A bottle of J&B Whiskey on the table in the first shot already? Yup, you're watching a Fernando Di Leo movie! This man remains forever on my hero list for making several of the most genius Poliziotesschi thrillers ever made. Nobody - not even other genre deities like Umberto Lenzi or Stelvio Massi - made Italian cop/crime thrillers as relentlessly brutal and as uncompromisingly violent as Di Leo. His triple feature "Milano Caliber .9", "The Italian Connection", and "The Boss" are the best of the best, and several other titles (like "Kidnap Syndicate" and "Shoot First, Die Later") are perplexing films.
"Blood and Diamonds" is also really, really good. Unfortunately, I can't reward it with a rating 9 or 10, because it didn't provide me with the same adrenalin rush or sentiments of excitement as any of the titles mentioned in the previous paragraph, but it's a fantastic thriller from start to finish.
Claudio Cassinelli is sublime as the out-for-vengeance thief who walks through the entire film with a face as angry as a thundercloud! Of course, Guido doesn't have much to smile about. He just spent five long years in prison because he got snitched to the police during his last heist, and he's barely released, or two hired punks rob the bus he's on and mercilessly kill his beloved wife. Guido is convinced that big-shot mafia boss Rizzo is behind all of it and swears to kill him. Meanwhile, Guido's stepson and his feisty girlfriend are planning a diamond heist at the airport, and Guido inevitably gets sucked in.
Di Leo's screenplay is once again very tense, convincing, absorbing, and holding a surprise or two in store. The action is harsh and gritty, with stone cold executions and heists ending in bloodbaths, the direction is tight & surefooted, the soundtrack (by master-composer Luis Bacalov) is exquisite, and the décors and filming locations bring the awesome 70s back to life. But the most impressive quality of "Blood and Diamonds", though, is the great casting choices and ditto performances.
Cassinelli outshines his Poliziotesschi competitors (notably Maurizio Merli and Luc Merenda) on every level with his depiction of embittered, soulless, and infuriated ex-con/thief. Cassinelli starred in too many Italian cult movies to list, but never received the recognition and praise he deserved. He also died too young, in a helicopter crash whilst filming "Atomic Cyborg" in 1986. Martin Balsam portrays godfather Rizzo, and he's great as always, but there are two other performances I'd like to put in the spotlights. First, the ravishing Barbara Bouchet to prove that diamonds are a girl's best friend. Barbara lies, manipulates, strip-dances, and gets slapped in the pretty face. That woman seriously took a lot of beatings in her career. Last, certainly not least, I just must mention Pier Paolo Capponi as Rizzo's psychotic henchman Tony. Usually Capponi plays police inspectors, but he obviously had a blast of a time here as the lunatic.
