The Tough Ones (1976) review

THE TOUGH ONES 1976 aka ROMA A MANO ARMATA (ROME ARMED TO THE TEETH) aka BRUTAL JUSTICE aka ASSAULT WITH A DEADLY WEAPON

Maurizio Merli (Commissioner Leonardo Tanzi), Arthur Kennedy (Vice Chief of Police Ruini), Tomas Milian (Vincenzo Moretto), Maria Rosaria Omaggio (Anna), Giampiero Albertini (Commissioner Caputo), Ivan Rassimov (Tony Parenzo), Biagio Pelligra (Savelli), Stefano Patrizi (Stefano), Luciano Catenacci (Ferdinando Gerace), Sandra Cardini (Sandra Moretto), Luciano Pigozzi (Moretto Henchman)

Directed by Umberto Lenzi

The Short Version: Lenzi teams up with Italian superstar Maurizio Merli for the first of four times in a visual charge of assault and battery playing out in 1970s crime-riddled Rome. You'll notice the lack of an actual plot, but it was planned that way; instead of a linear narrative, it's a series of brutal incidents strung together while Merli's Inspector Tanzi does some brutalizing of his own. Packed with violence, car chases, and colorfully despicable villains, Lenzi's heavily armed actioner is a TOUGH ONE to beat.

Inspector Tanzi, a Rome cop increasingly frustrated with a flawed legal system and increasing criminality, sets his gun sights on busting a crime ring ran by the powerful Ferrender. Unfortunately, the gangster is always one step ahead of the police. Tanzi then attempts to nail the kingpin by tracing his associates; including a deranged, hunchbacked slaughterhouse worker named Moretto. Tanzi's methods are unorthodox, garnering unwanted media attention and stirring the ire of his superiors; while making himself a target

 

The vastly underrated Umberto Lenzi was unique among his colleagues that, like him, worked in a multitude of genres. To contrast, Lenzi had a signature style that other directors in his company didn't have. You could watch one of his movies without seeing his name in the credits and be able to discern that he was indeed at the helm. With its docu-style camerawork; cold, emotionally detached characterizations; and exclamation-marked scenes of viciousness, THE TOUGH ONES is no exception.

Lenzi had already directed four crime pictures prior to this one--those being GANG WAR IN MILAN (1973), ALMOST HUMAN (1974), MAN HUNT IN THE CITY (1975), and SYNDICATE SADISTS (1975). His next in the genre, THE TOUGH ONES (aka ROME ARMED TO THE TEETH), was as varied as his four previous entries. It would be successful enough to ensure Lenzi would maintain the 'Violent Cop' formula for five of the six remaining crime movies he would direct before saying 'arrivederci' to the genre that gave him his best box office returns.

There's barely a plot in Dardano Sacchetti's script; and what little there is exists solely as a string of brutal acts perpetrated by three disparate villains whose only commonality is the violence and misery they bring to their victims. The threadbare storyline revolves around Merli's determined Inspector Tanzi trying to nail syndicate head Ferrender and being outsmarted at every turn. Incidentally, Ferrender hardly figures into the narrative at all; his character is simply a mobile with assorted scummy figures from all walks of life dangling from it. 

At the center of it all is Merli's frustrated cop exasperated at a flawed judicial system that tends to inadvertently work in the favor of felons and lawbreakers by freeing them to maim or kill again. Merli's Leonardo Tanzi compensates by constantly staying turned up to eleven, forcing Rome's miscreant population to swallow bullets and fists, beating the holy hell out of every petty crook, drug-pusher and rapist in sight. At one point, Tanzi's excessive force becomes a liability so he's taken off the Ferrender case and placed in a licensing desk job; this seems to piss him off even more and so he then begins moonlighting--accepting applications for permits by day and lowering the city's criminal employment numbers by night.

Maurizio Merli is arguably at his angriest here, never smiling or registering any emotion other than enmity and rancor. Granted, his frustration is understandable considering the actions of the lowlife's presented to us. However, Tanzi's disgruntled policeman is over the top to the point of comedy. We cheer him on but can't help but chuckle at his overzealous trigger-finger and bitchslaps gifted to the scum of the Earth who, by all intents and purposes, deserve it.

As usual with these movies, critics and communists alike ironically labeled them fascist because of, in the case of this film, Tanzi's excessive means to either get a confession or get an arrest that sometimes ends with the offender taking a permanent dirt nap. With the laws written in such a way that they seem to protect the rights of thugs more than law-abiding citizens, Tanzi's propensities were shared by the viewing audience; since said laws impacted the lives of the public at large as opposed to the politicians that passed them.

Representing ROME's softer side is Anna (played by Maria Rosaria Omaggio of Lenzi's NIGHTMARE CITY), Tanzi's overly naive, but good-natured girlfriend who believes that everyone can be rehabilitated. Over the course of the film, a handful of released delinquents ranging in age and level of criminality return to committing crimes or are killed due to their own carelessness. After a near-death experience with some of Moretto's colleagues, Anna begins to doubt her stance; although the outcome is ambiguous since there isn't a great deal of time spent with her.

