Section de choc

Slightly above-average and pretty bleak poliziottesco; it came, more or less, halfway through the run of the genre and, while well enough made, it is also curiously undistinguished (though buoyed by a typically great pounding score by Stelvio Cipriani and expert cinematography by Gabor Pogany). The “Special Squad” of the title is a hand-picked team of fearless cops determined to fight the most nefarious criminal minds – their prowess and agility gives rise to plenty of exciting chase sequences (cue the remarkable stuntwork which often came in handy within this particular genre) but only one of them is really well-defined as a character.

However, there’s also the topical element of terrorism – exemplifying such heinous acts as plagued the country during this era – with a couple of spectacular but harrowing explosions in public places. The film is given a nice boost by having Marcel Bozzuffi, best-known for playing the criminal pursued by Gene Hackman in THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971), essaying the role of the iconoclastic cop this time around! Carole Andre', a regular starlet in Italian films of the time, is somewhat wasted as the long-suffering moll (though leading an outwardly luxurious life) of one of the hoods; her one attempt to stand up to the gang, plus her innocent involvement with a member of the Squad, seals her fate and she’s eventually marked for death. Ivan Rassimov is the dour villain, typically given a fashionable name (Il Marsigliese) and who engages throughout in a cat-and-mouse game with Bozzuffi – the former had killed Rassimov’s brother in a run-in with the police, and the criminal reiterated by murdering Bozzuffi’s spouse. The final showdown (with Bozzuffi predictably turning up to execute Rassimov just when it seems he’s likely to get away) is swift but nonetheless effective; disappointingly, they share no real confrontation scene.

Unfortunately, this turned out to be director Dallamano’s last film; he died some time after the end of shooting in a car accident! Also, Grace Jones makes an unremarkable early appearance here as a nightclub singer. The No Shame Limited Edition DVD is quite splendid: not only because of the shining transfer of the film itself and some wonderful supplements – fascinating interviews with both editor Antonio Siciliano and composer Cipriani – but also the fact that it includes a bonus feature on a second disc, namely Luciano Ercoli’s own swan-song called THE RIP-OFF (1978), actually a poliziottesco spoof once thought lost and which I’ll get to in due time...

While not the shiniest star in the euro-crime lineup, this film features lots of tense thrills and the most impressive car stunts you'll see this side of William Friedkin.

Marcel Bozzuffi makes for an interesting hero, not having the classic good looks of, say, Franco Nero, Fabio Testi, or Maurizio Merli. He DOES however know how to carry an emotional performance, playing the role perfectly of a motivated police inspector pushed even further to the edge by the cold-blooded murder of his wife.

Bozzuffi imposes a pretty heavy carbon footprint with his 4-man squad of hotshot stuntman policemen on noxious motorcycles. One of them in particular gets to play dashing playboy and involve himself with TWO women of interest who just happen to have a connection to an ex-con (Antonio Marsina) they're trying to catch before he and Ivan Rassimov succeed in blowing up the city with non-nuclear suitcase bombs. Was this hotshot hero aware of these girls' proximity to villains or just fell into relationships with them as part of a heavily unlikely coincidence? The film doesn't really ever tell you, covering up its many plot holes and contrivances with stylish chase scenes, fist fights, a couple gun battles, explosions, and a surprise gore scene for when a poor criminal tries (unsuccessfully) to grab onto an escape car.

While genre fans may be disappointed to see so few of the regular stock of Euro-henchmen get whacked this time around, we do find solace in having Ivan Rassimov take up so much screen-time in his most demented role yet as a psychopathic anarchist out to collect a heavy ransom at all costs with no qualms about murdering anyone and everyone in his way or on his own side. He becomes so tied to his detonator murder- mobile (complete with ominous and catchy Stelvio Cipriani theme) that you'll never look at a French Citroen the same way again. Between him, Marsina, and a particularly icky-looking Franco Garofalo, the villains of this film all come off as particularly loathsome, giving the audience plenty to celebrate should they be bumped off.

Fans of motorcycle exhaust, dangerous crashes, colt .38 shooting, and hand-held shots of public bomb explosion aftermath will get a kick out of this movie. Dallamano took this genre seriously and thankfully avoids most of the idiocy inherent among other films of the Italian Motorcycle Cop subgenre. Also be sure to check out the spiritual successor to this film, STUNT SQUAD, which came the next year for more of the same. Unfortunately Dallamano didn't return to direct it... 'cuz he died.

Most notable for its very prescient casting of a pre-famous Grace Jones as a nightclub singer (singing a Stelvio Cipriani song no less, only to later pop up in NIGHTMARE CITY) and far worse dubbing than usual from the regular gang of English language voice actors you'll hear in Italian movies. I suppose it was more difficult to read and match actor lip-movements while they're behind reflective glass via projector in a 1970's Roman soundbooth than it is on an HD television in 2017, so Ted Rusoff and the gang get a bit of a pass from me on this one. His stellar voice performance for Bozzuffi on the English track more than makes up for it.

