Il racket dei sequestri

The British 1976 crime drama, an early work of director Michael Apted ("Gorky Park", "Blink", "The World Is Not Enough") Stacey Keach plays an alcohol-addicted London ex-cop who becomes involved into a kidnapping drama and tries to free the daughter of a friend from a brutal gangster mob.

Stacey Keach's performance is brilliant, and Michael Apted is not only focussing on the thrilling crime plot but also on the portrait of a self-destroying loser nature and alcoholic. The rest of the cast is also outstanding, featuring Edward Fox as despaired father of the kidnapped daughter and David Hemmings as brutal gangster boss. There are some scenes of typical seventies' sex, hard violence and breath-taking action like a money transporter robbery at the end.

David Hentschel's electronic progressive rock score in the style of Goblin, Pink Floyd and Alan Parsons Project supports the dark atmosphere and hard action of this thrilling and sometimes disturbing crime drama. A great, little forgotten movie.

Early film from Michael Apted (2000 Bond film, The world is not enough, 7up series for TV, etc.) Stacey Keach gives a wonderfully seedy performance playing against type as an English, alcoholic ex-policeman searching for a kidnapped child. Watch out for English comic Freddie Starr in a straight role as Keach's friend and saviour. Filmed in London during the heatwave summer of 1976, most people of my age who were children at the time would remember London like this. The film uses great locations- The Thames, the Underground, tatty 1970s pubs, etc. The opening scene in the Underground station and the climax of the film are particularly good. Keach plays the seemingly hopeless alcoholic with great dignity. The film has a slick pace, an atmospheric twangy 1970s soundtrack, great action scenes and a familiar cast. It may be hard to find this film, it is often tucked away on TV in the middle of the night for some reason, but I would recommend it to all crime/gangster film fans.

Unlikely duo (British comedian and actor) Freddie Starr, and (American Actor) Stacy Keach; team up in this eccentric 1970's Brit Gangster-Kidnap-Heist. In combination with Edward Fox, David Hemmings, and Stephen Boyd; this ensemble deliver a movie that successfully encapsulates both the time and the place (Central London UK). Leon Griffith's intelligent Screenplay, and David Hentschel's driving musical score, create a 'perfect-storm' of a movie-drama that it's mega-budget movie peers, could only dream of. Punching way above it's weight, this overlooked Gem comes with the Highest Recommendation.

Stacy Keach. David Hemmings. Edward Fox. Stephen Boyd. Carol White. And Freddie Starr. Made in 1977 by Michael Apted, they rarely show films like The Squeeze on telly anymore and at time of writing, it's yet to even receive a DVD release. And this is outrageous really because, grim and seedy as you like, it remains one of the most underrated and authentic Brit-crime thrillers to ever leave its grubby prints on the screen.

A large part of that authenticity lies with its gritty locations: a cigarette smoke-fugged London Underground, dismal pubs and Soho 'massage parlours', and a pre-gentrified Battersea and Clapham, vividly portrayed in birds-eye view. Familiar currency to a certain iconic 1970s British cop show...

Tough, hard hitting British thriller about an ex Scotland yard man, played very convincingly by Stacy Keach, now trying to keep from becoming a confirmed alcoholic. He finds his old skills are needed again when his wife is kidnapped. The cast are excellent, and they, along with the no holds barred script make this one of the best thrillers of the 70's