Viva como um Policial, Morra como um Homem

This is one of Deodato's earlier films. Deodato is best known as the director of the notorious film "Cannibal Holocaust". With a script by Di Leo and masterful direction by Deodato, you get a film that is violent, ruthless and exciting. One can easily see the influence on contemporary directors like Tarantino (a huge Di Leo fan). This film also has a lot in common with movies like Dirty Harry, where a cop uses extreme measures to deliver justice and always has his boss coming down on him for being too violent in doing so. Except in this film it is two guys who team up to clean the streets. The viewer will be surprised at the amount of violence in this film when considering the year it was made. If you can locate this film, its worth watching.

Ruggero Deodato is a director known for making hard films, filled with violence and cynicism. His impressive cop thriller, "Live Like A Cop, Die Like A Man", is no exception. Alfredo and Antonio belong to a special branch of the Rome police department. They are given the hard cases, having to deal with the lowest criminal scum around. Their methods of dealing with the criminal element are certainly not standard procedure, as we see early in the film. The 'bad guys' who have the utter misfortune of having to deal with Fred and Tony, do not get handcuffed and have their rights read to them. Deodato, most known for a contemptuous piece of cinema called 'Cannibal Holocaust', has fashioned a stylish crime drama, filled with interesting and unusual characters. The viewer gets to know the two vigilante cops, who seem to be operating on the same wavelength. They cruise around on a motorcycle together, kill and torture bad guys together, even live together. They share the same cynical attitude towards life and death. There is a real bond there, and that relationship elevates this to a higher level. It is fun to watch these two in action, cocky and sexist bastards that they are, but somehow likable. Filmed with a great deal of energy and style. The opening scene, a wild motorcycle chase through the streets of Rome, sets the tone for the rest of the film. And the music is worth mentioning, some great background music, typical of the 70's time period, compliments the action. Deodato often had a strange habit of using the most inappropriate music to go along with the extreme violence happening on the screen. Soft ballads were often heard as people got beaten and murdered, or sexy disco music complimented a brutal rape, such as in "House On the Edge Of the Park". It somehow makes the brutal imagery all the more sick and twisted. For 'Live Like A Cop' actor Ray Lovelock who portrays Antonio, sings the main theme for the film. Great stuff. In America at this time, a TV show called 'Starsky & Hutch' was doing well. A cop show that featured two handsome partners, one blond and the other dark haired, much like the two heroes of this film. Perhaps that TV show was an influence, but the movie was made before 'Starsky & Hutch' was shown on Italian TV, so who knows? Up until recently "Uomini Si Nasce Poliiziotti Si Muore" was super-rare, almost impossible to find on video. Now there is a new DVD from an Italian label, 'Raro Video', that is well worth tracking down. Featuring a choice of original Italian language or a funny dubbed English track, and including an interesting interview with Ruggero Deodato and actor Ray Lovelock, who both discuss the film. Highly recommended for fans of 70's exploit films and crime films. There were countless cop thrillers to come out of Italy in this time, but this stands out as one of the best, and certainly one of the most brutal.

