Banditi a Milano

Top italian crime film with my favourite actor Gian Maria Volonte playing very very good.

Inspired by some shocking criminal events of the time, this is a great and very ingenious piece of cinematography. Shot between a crime flick and a documentary it is extraordinary to see how long before Oliver Stone made his movie this one already had it all: the craziness, the character's excessive performances, the mix of footages (documentary, news, acting), the gratuitous violence... If in the 60's Italy produced some of the most important masterpieces, in the 70's Italy became extraordinarily experimental producing some incredible innovative movies and movie genres (the poliziottesco, Damiani's mafia movies, Argento's gialli, Bava's horrors, the soft porn comedies, Rosi's movie-inchiesta, to name the more famous) This movie has not dated and is still to be recommended to anyone interested in experimental movie-making. A tribute should be dedicated to that supreme actor named Gian Maria Volonte' here in top form.

Viewers expecting conventional gangster shenanigans may find themselves bewildered by this frenetic, postmodern, documentary-styled study of four bank robbers terrorizing Milan. Graced with wit, wild violence, flashes of pop art sensibility, and wonderful music from Riz Ortolani, Bandits in Milan is a unique experience within the crime genre.

Scene-eating star Gian Maria Volonte puts in a high energy madman performance as the leader of the gang of bandits, grinning and simpering megalomaniacally throughout (and particularly evil-sounding in the German-dubbed version, Die Banditen von Mailand). A young and innocent-looking Ray Lovelock (billed as "Raymond") also appears to good effect, as does low-key Tomas Milian as the ironic police commissioner.

Artful and briskly paced, Bandits in Milan is a lot to absorb (particularly if, like me, you're reading subtitles) and merits multiple viewings. Devotees of art films and action alike are advised to give it at least one shot.

It's like an LP, this feature. On one side we see an almost documentary style of drama depicting a Milan in the throes of a (real) crime wave. On the other, we are introduced to some pretty successful perpetrators of those crimes who are robbing banks of millions of lire with impunity. The opening sequences in the company of their commissioner (Thomas Milian) are a little dry, but after about twenty minutes or so when we are introduced to the suave bandit-in-chief "Piero" (Gian Maria Volonté) who's gang adopt the simplest of facial disguises, avoid bloodshed when possible, and raid merrily - usually after carefully casing the banks in advance and ensuring there is some suitable diversion at the other end of town to distract the carabinieri. Of course, the easier it seems, the more ambitious they get and after recruiting the enthusiastic young "Tuccio" (Ray Lovelock) as their driver they embark on their biggest job yet. When that doesn't quite go to plan, the authorities are soon on their tails and things in this city turn distinctly perilous for policeman, robber and pedestrian alike as we embark on quite an epic car chase. Along the way we are treated to a lively score, some contemporary Italian artistry and a degree of confidence from a Volonté who combines menace, dark comedy and suaveness really quite effectively. After the freneticism of the second half of the film I felt that the denouement, though a little claustrophobic at times, did disappoint. It didn't dare have the courage of it's convictions which I thought a bit of a shame as the Fiats started to pile up all over the place. Once it gets into it's stride, this film doesn't hang about and it presents us with a daring brutality, Italian style, that is definitely different from your average plan, heist, chase, caper.

From cult/euro-exploitation perspective, "The Violent Four" (a.k.a "Bandits in Milan") is a very unique and fascinating landmark. Considering the subject matter, the type of characters, and the massive amount of graphical violence on display, this is - in fact - a forerunner of the numerous Poliziotesschi flicks that were made in Italy during the 1970s. However, it's generally assumed the Poliziotesschi-genre was inspired by Hollywood role-model blockbusters, like "Dirty Harry" and "The French Connection", so "The Violent Four" is actually a kind of native pioneer that got neglected.

This film has everything a good Poliziotesschi must feature, but admittedly the narrative structure and plot are somewhat too chaotic. The first half hour, or so, plays like a mockumentary about the skyrocketing crime rates in the city of Milan. With police commissioner Tomas Milian acting like a sort of TV-game host, the long intro is like a collage with clips from robberies, gambling and prostitution rings, extortion and even the brutal murder of a call-girl. Only after this, the story introduces the titular "violent four"; - and again via flashback-interviews at the police station. The gang is extremely active, with sometimes three bank heists in one day, and uses a legitimate business as cover. Gian Maria Volantè, a truly brilliant actor, is terrific as the gang's leader, and Ray Lovelock stars as the apprentice in one of his first major roles.

Personally, I prefer the virulent, hard-boiled and straightforward Poliziotesschi classics that started coming half a decade later, whether or not directed by Umberto Lenzi and starring Maurizio Merli, but this is definitely a quintessential Italian cult/exploitation classic, recommended to the fans of this wonderful country's cinematic history.