La poursuite implacable

A promising, clever premise of a prison warden, played by genuine bad-ass Oliver Reed, who surreptitiously allows a prisoner to escape before abducting him in exchange for his (own) kidnapped wife... occurring between steely, intentionally claustrophobic scenes in dingy offices harboring dingier jail sells... almost succeeds...

The best moments of this action/thriller hybrid involves polar opposites Reed ("a stray dog without a home") and prisoner Fabio Testi on the run... in the latter's rogue territory...

Petty thief Testi teaching strict/timid lawman Reed to steal a car is a standout, and there needed more of this kind of Film Noir-inspired ambiguity combined with the European tough guy team-up (although their roles should be reversed) instead of a subpar subplot involving a pretty boy musician connected to a powerful politician...

Leading to an 11th hour escape by use of hiking across a mountain border and yet, despite the flaws, Italian ingenue Paola Pitagora brightens up the joint while Reed, using the same American Classic Gangster accent he had in an episode of THE SAINT (and that he often does as a satirical impression), doesn't need to overact to show the audience his love for this woman...

Any sane man would because, in REVOLVER, Paola's both a knockout and standout.

Were it not for the truly shocking dubbing on the version I saw, this could have been much more enjoyable to watch. One you get used to that, though - it isn't half bad. Oliver Reed is "Cipriani" a cop turned prisoner governor whose wife is kidnapped. In order to secure her return, he must arrange for one of his prisoners "Milo" (Fabio Testi) to be delivered to a gang on the outside. This he duly arranges, but of course that's only the start of the shenanigans for both of them as they try to get to the bottom of who wants what from whom..and why? It has plenty of action, but it's also a little more sophisticated that you might expect. There is genuine intrigue to the story, and Reed comes across well as the man of some integrity, torn between many years of loyalty to his country and saving his wife from the hoodlums who appear to reach high into the upper echelons of Italian - and French - government. It is quite derivative - you could see a Clint Eastwood or Gene Hackman in the Reed role quite easily, but I think that says much for the usually underrated Reed's performance which is strong. I was a bit disappointed by the rather weak denouement, but all told I did quite enjoy watching the film. Just needs someone to re-synch the audio.

I've written this down in previous reviews numerous of times already, but it will forever remain relevant & valid: there exist no other types of movies that pump you up with more adrenalin and excitement than the Italian Poliziotteschi movies from the 1970s! I had set tremendously high expectations for this "Revolver" (a.k.a. "Blood in the Streets") and they were definitely fulfilled, although admittedly this wasn't fully the type of film I imagined it would be… By rule, Poliziotteschi movies are tense, raw and extremely violent but not 100% story driven. Just think of the films directed by such genre experts like Umberto Lenzi ("Almost Human", "Violent Naples") or Enzo G. Castellari ("The Big Racket", "Street Law") that are chock-full of spectacular car chases, bloody shootouts and brutal execution sequences, but don't really feature an actual waterproof plot. "Revolver" contains all these delicious cult ingredients as well, but in much smaller portions and instead focuses a lot more on the very realistic and absorbing plot. Vito Cipriani works as the head warden in a prison and has a beautiful wife named Anna. When he returns home from work one day, he discovers that Anna has been kidnapped by unknown men that demand Vito to arrange the release of the relatively small-time crook Milo Ruiz. Vito arranges for Milo to escape from his cell, but then promptly takes him hostage himself, in order to ensure that the kidnappers keep their promise rather than to just kill Anna and flee. Things go wrong quite quickly, especially because Milo honestly doesn't know who would want him to be released from jail and righteously suspects that they are foes rather than friends… Co- writer/director Sergio Sollima might have been the least known and praised Sergio of his generation (next to the legendary Sergio Leone and Sergio Corbucci) but he was undoubtedly multi-talented, creative, intelligent and VERY underrated. The scenario of "Revolver" literally almost bursts with themes like political corruption, abuse of power, betrayal, dark human behavior and shocking confessions. This is the type of movie that doesn't exactly make you cheerful or helps you to restore faith in humanity. Particularly the surprise ending is perplexing and even more depressing! The great (late) Oliver Reed is perfectly cast and it's truly a shame that he didn't travel to Italy more often to appear in Poliziotteschi movies. He receives terrific support from the always reliable Fabio Testi and a few unknown but familiar Italian faces. And then, oh my God, there is the phenomenal soundtrack! The main theme Un Ami/Un Amico definitely ranks among Ennio Morricone's finest pieces of art (and he made many highlights) and it makes me emotional every single time. Fans of more recent extreme cinema will recognize it as well, perhaps, since none other than Quentin Tarantino selected this brilliant song to feature on the soundtrack of "Inglourious Bastards".

Oliver Reed rages at most of Italy and some of France and with good reason - his hot young wife has been kidnapped! He's the warden of a prison in Milan and someone wants him to release Milo (Fabio Testi) for reasons unknown. Even Milo doesn't seem to know why he's being released, no matter how many time Reed beats him up. Maybe it has something to do with that high profile assassination at the start of the film? But then, what does that have to do with that rock star guy?

Reed has to break some rules to get Testi out, but this is no simple case of doing a swap and getting his wife back. After beating the crap out of each other several times, they have to learn to rely on each other to get to the truth of the matter, which will take them through the alps while trying to outrun a massive manhunt.

There's too many twists to ruin so let's not go any further with the plot and let's talk about Oliver Reed. His red-faced rage at every single person involved in the kidnapping is a joy to behold (and drink fuelled by the sounds of it). He screams, swears, threatens, berates, assaults and even shoots his way through the film, and yet can still be loving and tender to his wife or calm when trying to subdue a suicidal inmate (a quick cameo by Sal Borghese). My favourite bit was when he was trying to convince a work colleague that nothing was wrong when at that exact moment the kidnappers call. The look on his face is priceless.

Fabio Testi does good as Milo, a crook resigned to his life of crime who can't think of anything else but a big pay-off. Yet he too has a soft side, seen in the film's strong start as he carries the dead body of a friend along a canal to Ennio Morricone's moving soundtrack. In fact, by the end of the film he's as greatly changed as Oliver Reed's character too, as he does begin to see life outside of crime. Yet another good Euro-crime film that starts off making you wonder why you're being hit with seemingly unconnected scenes that all ties together nicely at the end, if you don't think about it too hard. It's also nearly two hours long so be prepared for that.

If you are a fan of Sergio Sollima then I don't have to tell you that you will enjoy this film. I am so glad that I have discovered Italian action films from the 1960s and 1970s. I only wish that I could see some of these films on the big screen. There is something special about these films.

Revolver takes the viewer on a sort of chase. There is elements of mystery and action, but during the course of the film the relationship between the two

characters, played by Oliver Reed and Fabio Testi, evolves in a way that brings in drama into the story. Like Sollima's other films, there is fast paced action, violence, and a little bit of sex.

There is a gray area between who is good and bad, and that is something

Sollima has stated in interviews. In fact he has said that he has always been a fan of bad guys because sometimes the good guys mess things up more in the

end then the bad guys. He shows that in Revolver.