Merli's cinematic MO showed a pattern between 1975-1977 and, went from letting off some steam to showing a lighter side that allowed the actor to smile a while. His crime films became more relaxed and the actor was given more room to emote and even do some comedy. Even so, it's his interchangeably hard-nosed roles in films like ROME ARMED TO THE TEETH and VIOLENT NAPLES (1976) that people remember with great affection.

Lenzi's movie has an intentionally fragmented plot wherein both upper and lower ends of the social strata make up the criminal element indigenous to ROME's savage concrete jungle. Violence doesn't recognize who is rich or poor, it simply exists everywhere.

Tomas Milian's hunchback, Vincenzo Moretto, is a seemingly small time crook working as a butcher in a slaughterhouse (and he drives a Porsche!) with a connection to Ferrender via his brother-in-law; another criminal named Savelli (played by Biagio Pelligra of Lenzi's 1979 genre farewell, FROM CORLEONE TO BROOKLYN). Milian delivers his usual superb performance, even managing to derive some initial viewer sympathy for his hunchback even though he's an evil son of a bitch. Viewers aren't aware of the depths of Moretto's cruelty till late in the movie when his physical deformity becomes a metaphor for his twisted psychosis. Till then, he's treated as a pitiable outcast.

The character was so popular Milian played him again in another Lenzi box office hit, BROTHERS TILL WE DIE (1978); a comical crime venture featuring Milian in a dual role essaying another famous Italian character on his vast resume, Monezza. Unlike ROME, the BROTHERS is a lesser effort although it is better appreciated by those familiar with the Italian slang heard throughout. Prior to playing a psycho hunchback, Milian delivered a tour de force of even more extreme villainy in Lenzi's seminal ALMOST HUMAN in 1974.

On the other end of the antagonistic spectrum is a group of young punks that not only get off on raping women, but get off on technicalities aided by their well-to-do parents. The leader of this pack is Stefano (played by Stefano Patrizi), an evil young man with an angelic face. These sections of the film allude to the Circeo Massacre that took place in the Lazio region in late September 1975. There were a handful of Italian crime movies inspired by, or based on, this murder case wherein three youths from wealthy families kidnapped and tortured two young girls.

That same year, Patrizi played basically the same role in Romolo Guerrieri's YOUNG, VIOLENT, DANGEROUS (1976). Incidentally, Tomas Milian co-stars as the relentless cop on the case, pursuing the young killers.

Elsewhere, genre regular Ivan Rassimov (star of Lenzi's MAN FROM DEEP RIVER and EATEN ALIVE!) plays a thoroughly despicable pimp named Tony Parenzo who, like the others, has a connection to Ferrender. Unfortunately, Rassimov's participation adds little to the picture other than an additional all-beef patty of sleaze on Lenzi's greasy crime burger.

With everything it has going for it, ROME is ultimately the Merli and Milian Show. 

Reportedly, producer Luciano Martino envisioned a crime epic featuring both Merli and Milian--the former having exploded onto the scene several months earlier in the successful VIOLENT ROME (1975); and the latter having become one of Italy's biggest draws from numerous westerns. The problem was that neither man liked each other. Their egos were such that in the sequel, THE CYNIC, THE RAT AND THE FIST (1977), both men reportedly shot their scenes separately and never actually shared the screen together. In ROME, they make superb foils onscreen and share a few memorable sequences together. It's unfortunate, though, that the finale is a slight disappointment considering the intensity of what came before.

It's rare a DVD or blu-ray's extras are discussed here, and this release is literally exploding with them; but one extra that this reviewer was most looking forward to was the feature length documentary on Umberto Lenzi's career. As welcome as it is, the nearly 90 minute ALL EYES ON LENZI doc is a surprising disappointment. There's not a great deal of career-spanning and so much of what is here has already been covered on previous Lenzi releases.

 
Yet again, lengthy, monotonous stretches are devoted to his cannibal movies and NIGHTMARE CITY (1980) with nothing new to offer on the making of them; just critics trotting out the usual buzzwords that so-called academics commonly associate with those pictures. There's no discussion of Lenzi's peplums and adventure movies; nor any mention of his spy films; and scarcely a nod to his star-studded war productions. Lenzi directed numerous big name stars from Steve Reeves to Henry Fonda and there's no conversation on the director working with any of them; nor does it appear he was even asked. It's like the makers couldn't be bothered to actually cover the man's entire career for a documentary that was supposed to do that very thing. Obviously, his giallo and crime films are covered, but it's the aforementioned extreme horror titles that are given the spotlight for the umpteenth time. The irony is that a tribute to the late Lenzi fails to cover--whether at length or even at all--films he directed for genres he took great pride in.

