ma-cortes It is an interesting drama/thriller plenty of thrills , taut , intrigue , twists and turns . Jeff Heston (Charles Bronson , though Tony Musante and Jon Voight were considered for the part) is the number one killing people with a bullet whose reputation has caught up with him . After a bloody double-cross leaves him for dead and barely escapes a murder attempt , the professional hit man named Jeff tracks down the shooter and his gorgeous mistress Vanessa Shedon (Jill Ireland , Bronson's wife , though Sharon Tate was considered and Florinda Bolkan was originally lined up to star) to New Orleans . But when Jeff takes revenge , he finds himself blackmailed by a mobster (Telly Savalas , who does not appear in the movie until about one hour in) wants him to join his organization . Jeff refuses , and is then chased and hunted through an unforgiving city where love is like a serpent or like a loaded gun . Thrilling movie about the very deadly rivalry between two extreme contenders , a double-crossed wealthy murderer , Charles Bronson , betrayed by his girlfriend , Jill Ireland , and a powerful crime boss , Telly Savalas . This crime thriller packs intrigue , suspense , noisy action-packed with exciting racing cars , explosive excitement , thrills and lots of violence . United Artists cut about eight minutes from the Italian version of this film for its American release . The film relies heavily in the complex , inter-relationship between a fiercely independent gunman , a mob boss , and their shared love interest . Bronson is pretty good as a killer sets out to revenge his Femme Fatal woman and the gang boss who put her up to it . He gives his usual stoic acting and displays efficiently his weapons and killing mercilessly his objectives , that's why the debts of vendetta are paid in bullets . It's certainly thrilling , though the morality may be questionable , even in this time , as the spectators were clearly on the Bronson's side in spite of being a ruthless killer . Bronson as a very professional hit man for a powerful organization offers the sort of monolithic acting , as always . This was one of the first major star teamings of action star Charles Bronson with his actress wife Jill Ireland . Jill Ireland gives a mediocre performance as Jeff's love interest , but the romance isn't what this movie is about and director knows his action . Furthermore , it appears a nice secondary cast , such as : Umberto Orsini , Ray Saunders , Michael Constantin , George Savalas , Telly's brother , and there stands out Telly Savalas who though received second billing , he gives a brief but magnificent acting . It contains atmospheric musical score composed , orchestrated and performed by the great Ennio Morricone , including an unforgettable leitmotif .The motion picture was compellingly directed by recently deceased Sergio Sollima , he even choreographed the fight scenes himself because he wanted each character to have a fighting style tailored to their personality . This movie was inspired by Jean-Pierre Melville's The Samurai (1967). Sergio Sollima's direction is well crafted, here he's less cynical and more inclined toward violence and too much action . Sergio wrote and directed all kinds of genres such as Pirate films as ¨Sandokan ¨ and ¨ Black Corsario¨ ; Peplum : ¨Rocha¨ , "Spartacus and the Ten Gladiators" , "Triumph of the Ten Gladiators" , ¨Ursus¨ "Goliath Against the Giants" ; Thriller : ¨Revolver¨ (1973) ; Euro-spy : "Requiem for a Secret Agent" , "Agent 3S3: Hunter from the Unknown" , ¨Tanger 67¨ ; being especially known for his ¨Cuchillo trilogy¨ : ¨Run Cuchillo run¨, ¨Face to Face¨ , ¨The big Gundown¨. And this ¨Violent City¨ is essential and indispensable watching for Charles Bronson fans . This is a satisfyingly violent and thrilling flick that avid fans of the genre will love .

