Non sparate sui bambini

Socially critical action drama with Giancarlo Prete

This film, directed by Gianni Crea and released in Italian cinemas on December 22nd, 1978, has a soundtrack by Stelvio Cipriani, but it still has its own music from the EuroCrime classic "Das Syndikat / The Syndicate" (1972) with EUROPEAN FILM AWARD nominee Mario Adorf and EUROVISION Star Jürgen Drews used once.

It's about Dino Settimi (Giancarlo Prete), a simple Italian worker who has to carry some heavy burdens on his broad shoulders. In addition to the hard factory work, Dino also looks after his seriously ill father (Giampiero Albertini) and his overly fun-loving younger brother (Marco Gelardini), who prefers to hang out in the swimming pool with his pretty girlfriend (Sandra Trouve) and smoke joints. Dino can relax with his girlfriend Ilda (Eleonora Giorgi), but the emancipated lady is unfortunately not of any help on the family front. One day things will get really big! For fake reasons of rationalization, Dino loses his job in the factory, his younger brother gets into trouble because of his dissolute lifestyle and dad has to go to the hospital. A world collapses for Dino. Without an income he is unable to deal with all these problems. In his distress, Dino turns to Beaumont (Italo Gasperini), an old acquaintance, with whom he hopes to get a job in construction. However, Beaumont convinces Dino to commit a bank robbery, which goes so wrong that the robbers have no choice but to escape. Beaumont shows more and more of his psychopathic nature. Eventually he and Dino end up in a primary school, where the two cronies take an entire class, including the teacher (Antonella Lualdi), hostage. Dino is trapped and doesn't know what to do. The situation is getting worse...

A human tragedy that has all the ingredients of a social drama is told in a very straightforward and comprehensible manner on a noticeably small budget: unemployment, family problems, a slide into crime. The actors act convincingly throughout. The surprise little brother is Marco Gelardini, born in Rome in 1957, who was also seen alongside Maurizio Merli in "Convoy Busters" (1978) in the same year.

What's particularly nice is that the great Giancarlo Prete (1943-2001) once again plays a convincing leading role here. After his sporting career as a wrestler in the Greco-Roman style, the Roman native was discovered as a stuntman for the Italian film industry and worked his way up through supporting roles. He had important supporting roles in two classic Italian crime films: as an intrepid trade unionist in "Der Clan, der seine Feinde lebendig einmauert / The Clan That Walls Up Its Enemies Alive" (1971) and in "Ein Mann schlägt zurück / A Man Strikes Back" (1974), where he had an unforgettable, touching bromance with Franco Nero was allowed to play. The athletic Giancarlo Prete then had leading roles in spanking comedys such as "Tedeum" (1972), "All for One - Beating for All" (1973) and "Der Tomatenkrieg / The Tomato War" (1975), in which he played a variety of roles together with Brad Harris could really thrash opponents. Giancarlo Prete later had a very impressive leading role in the war film "Im Wendekreis des Söldners / The Mercenary's Tropic" (1983).

This likeable actor died far too early - when he was not even 60 years old - of a brain tumor.

Through this impressive and worthwhile film you can (re)discover another side of this versatile actor and unfortunately somewhat forgotten star of ItaloCinema.

Note: I saw the English dubbed version thus this review will only pertain to the English language release of this movie: Don't Shoot on Children.

Don't Shoot on Children offers up an almost classic Italian tale about the working man who can't make ends meet. While some might steal bikes, or lose themselves in the bottom of a bottle, our protagonist decides to embark on some criminal ventures with a friend of his.

The film offers plenty of amusing bits of dialog as an already ham fisted script seems to have then be poorly translated into English. Many of the lines, while adequately delivered, feel like they were written by children as they have all the grace and subtly of a dump truck. Unfortunately the dialog is the biggest highlight from an otherwise sleepy and bloodless film. While one might expect for a poliziotteschi (a genre known for being mean spirited) at a school to be a trashy and violent time, that sadly does not happen here. Instead the film goes through some pretty cliched plot points from these sorts of films, hitting all of the notes that one would expect.

There are a few shootouts and some car cashes but they are not at all impressive and will only remind the viewer of the successes that the genre has to offer.