QUELLI DELLA CALIBRO 38, or COLT 38 SPECIAL SQUAD, provides a superior specimen of the Italian polizioto of the 1970's, with French actor Marcel Bozzuffi as Inspector Vanni, whose wife is shot dead in his early teens son's presence, and is out to wreak revenge come what may. Director Massimo Dallamano seems uninterested in character development: for instance, you do not get to see Vanni's tearful son again, you have no idea whether Vanni handed him over to relatives or to an institution while he chases the culprits, notably crime kingpin Marsigliese, to their deaths.

Basically everyone is cannon fodder, regardless of whether you serve the law or the criminal forces. In between, Vanni is ordered to stay off the hunt, and to go on leave, but he could not give a flip about the boss and his orders - Vanni is obsessive about payback!

Certainly, the viewer does get to watch action pretty much nonstop. Whatever dialogue you hear is quick, often under bated breaths, and the pace is frenetic, with chases in cars and on foot aplenty.

Typical washed out color and basic 1970s cinematography by to me unknown Gabor Pogani, effective editing by Antonio Siciliano, and fitting score by Stelvio Cipriani.

The script could have taken COLT 38 to greater heights with closer attention to character development, cause and effect logic... but it ain't no waste of time! 7/10.

COLT 38 SPECIAL SQUAD is a typical example of the Italian polizia flick, so if you're wondering what a Dirty Harry-inspired police film from the '70s looks like, then look no further than this. It's a film which exemplifies the best of a genre that's still hidden from most film fans today, who are missing out on the delights of Maurizio Merli and his contemporaries beating the hell out of criminal scum.

Although this film doesn't boast any roles for big Hollywood names or familiar genre fans, it proves to be distinctly above average. That's because it tells a complex, action-packed story at speed, never slowing down for a second. There are robberies, kidnappings, assassinations, terrorism and even a bombing campaign, all delivered in a typically gutsy, as-it-is kind of way, free of sentimentality, the focus on the realism. Massimo Dallamano's camera never sits still for a second in depicting a kinetic struggle between criminals and the police.

The essential story involves Marcel Bozzuffi (THE FRENCH CONNECTION) playing a tough Inspector with a personal vendetta against a criminal gang. He sets up a special squad, all armed with powerful handguns and motorbikes, to track down and take out the criminals, but of course it doesn't go according to plan. Although the way, the haunted Carole Andre gets caught between cops and bad guys, and Ivan Rassimov once again tackles the role of criminal mastermind. It goes without saying that the various action bits – shoot-outs, car chases, you name it – are second to none and miles ahead of most of what Hollywood churns out today.

Italian cult cinema can be so deliciously rudimentary and effective from time to time. The whole basic concept of "Colt .38 Special Squad", for instance, is simply to exploit the immense success of the Hollywood classic "Dirty Harry" and expand it by throwing in an entire squadron of ruthless & trigger-happy coppers! Add to that an evil villainous character, a staggering soundtrack by Stelvio Cipriani and a handful of extremely violent sequences and we've got ourselves a bona fide Italian Poliziotteschi cult hit! Chief inspector of police Vanni is on the hunt for über-criminal Marsigliese and shoots his brother during a confrontation. Purely to make a statement, Marsigliese savagely executes Vanni's wife right before the eyes of his 6-year-old son. After this tragic incident, Vanni receives permission from his superiors to put together a special squad that doesn't have to follow the book of instructions and with the liberty of using heavier gun power. The squad immediately has its hand full, as Marsigliese's accomplices just stole a cargo-load of explosives and terrify the city with a number of bloody bomb attacks. "Colt .38 Special Squad" is a highly entertaining and action-packed Italian cop thriller, but personally I don't rank it alongside my absolute favorites of the genre. The reason for this is merely the lack of a monumental heroic character. Even though he starred in the popular blockbuster "The French Connection", lead actor Marcel Bozzuffi plainly doesn't have the tough and invincible charisma of other Italian cop characters such as Maurizio Merli, Luc Merenda or Franco Nero. He himself is a rather inconspicuous guy, and none of his squad team members are anything special either. In fact, they are so bleak and random that I often forgot their faces or mistook them for secondary petty thieves. Ivan Rassimov, on the other hand, is very memorable as Marsigliese and literally everything you expect from a devilish gangster boss! The film also contains multiple moments of uncompromising and shocking violence, like the aforementioned execution, a nasty hit-and-run accident and packages blowing up in people's faces. You can always count on Poliziotteschi movies for gratuitous bloodshed! This was – sadly - the last accomplishment of writer/director Massimo Dallamano before he died in a car accident. To me, Dallamano will always remain the genius creator of the greatest Italian giallo ever made ("What have you done to Solange?), but he also made the excellent psychedelic horror flicks "Devil in the Flesh" and Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray".