Flic en jean

This 1976 Italian movie, which casts a great Maurizio Merli and the veteran John Saxon, is the third(and the last one)film of Commissario Betti's series, after Roma Violenta(also directed by Girolami) and Napoli Violenta(directed by Umberto Lenzi). It's really a terrific movie! The story is great, the soundtrack and the acting are outstanding and the action scenes are probably among the best shot ever, with a style very similar to Enzo G. Castellari's one(who is always synonym of quality). If you're big fans of Italian 70's poliziottesco, you have to watch this movie, which is one of the most representative and amazing ever shot! I suggest it to anybody!

Maurizio Merli may have come to fame as a Franco Nero impersonator; but after that he really came into his own and if his name is on the cast list (particularly if it's at the top of the cast list), you're pretty much guaranteed a good film. This one was the final outing for Merli's Commissario Betti character, and he ensures the ace crime fighter goes out with a bang as Marino Girolami's film is packed to breaking point with car chases, shootouts and fist fights and certainly delivers on the promise of being an action packed thriller! The plot focuses on Commissario Betti. Once again, he's aggravated at the amount of crime going on in the city and his attention is focused mainly on two big crimes; a bank robbery and a kidnap plot. The Commissioner battles bravely to ensure the crooks are brought to justice but soon realises that there's no point in merely sorting out the henchmen and decides to go after the man he believes is heading the criminal operations; slimy businessman Albertelli, although bringing justice on the head criminal may not be so easy...

This film is very easy to watch and getting lost in the numerous action scenes is a lot of fun. The plot flows very smoothly and there really is very little time when something isn't happening, which is really exactly what you want from a film like this. The action scenes do take over the plot at times; but it's not really important because entertainment is the main thing. The plot itself is certainly interesting, however; with the main focus being on the police matching wits with a very sly and intelligent criminal. You can always count on Maurizio Merli for a great performance and he doesn't disappoint here. He does look just a little bit silly at times admittedly, but he actually does convince us that he is a man who would give everything to stop crime in the city (although by this point, he had a lot of practise!). The film is not exactly heavy and although certain scenes are quite nasty; the atmosphere is usually quite light. Franco Micalizzi's score is very good too, and Merli receives very good support from cult supremo John Saxon. The ending is a bit of downer, but I can't complain given how entertaining the rest of the film is. Highly recommended!

This is probably the most action-packed film I have ever seen - and I have seen quite a few. Unlike in many Italian films of the seventies, not much time is wasted on phony emotional slush. There are no slow-motion shots and few "face studies" so typical of cheap cinema,where poliziottesci generally belong. The story is usually quite believable and logical but also pleasantly fresh and unpredictable. Action scenes are imaginative and realistic - I particularly liked the car chases - though some fight scenes do look rather wooden and the the punches are always much too loud. Maurizio Merli does not overact too much (especially if compared with Franco Nero). He does a really nice job as a tough but likable inspector. He chases the criminals, but can also be lenient with those who want to mend their ways. There is also a nice romantic element in the story. Another advantage of the film is the absence of politics. One is frequently unpleasantly surprised at the amount of naive leftist brain-washing in Italian action cinema of the 70s. (eg. Milano callibro 9) I don't understand the undeservedly low rating of this film in imdb(5.9. I have also seen 'La polizia incrimina, la legge assolve' by Castellari, rated at 7.5, and I think this is a much better film. The dialogues are good though I can't guarantee for the translations. Learn Italian and see the original. However, this is not a family cinema. A few scenes are really rough, so I wouldn't recommend the film to anybody under 15.

There are a lot of things that go into a crime film, from car chases to clever plots by the crooks to betrayals and turn-arounds, power struggles, etc. This one is memorable in that it gets full marks for all the bits that go into one, and it delivers that for more than an hour and a half full stop. The dialogue was a bit trite at times, which is why I gave it 9/10, but if you like *any* kind of crime movie, I think you would not only like this one, it's one of those that has you thinking about it for a while afterwards. I grabbed a big pizza pie and a nice red wine and really enjoyed watching this. The director did all the usual Italian filone, but was pretty mediocre with his Westerns and it took him a while to get going with this filone, but I think in this one he hit his straps. I think this was actually better than his good, later, Roma Violenta. Has to get 9/10 in my book as it's a good example of the genre that transcends it to compete across the broader genre, in every era.

It's all happening in this one, great opening theme music backed up by plenty of nasty 1970s action from the get go. Poor man's Franco Nero, bottle blond Maurizio Merli, has his hands full before the opening credits finish rolling, with not only a violent bank robbery but also a mass kidnapping of children on their way to school. Later there are a couple of the best car chases I've seen in a "Poliziotteschi" movie, as well as the obligatory rape scene, and a particularly graphic "dragged behind a car" execution. All this and a surprise ending thrown in for good measure, what more could you ask?