paul_johnr Charles Bronson's tenure in Europe featured roles vastly different from his potboilers of the late 1970s and 1980s. 'Città violenta' AKA 'Violent City' or 'The Family' is an example that was co-written and directed by Sergio Sollima, known mostly for against-the-grain thrillers and westerns. 'Violent City' is part of Bronson's sizeable résumé in international co-productions, which includes the Sergio Leone epic 'Once Upon a Time in the West' and René Clément's 'Rider on the Rain.' The film appeared during Italy's creative shift from the giallo to the poliziottescho, an over-the-top crime film that depicts urban life on the brink of chaos. Effectively made and highly unpleasant, 'Violent City' hits paydirt with its cast of Bronson, eventual 'Kojak' star Telly Savalas, and Jill Ireland, who acted in over a dozen films with her husband.Filmed at excellent locations in the U.S. Virgin Islands and New Orleans, 'Violent City' is vaguely similar to Bronson's 1972 drama 'The Mechanic.' Bronson plays Jeff Heston, a freelance assassin who is vacationing with his lover, jet-setting fashion model Vanessa Sheldon (Ireland). While enjoying a quiet trip, Jeff and Vanessa find themselves tailed by a band of hit men who are looking to finish Heston off. A car chase ensues in which Jeff is left for dead and Vanessa flees the scene with Coogan (Michel Constantin), a racecar driver who had previously hired Jeff to murder his uncle. Jeff is saved on an operating table, thrown into jail on suspicion of murder, and released with help from his lawyer Steve (Umberto Orsini). He returns to the U.S. and asks heroin-shooting investigator Killain (Michel Constantin again) to locate Vanessa so he can get to the bottom of things. Jeff soon finds himself in a love triangle with Vanessa and New Orleans mobster Al Weber (Savalas), who has since married his girlfriend.Unlike crime films by such directors as Umberto Lenzi and Ruggero Deodato that pour on the bloodshed, Sollima uses action sparingly and puts greater focus on character development. The film seems to have an almost Marxist undertone in dealing with Jeff and Vanessa as peons amidst a huge game where money (especially Weber's) is the determining factor. All of the characters are self-serving and unlikable; the only person you can really sympathize with is Vanessa, who finds herself in one erotic jam after another. But even then, Vanessa is a woman who continuously seeks power rather than trying to escape the cycle. The only admirable feature of Jeff Heston, meanwhile, is a desire for self-respect that often loses control and translates into bloodlust.While 'Violent City' is an effective thriller, it is bogged down at times by Sollima's heavy-handed, overtly political style. Sollima is a skilled director who knows how to counterbalance action and character far more than others of his generation. Violent City's opening car chase is expertly filmed and leaves you breathless, while later scenes gaze into the characters' psyches. However, 'Violent City' has stretches of philosophizing (wealth as power, control of the mass media, etc.) that get on one's nerves. This philosophizing helps to give characters dimension, but the script (co-written by Sollima and Lina Wertmüller, director of 'Seven Beauties') becomes too preachy for its own good. What helps to make other Spaghetti crime films effective is their fast tempo, leaving worn-on-the-sleeve philosophy in the background.Nevertheless, the three lead actors play their roles solidly. Bronson is a marginal character for once and shows the range of talent that he possessed. Savalas seems to be having fun in his role as Weber, taking full advantage of the wisecracks with Heston. This is also the best work I have seen from Jill Ireland, largely because her role asks for more than usual. Umberto Orsini and Michel Constantin are decent as supporting actors but overshadowed by the English-speaking leads. 'Violent City' is competently edited by Nino Baragli and photographed by Aldo Tonti, who later shot Dino Di Laurentiis's 'The Valachi Papers.' The score by Ennio Morricone is well-made as usual, although it's quite similar to his other Spaghetti crime films (especially 'Milano Odia').'Violent City' has received an excellent DVD release from Anchor Bay Entertainment; it gets fine presentation with several extras and restores footage not seen in its previous English releases. The film is offered in widescreen (2.35:1, enhanced for 16 x 9 televisions) with dubbing options in English, French, and Italian. Extras include a 15-minute interview with Sergio Sollima, a gallery of stills and posters, bios of the lead cast and crew, and the theatrical trailer. 'Violent City' has good print quality, although colors seem a bit washed out at times; artifacts and grain are rare. The original mono track is supplied with Dolby enhancement, making dialogue, effects, and Morricone's soundtrack crystal clear.Because the restored footage was never dubbed into English, it is supplied in Italian with English subtitles. This occurs at various points in the film, some apparently for censorship reasons and others by decision of the filmmakers; inconsequent lines were sliced from conversations between actors, while racy moments were toned down, such as Heston forcing himself on Vanessa. Nothing of impact was previously missing, but the restored footage does help to make 'Violent City' a smoother, more developed film. Overall, it's an interesting project from Bronson, Savalas, and Ireland, although its weighed-down atmosphere costs it a few points.** ½ out of 4

Witchfinder General 666 I'm a big fan of Sergio Sollima's ingenious Spaghetti Westerns, and Charles Bronson is without doubt a great enrichment to any movie he played in. Sollima's "Citta Violenta" aka. "Violent City" aka. "The Family" of 1970 is a very good crime/action flick with Bronson in the leading role and a great score by Ennio Morricone. "The Family" may not quite share the brilliance of Sollima's Westerns, but it is definitely a very solid, greatly acted film that no Bronson fan can afford to miss! After hit man Jeff Heston (Charles Bronson) is double crossed by his girlfriend (Bronson's real life wife Jill Ireland), and almost gets killed by rival gangsters, he spends the following four years in prison. After getting out of jail, he wants to track down those who betrayed him. It is not so easy, however, to find out who was involved in his assassination attempt, and Heston has to make quite an effort to distinguish between friends and enemies.Charles Bronson is once again great as the leading character, and definitely the best choice to play Jeff Heston. Telly Savalas also delivers a great performance as the boss of a crime family. Although many folks seem to think differently, I also found that Jill Ireland did a great job as femme fatale Vanessa. One of the few things that were not quite necessary in "Citta Violenta", were the endless car chases. Car chases are of course mandatory for a film like this, but when they get too long, they can get a bit boring easily. The car chase sequences here are usually followed by violent action, however. The movie is quite imaginatively photographed, and Ennio Morricone's score is, as always, great, and although it is a bit different to the 'typical' Morricone that we're used to from Westerns, it is immediately clear who composed this soundtrack.A very well made action flick with a great leading performance by Bronson, "Citta Violenta" is a great flick, maybe not quite as essential as Sollima's Westerns, but immensely entertaining, atmospheric and totally badass, and not to be missed by a Bronson fan. 8/10

inspectors71 Only the most die-hard of Charles Bronson fans would gladly sit through 1970's The Family, a grade-Z, Italian-made, oh-so-deep, hit-man story.Don't get me wrong. I always liked Bronson and I know he had to make his living in Europe in the late 60's because the big shots in America wouldn't give him a chance, but cripes, this sloppy, talky, tinny, overly-deep, incoherent, dubbed-to-death (read Roger Ebert's very funny review in the Chicago Sun-Times) piece of Euro-trash is so awful that the only three things I can say for it are as follows: 1. Bronson, God rest his soul, was what every middle-aged man would like to look like 2. The car chase at the start of the film is pretty darned entertaining 3. Jill Ireland, God rest her soul, couldn't act her way out of a wet paper bag, regardless of the killer curves The rest is for you to decide upon, if you're a glutton for Euro-punishment.