L'homme sans pitié

Not very merciless (the English title is "Merciless Man"), but a fun detective-"poliziotteschi" nevertheless. Most of the genre staples are present, from chases showcasing the local scenery (not very exciting) to shootouts to villains in high places, but Genova a mano armata sports a rather unique happy-go-lucky charm due to the carefree nature of it's protagonist, played by Tony Lo Bianco.

Maybe it's because I haven't seen a poliziotteschi in a while, but I got a good kick out of this, despite some obvious weaknesses. Lo Bianco appears to be doing most of his own stuntwork, and a few of the fisticuffs are quite well choreographed & performed. The catchy theme song by Franco Micalizzi is very familiar, although the film is one of the rarer ones within the genre, at least as a proper presentation. Genova makes a nice chance of backdrop to Milan & Rome. Humor is present, sometimes also unintentionally.

Most of the reviewers complaining about an incoherent plot must've seen a badly edited version, because the print screened at a showing I attended (35mm, in Italian with custom digital Finnish subtitles) made the story easy to follow despite not making total sense in every twist. Reportedly it was fully uncut & 10 minutes longer than the version currently available on YouTube (without subtitles).

A disgraced American cop (Tony Lo Bianco) sets up a detective agency in Genova, Italy. His only client is Dr. Marta Mayer (Maud Adams) who has hired him to find out who kidnapped and killed her father. It isn't easy as villains pop up ever 10 minutes to kill him and he has to contend with cantankerous Italian cop Lo Gallo (Adolfo Celi). This is a really odd thriller from director Mario Lanfranchi. I say that because stuff happens at random in the flick. For example, Lo Bianco just shows up at places where major plot moments are going down. How did he know to be there? Am I just supposed to assume his amazing detective work brought him there? The strangest moment has Lo Bianco shooting himself up with heroin to get inside a fancy rehab facility that actually wants to distribute more street drugs. It is interesting to see Adams post-THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN and pre-OCTOPUSSY. Lo Bianco, obviously cashing in on his fame with THE FRENCH CONNECTION, seems to be having fun as the wise ass detective and does a lot of his own stunts.

'Genova A Mano Armata' probably isn't the go-to title for seasoned Euro-crime junkies, and may not be the most refined example of the heady, idiosyncratic insanity of post-Dirty Harry, post French Connection, post-haste Italian poliziotteschi! Wherein dramatic subtlety is disdained no less aggressively than political correctness! Strident Alpha male theatricality dominates with the more indelible examples of the genre created by versatile mavericks like, Sergio Martino, Lucio Fulci, Stelvio Massi, Fernando Di Leo and, of course, Enzo G. Castellari. The consistently grungy 'Genova A Mano Armata' lacks the overall finesse and professional polish of Euro-crime's Grindhouse grandmasters, the vibrant cast consistently deliver solid performances. Lanfranchi's rumbustious, bloody-knuckled, roundhouse-rocking poliziotteschi sure 'aint pretty, but it righteously smashes all the right B-Movie buttons into a joyous pulp! (fiction)

Ostensibly, this is another exploitative riff on Friedkin's masterpiece. In this especially hectic instance, the drug-dealing machinations of, Caleb, energetically played by, Howard Ross, who is on rare form as the machine-gunning thug enforcer working for his vulpine, heart-palpitatingly beautiful paymaster, Marta Mayer (Maude Adams). Tougher than a Teflon truss ex-cop 'The American' (Tony Lo Bianco),stumbles into this heroin-sticky milieu, not only capable of taking a severe beating, but giving out a few himself on his bloody, fist-flying quest to retrieve the missing ransom money he was initially hired to locate! The American's bloody duplicitous trail of teeth-rattling twists, terminal trysts is leavened with his endless beef with the hypertensive Commisario Lo Gallo (Adolfo Celi) who disdains, Lo Bianco's maverick, and frequently uncouth sleuthing methodology!

There is no denying the fact that 'Genova A Mano Armata' is a derivative work. The chaotic, slam-bang action, while plentiful, has little of the bravura style of a Lenzi or Castellari, and yet, Lo Bianco is a an engagingly fiesty lead, with the enigmatic, Adolfo Celi and sublime Maud Adams being no less entertaining to watch. While frequently formulaic, it's a bellicose B-Movie blast, and the wickedly grimy crime-funk score by maestro, Franco Micalizzi is a tarmac-squealing, greasy Wah-funking delight! Kudos for avoiding the J & B ubiquity as twin-fisted law bringer, Lo Bianco, like some exiled Droog favours milk over blended imported booze! 'Genova A Mano Armata' gets 3 busted knuckles out of five!