Violent Naples (Napoli violenta) (1976)

7.9	Rating (11 ratings)
7.1	IMDB rating

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Directed by

Umberto Lenzi

Starring (View all)

Maurizio Merli
Commissario Betti

John Saxon
Francesco Capuano

Barry Sullivan
'O' Generale

Elio Zamuto
Franco Casagrande

Maria Grazia Spina
Gervasi's Wife

Silvano Tranquilli
Paolo Gervasi

Guido Alberti
Superintendent

Pino Ferrara
Don Peppino - Garage Owner

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Description: Umberto Lenzi is, in many respects, a classic example of the working directors who dominate the Italian film industry. Respected and admired by a certain percentage of EuroCult buffs, he worked in a number of popular genres but has never been regarded as master of most of them. His gialli - ranging from the heights of Orgasmo (1968) to the comparative depths of Eyeball (1974) - are generally entertaining, but suffer when compared to the works of Mario Bava, Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci. Riding high on the late 70s/early 80s wave of cannibalistic gore epics, he made the notorious Cannibal Ferox and the inept Nightmare City, but Umberto Lenzi is, in many respects, a classic example of the working directors who dominate the Italian film industry. Respected and admired by a certain percentage of EuroCult buffs, he worked in a number of popular genres but has never been regarded as master of most of them. His gialli - ranging from the heights of Orgasmo (1968) to the comparative depths of Eyeball (1974) - are generally entertaining, but suffer when compared to the works of Mario Bava, Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci. Riding high on the late 70s/early 80s wave of cannibalistic gore epics, he made the notorious Cannibal Ferox and the inept Nightmare City, but here again his work suffers in comparison to what Fulci and Ruggero Deodato were cranking out during the same busy time frame. More satisfying are his high octane crime thrillers, of which Violent Naples is a very good example...

Clearly inspired by the success of Don Siegel's Dirty Harry (1971), the Italian crime film genre tends to focus on rebellious cops, fed up with the legal system and all of its red tape, and determined to use any brutal means in order to attain justice. While these films aren't terrible "PC" by today's standards, they nevertheless tap into a deep-rooted sense of "eye for an eye" justice and can now find their parallel in the antics of Dennis Franz on NYPD Blue. Lenzi's crime thrillers, typified by this film, follow the general rule of thumb in presenting a vigilante cop or ex-cop who sets out on a quest for vengeance. His methods are invariably brutal, but the film surmounts any temptation to look down on such actions by making the villains as sleazy as possible, their acts as heinous as imaginable.

Lenzi proves himself more than adept at sustaining a fast pace and in delivering well-staged action setpieces. Like so many of his contemporaries, he is also not shy about depicting violence. In particular, a sequence wherein Sullivan's smooth drug lord smashes in a "traitor's face with a bowling ball (!) is memorable in its clever brutality. The film is also not short on chases, be they by car, motorcycle, or on foot. Here again, Lenzi is fully in command of the material, making excellent use of camerawork and editing to pump up the adrenaline.

Lenzi is also well served by a fine cast, headed by Maurizio Merli. Merli, also seen in the director's The Cynic, The Rat and The Fist, bears more than a passing resemblance to Franco Nero - but he possesses a strength and charisma all his own. He makes a terrific impression as the embittered and impassioned policeman who is determined to break as many laws as possible in his quest for justice. The villains are very well represented indeed by Barry Sullivan and John Saxon. Sullivan (Planet of the Vampires) makes for a suave, avuncular presence and so his violent outbursts come as that much more of a surprise. Saxon isn't as well used here as he was in Lenzi's The Cynic, The Rat and The Fist, but he makes for a suitably slimy character. The supporting cast includes some very familiar EuroCult faces, including Guido Alberti (8 1/2, What?), Luciano Rossi (Death Smiled on Murder, Death Walks at Midnight) and Fulvio Mingozzi (Deep Red, Suspiria).

Technical credits are first-class, with Franco Micalizzi's rousing soundtrack setting an appropriately funky tone. Lenzi makes terrific use of the widescreen format throughout, and one walks away from the film with the impression that his stature would be much higher than it is if he had avoided so many schlocky projects outside this genre. ... (more)

Tags: Action (1), Thriller (1), Crime (1), Foreign Language (1), Sequel (1), 1976 (1), Poliziottesco (1), 1970s 1976 (1)

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Watched in 2021 (219 movies items)

"4.4. KAUPUNKI Maurizio Merlin tähdittämä poliziottesco sai toimia kaupunkikuvauksena. Umberto Lenzin kyttäfilmissä on se tuttu kaava, jossa rikolliset mellastavat joka ikisessä kadunkulmassa poliisin ollessa täysin voimaton. Tarvitaan siis suoraselkäinen rikollisia vihaava vigilante-poliisi, joka selittää yrmeänä, että tämä on ainoa oikea keino, vaikka hänet heitetäänkin bussin alle. Tekijätiimin tapa kuvata lähestulkoon jokainen alle 30-vuotias vastaantulijoita pahoinpitel"