GUENOT PHILIPPE
I won't add much more if you compare with what said the other users. Yes you have to deal here with a brilliant Italian crime flick, which shows us that cinema from the other side of the Alps may be terrific when it dares to. This story of a double abducting involving two children: a poor and a wealthy one, with then the confusion about their family, the poor and the rich one reminds me another little underrated gem named GRACELAND with almost the same scheme. This very one is not so usual among crime movies. GRACELAND was very narrowly released and made in the Philipines. That's all what I will say about it. Interesting films that are not so common these days. The feature from the Philipines are from 2013 although.
MARIO GAUCI
Following Di Leo's fine erotic drama LA SEDUZIONE (1973), I decided to check out the other as-yet-unwatched film of his I owned on VHS. It's another of the many action flicks he made and, in retrospect, it emerges as second-tier material. There's little that's new here in terms of plot, the action sequences aren't among the most memorable Di Leo directed and Luis Bacalov's pulsating score, while effective on its own, is awfully reminiscent of the one he composed for CALIBRE 9 (1972)!The plot is actually just as topical, in view of the recent kidnapping - and death - of a toddler which shook Italy. The film's first half, involving the kidnapping itself and the negotiations about the ransom, is pretty routine (certainly light years away from Kurosawa's riveting treatment of a similar situation in his masterly HIGH AND LOW [1963]) - though aided by the presence of James Mason (who's not really at home in these surroundings!), Valentina Cortese (delivering a rather hysterical performance) and Vittorio Caprioli (whose gestures and language Di Leo always manages to render hilarious and irresistible). Likewise, Luc Merenda is too ordinary-looking to pass muster in comparison with the unconventional heroes of other Di Leo poliziotteschi like Gastone Moschin in CALIBRE 9, Mario Adorf in THE Italian CONNECTION (1972) and Henry Silva in WIPEOUT! (1973). The element of sentimentality over the killing of Merenda's son because industrialist Mason (whose son was also kidnapped) refuses to pay up is heavy-handed, while Merenda's long-winded pursuit of the kidnappers (by pretending to get in on the dealings) doesn't convince. In the end, it's passable as entertainment but it's nowhere near as engrossing as Di Leo could be at his best!
HumanoidOfFlesh
The son of wealthy business man and philanthropist(James Mason)is abducted.The kidnappers capture a second child,the son of a poor motorcycle mechanic,for their devious plan.Mason is a hard nosed business negotiator who refuses to pay the stiff ransom that is demanded by the kidnappers.He decides to try to 'haggle' over the price of the two children's lives.This attitude enrages the bandits and results in the brutal killing of the poor boy.Distraught and infuriated,the dead boy's father devises a plan to avenge his son's death,by exterminating the kidnappers one by one.This Fernando Di Leo's action flick is not as good as his earlier "Hit Men",but it offers some exciting car chases and plenty of violence.The acting is pretty good and the suspense almost never lets up.So if you're a fan of Italian action flicks give this one a look.7 out of 10.
Paul Petroskey
This is a really great Italian crime/revenge movie. Two kids are kidnapped: a rich man's child and a poor man's child. The rich man decides to try and haggle over the ransom, which causes the kidnappers to kill the poor man's child to make their point. From then on, I was rooting for the dad to go get those jerks!!! Great chases and action, totally entertaining.
AD
