L'accusé

In 1970 there was almost a coup d'état by neo-fascists in Italy. The exciting film by Sergio MARTINO is based on this GOLPE BORGHESE.

Luc MERENDA plays a police officer who investigates murders in Rome and comes across inconsistencies. Since he is repeatedly told off by his superior (FALCON CREST star Mel FERRER), he teams up with a colleague from the secret service (unusual role for Tomas MILIAN). But the matter is becoming more and more dangerous...

Delia BOCCARDO, who celebrated her 75th birthday on January 29, 2023, is there as a brilliant journalist. Paola TEDESCO and Loredana NUSCIAK (Django) appear in smaller roles.

Very exciting crime film that also has elements of a political thriller (not quite as strong as in Damiano DAMIANI's films)!

An interesting poliziotteschi made by and with a lot of the people from one of my all time favorites 'The Violent Professionals' 1973.

Sometimes the re-use of footage and score can lead to Deja vu.

Sergio Martino has made many and different films silly, sexy, violent and serious. This one is the last type as long as you know here this is more a serious idea than the sometimes rather silly stuff. As Tomas Milian is in this one and you might not nearly even notice him. The Suspicious Death of a Minor (1975) is barely not a giallo but interesting and The Violent Professionals (1973) like these other ones a rather more thrilling political stories that are terrible films on what Italian's were rather like in the 70s. Luc Merenda and Mel Ferrer good as always and the great ride is also a very thinking about in Milan.

I mean that, for once, Sergio Martino gives us a political oriented crime thriller, not a common poliziottesco, which invaded the italian film industry in the seventies. No gangsters here but a complex political scheme, inspired by true events, as was PARALLAX VIEW in the USA. Plot, conspiracy, intelligence special services, shadow warlords.... A very American like Italian plot. Luc Merenda and Thomas Milian are awesome here, in this interesting movie, among my favourites from Sergio martino, far better than his giallos and other horror films. Very gloomy, brutal, gritty. Damiano Damiani or Pasquale Squitieri's movies spirit are not so far from this one.

The only famous name in this Martino movie is Mel Ferrer and I guess he was just taking the money and running to invest it in one of his productions .Ferrer could not care less and he really seems to want to leave as soon as possible this muddled political-cum-thriller effort ,a genre that was so popular in Italy at the time .It did produce good works ("Cadaveri Eccellenti" (Rosi) or Elio Petri's "Indagine Su Un Cittadino Al Di Sopra Di Ogni Sospetto" ).Alas ,such is not the case here.

"La Polizia Accusa " (which became in France "The city accuses ") features a "meaningful" scene on a plane where the villain explains Hitler's "philosophy" (Mao's doctrine was the same ,we are told ) to the virtuous cop (played by Luc Merenda whose only claim to fame was his part in the "Chateauvallon" miniseries).