La polizia sta a guardare

Good solid thriller, clumsily titled on my disc, Ransom: The Police Are Looking On and directed by Roberto Infascelli who did a bit of producing but only directed one other film. The fine score by Stelvio Cipriani was used again the following year in What Have They Done To Your Daughters, so I guess this movie couldn't have made much impact at the box office. Shame because it is a decent enough effort and must have been dealing with a hot issue of the time as kidnap was rampant then in Italy. A serious film then, that had something to say about the subject and one can only assume that the method adopted here by the new chief was the policy that eventually brought an end to the practice. Plenty of hints as to the depth of corruption behind these ransom demands and to where the monies found their way. Maybe we could have had some sort of subplot or romantic involvement but instead we certainly have a relentless and generally exciting and involving movie, even if Jean Sorel is completely wasted.

This very politically engaged Poliziotesschi is unjustly and incomprehensibly obscure, with barely over a hundred votes, only one other user-comment and hardly ever a mentioning of this title in the lists of greatest euro-crime thrillers. Darn shame, because "La Polizia Sta a Guardare" has a compelling plot with terrific suspense, contemporary relevant themes, great lead actors, phenomenal music and a couple of unexpected but harsh shock-moments.

Like it was sadly the case for real in Italy during the early 70s, the big cities are plagued by large numbers of kidnappings. In Milan, the parents of kidnapped rich kids are obeying the commands and paying the massive ransoms without involving the police. The frustrated previous police commissioner Jovine quite the force for this reason, but his successor Cardone is determined - obsessed even - to drag the police away from the sideline. To achieve this, Cardone goes very far.

This great thriller starts somewhat slow and talkative, but the uncanny and suspenseful atmosphere is omnipresent. The second half (the version I watched also literally had an intermission in the middle) is a lot more action-packed and exhilarating, with a couple of highly original twists and super-intelligent dialogues. The massively talented and charismatic Enrico Maria Salerno ("Bird with the Crystal Plumage", "La Polizia Ringrazia") carries the film greatly, but Lee J. Cobb and especially Jean Sorel are sadly underused a little. Like mentioned already, it's truly disgraceful that this film is so underrated! Perhaps because director Roberto Infascelli was unknown and unloved compared to his colleagues (like Umberto Lenzi, Stelvio Massic, Fernando Di Leo, ...)? He does a fantastic job, though, and he surely would have made a couple of more good movies if he hadn't died in a tragic car accident in 1977. The genius score by Stelvio Cipriani luckily received a second chance, when it got recycled for "La Polizia Chiede Aiuto" the next year.