Tony Page stars here as Joe Fortunato, a tough-guy detective regularly hounded by his mom (Vera Visconti) and uncle. It seems that the mob had ordered the death of Joes' dad seven years ago, and the mom & uncle are still absolutely determined that Joe get revenge. Joe's not so sure, although circumstances will dictate that, before too much time has passed, Joe will be looking for some payback with the help of a sawed-off shotgun.
Sly Stallone had actually auditioned for the role of Joe, but the filmmakers, seeking gritty realism, opted for Sly's friend Page, who had real-life mob connections. A great actor Page is not, but he does have an amusing, rough-around-the-edges screen presence. The rest of the cast does decent work, with James Reyes a total hoot as an arrogant mafioso. (He's the one believed by mom & uncle to have given the order to rub out the dad.) Another familiar face in this is Toni Kalem, playing Reyes' daughter; her other credits include playing Chuck Norris' love interest in "Silent Rage" nine years later. Adding interest for some viewers is the fact that rock stars Leslie West and Corky Laing (of the band Mountain of "Mississippi Queen" fame) have roles here as mob underlings. But it's Visconti who will capture most peoples' attention. This woman defines the word "intensity".
The story itself (the film is written by Nicola Fisher, based on Louis Pastores' story, and directed by Clark Worswick) is sufficiently entertaining, although it's largely familiar stuff for any fan of low budget crime fiction. Still, it does have a certain raw appeal, with the occasional burst of splashy violence. And the recent Blu-ray release will be cause for celebration since this was unavailable on home video for the longest time, and now viewers will be able to delight in checking out some memorable dialogue whenever they feel like it.
Seven out of 10.
