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Il Grande Racket
The Big Racket
Italy 1976
produced by
Galliano Juso for Cinemaster
directed by Enzo G. Castellari
starring Fabio Testi, Vincent Gardenia, Renzo Palmer, Orso Maria Guerrini, Glauco Onorato, Sal Borgese, Romano Puppo, Antonio Marsina, Daniele Dublino, Ruggero Diella, Massimo Vanni, Salvatore Billa, Roberto Dell'Acqua, John Loffredo (= Joshua Sinclair), Stefania Girolami Goodwin, Marcello Michaelangeli, Edy Biagetti, Anna Bellini, Giovanni Bonadonna, Franco Borelli, Pietro Ceccarelli, Domenico Cianfriglia, Giovanni Cianfriglia, Dino Mattielli, Carmelo Reale, Angelo Ragusa, Enzo G. Castellari, Fulvio Mingozzi
story by Massimo De Rita, screenplay by Massimo De Rita, Enzo G. Castellari, Angelino Maiuri, music by Guido De Angelis, Maurizio De Angelis
review by
Mike Haberfelner
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Available on DVD ! To buy, click on link(s) below and help keep this site afloat |
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A mob muscles in on collecting protection money in the busy streets of
Rome, and it falls upon sergeant Nico Palmieri (Fabio Testi) to bust them
... but unfortunately, he doesn't get anywhere far because the mob was
quite successful in intimidating its customers, and furthermore the
mob has a brilliant legal aide, Giovanni Giuni (Antonio Marsina), who gets
its members free in no time everytime they are arrested.
Plus, the mobsters definitely know what they are doing, once Palmieri
tries to follow them they manage to intercept him and brutally beat him
up, when restaurant owner Luigi (Renzo Palmer) squeals to the cops, they
have his daughter (Stefania Girolami Goodwin) gangraped - Luigi later
avenges himself by shooting two of the rapists in cold blood and is
arrested for it -, when the cops lay an ambush they are lured into a trap,
when championship marksman Rossetti (Orso Maria Guerrini) helps the cops
out they rape his wife before his very eyes, then burn her, and when
Palmieri plants two moles in their organisation, they have one (Ruggero
Diella) killed by a lynchmob, the other, Pepe (Vincent Gardenia) arrested.
And above all that, Palmieri's methods are so unpopular with his superiors
that he gets fired ...
Out of a job, Palmieri has still not got to the end of the trail: He
breaks Luigi, Pepe and Doringo (Romano Puppo), who was muscled out of the
protection racket by the mob, free from jail and hooks up with Rossetti
and Mazzarelli (Glauco Onorato), a nightclub owner who was cheated and
beaten up by the mob, organizes them as a team to fight the mob (since
each of them has personal motives to avenge himself) and lays an ambush
in awarehouse where the mob has a big meeting ...
It all culminates in a giant shoot-out during which the real boss of
the mob is revealed to be attorney Giovanni Giuni himself, and that
ultimately only Palmieri survives ...
The film might be a bit reactionary in message (if you see it as a
message film that is), but more than makes up for it with a series of
beautifully staged action setpieces and violent shoot-outs. The only thing
the film is really missing is a strong lead. Now Fabio Testi is not
necessarily a bad actor, but he pales in comparison to Franco Nero, who
could really carry similar films like Castellari's earlier, superior Street
Law.
Still, if you are an action fan, this film is definitely worth a look.
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Flix.com
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eThaiCD.com
find The Big Racket at adultvideouniverse.com
