Roma violenta (1975)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Marino Girolami

Writers:

Vincenzo Mannino (screenplay)
Vincenzo Mannino (story)

Release Date:

28 May 1976 (West Germany)

Genre:

Action | Crime

Plot:

A detective sick and tired of the rampant crime and violence in his city, and constantly at odds with his superiors...

Plot Keywords:

Criminal | Violence | Milan Italy | Robbery | Revenge

Cast

Maurizio Merli	...	Commissario Betti
Richard Conte	...	Avv. Sartori
Silvano Tranquilli	...	Capo della Squadra mobile
Ray Lovelock	...	Biondi
John Steiner	...	Franco 'English' Spadoni
Daniela Giordano	...	Erika
Attilio Duse
Giuliano Esperanti		(as Giuliano Esperati)
Marcello Monti	...	The Chink
Consalvo Dell'Arti
Luciano Rossi	...	Delivery Man
Pippo Pollaci
Marco Stefanelli	...	Grocery Store Robber
Brunello Chiodetti
Ruggero Diella	...	Boy Killed on Bus

Also Known As:

Forced Impact (UK) (video title)
Violent City (USA)
Violent Rome (USA) (video title)

Runtime:

Brazil:89 min

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Norway:16 (video version) | Denmark:15 (video premiere) | Germany:18 | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Mincio Square, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Flaminia Produzioni Cinematografiche

Trivia:

Final film of Richard Conte.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: While Biondi is given physical therapy for his paralysis, he wiggles his toes slightly on his supposedly paralyzed leg.

Movie Connections:

Spin off Italia a mano armata (1976)

VIOLENT ROME (Marino Girolami, 1975) **

The first in a poliziottesco trilogy featuring Maurizio Merli as Commissioner Betti; the first and last entries were directed by Girolami under the alias of Franco Martinelli and the second by Umberto Lenzi.

As such, this one certainly set the template for the others: its plot involves a gang of crooks who commit four armed robberies throughout the course of the film (from a bus, a supermarket, a restaurant and a bank) - where the culprits, sloppily, contrive to always leave behind a victim - which sends the iconoclastic cop (obviously inspired by Clint Eastwood's Inspector "Dirty" Harry Callahan) on their trail. The action sequences - which also take in several beatings, a rape (committed in front of the girl's ageing father) and car chases - are certainly capably staged which, propelled by a pounding score from Guido and Maurizio De Angelis (better known as "Oliver Onions"), give the film an unrelenting pace that ensures it never slips into boredom despite its being predictable at every turn!

The second half, however, is quite interesting: Merli quits the force after shooting a hood (John Steiner) in 'cold-blood' - apparently, it little matters to his superiors that the latter had done the same to undercover cop and Merli protégé Ray Lovelock, who remains paralyzed for life! - but is called into 'service' for a different kind of justice by a small band of former victims, led by lawyer Richard Conte, who have turned vigilante!!