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[IL COMMISSARIO]

MILANO TREMA: LA POLIZIA VUOLE GIUSTIZIA- THE VIOLENT PROFESSIONALS (1973)

Luc Merenda, Richard Conte

Former model Merenda plays another suspended detective (Lt. Giorga) whose boss and friend is killed so he goes undercover and infiltrates the mob taking matters in his own hands. He impresses one of the mob bosses (Conti) and is given a job as a driver for a bank heist. Things go wrong on the job and Giorga is forced to show his hand culminating in him bringing down the crime ring.

The first 10-15 minutes of this film are tense and very violent but the remainder of the film never quite reaches the level of the opening sequence although there is a very exciting car chase later in the film that seems to pop up in small bits in later poliziotteshi films.

Merenda is really good here more so than later roles, in this, his first stab at a DIRTY HARRY type character. Merenda would eventually tire of doing these kind of films and later opened up an antique shop in Italy. Merenda appeared in the spaghetti MAN CALLED AMEN and also RED SUN. He also did movies in nearly every italian genre including a nunsploitation picture!

Conti, perfectly cast here was also in THE GODFATHER, VIOLENT ROME and Fernando Di Leo's THE BOSS the third in his "Mileu" trilogy if I am not mistaken.

Written by spaghetti writer-director Ernesto Gastaldi (7 GUNS FOR MACGREGORS & 7 WOMEN...)

Sergio Martino turns in a fine directorial job showing how adept at action he can be. Martino would specialize in action pictures throughout his career directing MAN CALLED BLADE (1977) with Merli, 2019: AFTER THE FALL OF NEW YORK (1983), BIG ALLIGATOR RIVER (1979) and HANDS OF STEEL which was the last film of Italian actor Claudio Cassinelli who was killed in a helicopter crash during the filming.

[Paul]

I ahve the Alan Young pictures release of this - it's on a double bill with ALMOST HUMAN, which is a bit of a strange combination...

It's a shame that Martino did make more crime films. It's arguable whether or not SUSPECTED DEATH OF A MINOR could be categorised as crime, but he really should have made more, either way. VIOLENT PROFESSIONALS is really good and features a terrific G&M score.

[Stephen Grimes]

It's arguable whether or not SUSPECTED DEATH OF A MINOR could be categorised as crime, but he really should have made more, either way.

He did.He also made the excellent GAMBLING CITY (La città gioca d'azzardo) and the even better SILENT ACTION (La polizia accusa: il servizio segreto uccide).
SILENT ACTION is a classic.Very downbeat and bleak but one of Martino's best.There's an Italian language dvd out on NoShame Italy and someone has just done a lovely English fandub of said Italian disc.

[Paul]

I've seen  GAMBLING CITY - it's a good film. Not seen SILENT ACTION - I was hoping NoShame US would release it, though that looks unlikely now. My bad for overlooking these two.

[Stephen Grimes]

there is a very exciting car chase later in the film that seems to pop up in small bits in later poliziotteshi films.

Martino's Dania Film reused this scene in ALMOST HUMAN
They also re-used the scene of the Citroen smashing against the tree in SILENT ACTION which was released 2 years later.

[Mart85]

Was never really impressed with THE VIOLENT PROFESSIONALS but I bloody love the De Angelis score and the car chases.  For me SILENT ACTION is Martino's best entry into the genre.

[IL COMMISSARIO]

yes, it is in ALMOST HUMAN and I think different angles of it are in CYNIC, RAT & THE FIST or one of the other Lenzi movies as well.

[Kalibre38]

Silent Action is definately a favorite of mine though I have yet to see a movie of Sergio Martinos I didn't enjoy in some way or another (other then comedies which I dont like in general). I believe Martino has his own style of directing which makes him stand out in the genres he chose to try. Violent Professionals deserves more credit then I ever see it recieving.

My Silent Action Lobby. Don't you just love explosions on posters? 

[Stephen Grimes]

yes, it is in ALMOST HUMAN and I think different angles of it are in CYNIC, RAT & THE FIST or one of the other Lenzi movies as well.

It's re-used in Roma a mano armata,made a note of it whilst watching it again the other day.

[Inspector Tanzi]

yes, it is in ALMOST HUMAN and I think different angles of it are in CYNIC, RAT & THE FIST or one of the other Lenzi movies as well.

It's re-used in Roma a mano armata,made a note of it whilst watching it again the other day.

Lenzi used it twice, it's in The "Executioner/Almost Human" aswell.
And it is used at the start of "Cop in Drag" in the English language print (it wasn't in the Italian release, it was added by English language distributors to try and make it look like it has more action).

Another one i can think of is G & M De Angelis' "Gangster story" from "High Crime/Marseilles Connection" which can also be heard in "Violent Rome" and "Weapons of death"

[Paul]

Here's a short review from me:

1973, Directed by Sergio Martino

aka Milano trema - la polizia vuole giustizia (Italy)

Sergio Martino’s THE VIOLENT PROFESSIONALS is one of the better entries into the Italian crime genre. Italian crime has gathered somewhat of a cult following in recent years and it’s easy to see why. Martino, Umberto Lenzi and Enzo G. Castellari carved careers making these types of picture, inspired by the likes of DIRTY HARRY and THE FRENCH CONNECTION.

The Italian crime recipe is simple. Take one renegade cop, a dastardly villain and add Alfa Romeos, beautiful girls and a pumping synth score and the end result is as fun and exciting as movies get.

THE VIOLENT PROFESSIONALS centres around Giorgio Caneparo (the always reliable Luc Merenda), an unorthodox cop (aren't they all?) from Milan whose most recent case, requires him to go undercover as a getaway driver. Sounds simple but the group he must infiltrate happen to be the most brutal and unscrupulous gang in the country…

THE VIOLENT PROFESSIONALS is one of the genre’s best efforts and benefits from some great action sequences and a thundering music score by Maurizio and Guido de Angelis. Well worth a view after the pub.

Vipco's disc is presented in a non-anamorphic widescreen print, framed in the original 2.35:1 aspect ratio. Picture is above average throughout. The sound is presented in Dolby Digital mono and is functional if not overwhelming.

Extras are limited to some trailers for other Vipco releases.

The Italian DVD, on the Alan Young pictures label is far superior and features anamorphic widescreen and DD5.1 sound. This is only available as part of a double bill with Umberto Lenzi's ALMOST HUMAN [Italian Title: Milano odia: la polizia non può sparare].

[Inspector Tanzi]

Italian release

[Stephen Grimes]

Got the French digipack on Neo Publishing the other day which has a nice looking transfer,French/Italian options plus a 20min interview with Martino.

[ecc]

I believe I've read that Lenzi re-used some footage from Deodato's JUNGLE HOLOCAUST in one of his cannibal movies.

yes, it is in ALMOST HUMAN and I think different angles of it are in CYNIC, RAT & THE FIST or one of the other Lenzi movies as well.

It's re-used in Roma a mano armata,made a note of it whilst watching it again the other day.

Lenzi used it twice, it's in The "Executioner/Almost Human" aswell.
And it is used at the start of "Cop in Drag" in the English language print (it wasn't in the Italian release, it was added by English language distributors to try and make it look like it has more action).

Another one i can think of is G & M De Angelis' "Gangster story" from "High Crime/Marseilles Connection" which can also be heard in "Violent Rome" and "Weapons of death"

[loops]

Yes he did, for his film Eaten Alive, along with footage from his own Deep River Savages and Martinos Mountain of the Cannibal God.