Revolver

I'm a big fan of Italian crime flicks, but it has to be said that a lot of them are rather similar. That's not the case with Revolver however! Some of these films go off on a bit of a tangent and while in keeping with the elements that make this sort of film what it is (car chases, shootouts etc) deliver something more than the average cop flick, and these are the best of the genre; films such as Almost Human, Street Law and this film. Revolver benefits from a strong plot, two strong leading men and the fact that the film actually has a point to make. The plot focuses on Vito Cipriani; a prison warden and former police officer who finds himself with a choice to make when he is told by criminals that his wife has been kidnapped and the only way he can get her back is to spring crook Milo Ruiz from jail and make the exchange for his wife. Vito is not happy just to take the criminal's word for it, however, and so decides to kidnap the criminal himself before the exchange is made. It also soon becomes apparent that the criminal's aren't playing straight, which leads to an unlikely combination of prisoner and prison warden on the hunt for the warden's wife.

Oliver Reed takes the lead role, and I have to say that he should have made more Italian crime flicks! His performance is typically over the top, though he looks completely at home chewing the scenery and swearing his head off, and it's a joy to watch too. Esteemed Polizi star Fabio Testi stars opposite and is the polar opposite of Oliver Reed, which ensures that they make a fascinating pairing on screen. The plot moves at a brisk pace throughout and it never veers very far off course, which is a bonus if you ask me considering how these films often do. There are a few moments where it does slow down a bit too much, and Revolver is just slightly overlong; but as I said, it doesn't get boring so it's not too big a problem. There's less action in this film than the average Polizi flick, but we do still get a couple of decent car chases and there's a fair bit of gunplay too. Oliver Reed's performance really makes up for that anyway, however; the man himself has more impact than any amount of cars and bullets! Perhaps the best thing about this film is the point it has to make; I don't expect much more than entertainment from a Polizi flick, so getting that little bit extra is a nice bonus. Overall, this is certainly one of the better of examples of this genre and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to my fellow Polizi fans.

¨Revolver¨ is an entertaining and thrilling Poliziotteschi , it was retitled "Blood in the Streets" for its American theatrical release . It is an interesting drama/thriller plenty of thrills , taut , intrigue and twists . The picture deals with a prison warden (Oliver Reed who regularly turned-up to the set inebriated) and a small-time crook (Fabio Testi) who is a prisoner at a state penitentiary . As the Italian warden's wife (Agostina Belli) is abducted , and the kidnappers demand that an inmate be released in order for the man to get his wife back . He gets the convict released but then abducts him himself , in order to ensure that the man's compatriots don't murder his spouse . Then , the band sets out to free their colleague and kill the official who took him . At the end it takes place the last battle between crime and the law in the major city in the world : Paris .

This is an exciting but complex thriller plenty of emotion , noisy action , car crashes , pursuits , twists and turns . Some actors claim they made his own stunts , as Fabio Testi told that he did nearly all the stunts in the movie himself, including a difficult roof jumping stunt in Milan that the stuntman was unable to do . Very good acting by Oliver Reed as an enraged warden ; however , there had problems because of his alcoholism , as he become difficult to work with . In fact , co-star Fabio Testi also expressed that it was both exciting and difficult to work with Reed due to his alcoholism, and he would become violent on the set on many occasions . Support cast is frankly good , full of European familiar faces such as Frédéric de Pasquale , Marc Mazza , Reinhard Kolldehoff , Bernard Giraudeau , Peter Berling and Salvatore Borghese . Furthermore , two gorgeous Eurotrash actresses : Agostina Belli and Paola Pitagora . Colorful cinematography by Aldo Scavarda , though a perfect remastering being necessary . Special mention for the sensitive and enjoyable musical score composed and arranged by maestro Ennio Morricone ; including a marvelous song : Un Ami Written by Ennio Morricone and Performed by Daniel Beretta .

The motion picture was compellingly directed by recently deceased Sergio Sollima , he even choreographed the fight scenes himself because he wanted each character to have a fighting style tailored to their personality . Sergio Sollima's direction is well crafted, here he's less cynical and more inclined toward violence and too much action . Sergio wrote and directed all kinds of genres such as Pirate films as ¨ Sandokan ¨ and the ¨ Black Corsario ¨ ; Peplum : ¨Rocha¨ , "Spartacus and the Ten Gladiators" , "Triumph of the Ten Gladiators" , ¨Ursus¨ "Goliath Against the Giants" ; Euro-spy : "Requiem for a Secret Agent" , "Agent 3S3: Hunter from the Unknown" , ¨Tanger 67¨ ; being especially known for his ¨Cuchillo trilogy¨ : ¨Run Cuchillo run¨, ¨Face to Face¨ , ¨The big Gundown¨. And this ¨Revolver¨ is essential and indispensable watching for Oliver Reed fans . This is a satisfyingly violent and thrilling flick that avid fans of the genre will love .

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.

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".

I may be cynical, but sometimes I look at my collection and see 50 copies of the same movie. Explosions, love interest, conservative "twist" ending, cut! Revolver may be just as derivative of 1970's flicks as the explosion fests of the 21st century are today, but for some reason it was refreshing to watch. I can't see anyone lavishing "rabid fanboy" praise on it, but Revolver was enjoyable, moving at times, and had two great performances. If you thirst for a change of pace, but want to retain the comfortable action standbys of guns and violence, Revolver may be right up your alley. The fantastic extras don't hurt either.

I've never seen a movie quite like this. The best descriptor I can muster is "spaghetti thriller". It's a seventies crime drama with a bit of Dirty Harry, a helping of Reservoir Dogs, a few drops of eau de western, a scoop of melodrama, and a dash of political commentary. Though it oscillates between boredom and epic, Revolver delivers the kind of entertainment that today's movies can only parody. If you buy into the characters, you'll be treated to a satisfying drama. If modern sensibilities prevent that, you can at least enjoy the campier aspects (bad lip synch, fur coats) and delight in the commanding score. The score alone is worth it.