You just know you're in for one hell of a thrill-ride when the movie you're watching opens with a 10-minutes-long chase sequence on motorcycles; through the crowd-infested streets of Rome and ending with a shocking execution that truly goes against all the rules of ethically correct police work. "Live like a Cop, Die Like a Man" is a work of genuine 70's exploitation, scripted by the multi-talented Fernando Di Leo and directed by the almighty Ruggero Deodato. Deodato is, without a doubt and hands down, the KING of exploitation cinema! A couple of years before he dedicated himself to the notorious jungle adventures ("Jungle Holocaust", "Cut and Run" and, of course, his ultimate masterpiece "Cannibal Holocaust") and brutal revenge-horror ("House on the Edge of the Park"), Deodato made his one and only "Polizieschi" movie, but it's definitely memorable & unique enough to rank among the best in the sub genre. "Live Like a Cop, Die Like a Man" is an indescribably sadistic and cynical film and it's very different from the usual efforts in the "Polizieschi" genre. These raw and explicit Italian crime-thrillers always introduce macho cop characters that shoot first and ask questions later, but at least they usually have good reasons for their very unorthodox investigation techniques. They either want to avenge a murdered friend or colleague, or they're on a tight time-schedule to rescue kidnapped children or recover a stolen treasure. (Al)Fred(o) and (An)Tony(o), the two protagonists in Deodato's film, are different. They simply cross the thin line between justice and delinquency because they enjoy it! Much more than any other entry in the Polizieschi sub genre, "Live Like a Cop, Die like a Man" glorifies extreme violence and nearly encourages people to take justice into their own hands. Fred and Tony terminate unarmed & defenseless gangsters, force female suspects into having sex with them, burn down fancy cars and invade private clubs for no real reason and they carelessly endanger the lives of civilians. And whilst they're performing their "jobs", they never for one second stop to pay attention to their good playboy-looks and macho charisma. This film is fast-paced and multiple isolated sequences are terrific (the hostage-situation! The bank robbery!), but the script as a whole sadly lacks continuity and depth. There's no actual plot, as Fred & Tony are simply hunting down Rome's biggest crime boss, Roberto Pasquini, and they eliminate a lot of his accomplices and random street scum during their 'assignment'. Most other Polizieschi flicks have a slightly more intelligent script, but "Live Like a Cop, Die Like a Man" primarily benefices from sickening violence, gratuitous sleaze and unscrupulous controversy. The editing is sharp, the lurid 70's music is fabulous and Deodato's profound direction is brilliant and ultimately praiseworthy. I read somewhere that the motorcycle chases amidst crowded shopping streets and during broad daylight were filmed without official permission. Your name simply has to be Ruggero Deodato if you risk endangering the lives of unsuspecting civilians only to shoot credible and realistic footage of Rome!

Can best be summed up as the "Spaghetti Starsky & Hutch" but with better car chases, more sex (and sexism) and more violence. Prime 1970s Poliziotteschi up there with the best of Franco Nero, Fabio Testi or Mauricio Merli

'Nuff said, but apparently not enough for an imdb review, so I will continue...

Ray Lovelock looks like another refugee Americano actor following the path most famously trodden by Clint Eastwood, Charles Bronson, Lee van Cleef and his friend Tomas Milian, but in fact he was born in Italy of an Italian mother and English father. He is blond and plays the "Hutch" role.

Marc Porel was born in Switzerland, but his parents were both French actors. He is dark and plays the "Starsky" role.

Adolfo Celi plays the "Captain Dobey" role, his face will be familiar from numerous character parts in post war Hollywood and across European cinema, most notably as supervillain "Emilio Largo" in the James Bond classic "Thunderball"

Silvia Dionisio plays the feisty modern woman who cheerfully puts up with the lads crude sexist banter and gives as good as she gets in the repartee department

Sofia Dionisio gets her kit off.

An absolutely gonzo Italian action film that's insane before it even starts. Just read that title. Live Like a Cop, Die Like a Man. So dumb and self-assured of its hamfisted-ness that you have to admire it.

Another tip-off that this is going to be wild is the fact it's directed by Ruggero Deodato, who's best known for making Cannibal Holocaust, which is one of the most controversial and violent movies of the 1980s (or arguably of all time). This one is similarly twisted and violent, though definitely not as extreme or horrific... even if it cruelly kills a blind man's guide dog on-screen five minutes into the movie (unlike the animal violence in Cannibal Holocaust, I'm pretty sure it's fake here). I guess it's done to show that the movie's not going to mess around. Unsurprisingly, it proceeds as such.

The film has a loose plot which pretty much boils down to two rogue cops taking on violent criminals in ways that are just as violent as the criminals. It's absurd enough that maybe it's intended to be darkly funny or even satirical, but I couldn't be 100% sure. Maybe the film was trying to be cool, but I'd like to think Deodato knew what he was doing here, to some extent (because I do think Cannibal Holocaust has a great deal more satire than some give it credit for).

I don't know, if you find the title funny and like crazy, over-the-top cop movies, this'll probably scratch an itch. But I don't know many people who I'd personally recommend it to, in all honesty, even if I got some enjoyment out of it.