character development especially among the villains, three privileged youths that become desperate criminals after their clean-cut but increasingly psychotic leader, "Blondie", starts a gun battle during a botched gas station robbery. One of the other youths is a more obviously deranged thrill seeker, while the third youth, the "wheel-man" is decidedly non-violent but loyal to a fault to his two friends.

Rounding out the cast is the girlfriend of the wheel-man (Eleanora Giorgi) who ironically sets the whole thing in motion by reporting the robbery plans to the police (and mistakenly telling them that the trio only have toy guns). The head cop meanwhile is played by Tomas Milan, usually the psychotic heavy in these type of films. Milan lends an iconic presence and is an interesting character in that he is not unsympathetic but is also not the usual borderline-fascist "rebel with a badge" often seen in these movies. Mostly he just proves tragically incompetent at stopping the rampaging youths.

The plot is mostly pretty believable except for a scene where they hook up with another group of youths and shoot-up and rob a grocery store, even killing their own accomplices for no good reason. There's some pretty gratuitous nudity including a pretty sorry excuse to get Giorgi topless (but who's gonna complain about that too much?). The ending is typically cynical, but that's one thing I admire about these films over the violence-glorifying Hollywood versions. See this if you like Italian crime thrillers--or even if you don't.

Young, Violent, Dangerous is a classic example of Italian exploitation cinema. While the film doesn't always prioritize logical plotting or character development, it excels in creating elaborate cinematic set pieces. Director Guerrieri delivers intense shootouts and adrenaline-fueled car chases, even if they don't quite match Hollywood's big-budget productions. The movie also doesn't shy away from skin-baring moments, adding to its gritty appeal.

The standout performances come from Stefano Patrizi, who portrays the conflicted Mario Farra, and Benjamin Lev as the impulsive Giovanni Etrusco. Tomas Milian, in the role of Commissario, adds depth to the cat-and-mouse game between law enforcement and the criminals.

While Young, Violent, Dangerous won't win any awards for its storytelling, it's a thrilling ride for fans of exploitation cinema. The film's raw energy and unapologetic violence keep viewers engaged, even if the plot occasionally veers into absurdity. If you're in the mood for a fast-paced crime thriller with a touch of Italian flair, give this one a watch.

Verdict: With its mix of bloodshed, high-speed escapes, and a dash of romance, Young, Violent, Dangerous is a guilty pleasure for genre enthusiasts. While not a masterpiece, it delivers on its promise of excitement and keeps you guessing until the very end.

Remember, though, that this film isn't for everyone. If you're looking for intricate character development or a tightly woven plot, you might want to explore other options. But if you're up for a wild ride through the criminal underworld, buckle up and hit play!