However, if you are curious about some of Lenzi's other pictures, such as his work in the spy genre, you can learn what it was like working with him from former peplum actor Roger Browne in our extensive interview you can read HERE.

As for ROME, it's a top tier entry in Italy's crime genre that, while virtually plotless, compensates by aggressively casting a wide net of exploitation tropes. Something of a 'greatest hits' compilation, Lenzi's tight direction coupled with Merli's machismo and Milian's misdeeds assault your senses with unstoppable entertainment value. Few films wrangled the energy of these TOUGH ONES.

This review is representative of the Grindhouse Releasing 3-disc blu-ray set (2 blu-rays and CD soundtrack). Specs and Extras: New 4K restoration; 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen; original Italian language w/English subs; English dubbed version; audio commentary w/Mike Malloy; brand new interviews with cast and crew including director Umberto Lenzi and Tomas Milian; tribute to Maurizio Merli; original international trailer; bonus CD of the soundtrack by Franco Micalizzi; liner notes by Italian crime film author Roberto Curti; still gallery; easter eggs... the first 2,500 copies contain a .30 caliber bullet pen; running time: 01:33:53

Special Cop In Action (1976) review

SPECIAL COP IN ACTION 1976 aka ITALIA A MANO ARMATA (ITALY ARMED TO THE TEETH)

Maurizio Merli (Commissioner Betti), Raymond Pellegrin (Arpino), John Saxon (Albertelli), Mirella D'Angelo (Luisa), Toni Ucci (Cacace), Daniele Dublino (Luizzi), Massimo Vanni (Fabbri)

Directed by Marino Girolami (as Franco Martinelli)

The Short Version: The Commissioner Betti series is capped with this, the GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY of the Tough Cop triumvirate. It's an epic denouement brought to you by the man who introduced the character, Marino Girolami (as Franco Martinelli), the father of Enzo G. Castellari. Merli is excessive force par excellence in what is easily his finest pure action film. There's shootings, car chases, stunts, and fist fights every five minutes. SPECIAL COP is certainly a Special entry in Italian Action cinema.

When he isn't trying to locate a busload of kidnapped school kids and solve a series of bank robberies, Commissioner Betti attempts to nail down the mastermind behind the crimes. Believing a smuggler named Albertelli is the kingpin, the real criminals pulling the strings want the persistent lawman out of the way; so Albertelli--who has a past with the Iron Commissioner--has Betti framed for murder. Sent to prison, Betti must now contend with dozens of thugs he put away there. It isn't long before Betti is released and he quickly turns the tables on Albertelli and his partners.

Maurizio Merli had been a bit part actor for a decade before he broke out as a leading man in 1975 starring in Girolami's VIOLENT ROME; a film that drew some inspiration from MAGNUM FORCE (1973), but owed greater allegiance to Steno's superb EXECUTION SQUAD (1972). A big hit for the actor, he returned to the role in 1976 for director Umberto Lenzi in the superior VIOLENT NAPLES. One of the finest films of its type, it stands tall alongside the best of Eastwood and Bronson. The same year Merli would play Commissioner Betti for the third and last time under Girolami's direction in SPECIAL COP IN ACTION; a film that deviates in tone and structure from the previous pictures.

If you've seen the first two movies, you'll notice Maurizio is more mello Merli this time around. He still dishes out lead justice and hard chops to the face with an open-handed fist, only he's slightly more restrained, and certainly more calculating; he takes more risks with his own life in trying to save whoever is in harm's way at that moment. By comparison, the Betti of VIOLENT ROME was like a wild west cowboy driven from policeman to vigilante; blurring the lines between law and lawlessness. For VIOLENT NAPLES, Merli's Betti retains that "I don't give a damn" approach to catching crooks and exposing corruption, but an element of pathos creeps into all that masculine attitude.

The Betti of SPECIAL COP is more refined, and fits the mold of Eastwood's Callahan more so than it did in Girolami's first go-round. Dramatically, his interpretation is more one-dimensional compared to the deeper tones of NAPLES; what little characterization that surfaced in Lenzi's classic is virtually non-existent here. Girolami's movie is more interested in giving the audience action, and Merli's fans will not be disappointed.

Each film is basically a separate adventure unrelated to each other. Merli's character is the only hold-over in the trilogy. What's uniquely frustrating about SPECIAL COP is that it has its own backstory. We discover that Betti has a past not only with some of his fellow officers, but the criminal element he's after. Unfortunately, we never learn much about these details beyond the periphery since the script isn't the least bit interested in exposition--using these ambiguous tidbits as an excuse to give the audience a chance to breathe between action sequences. 

John Saxon returns, but he's playing an entirely different gangster character from NAPLES. His portrayal of Albertelli is more flashy, aggressive, and a bit too sure of himself; very different from his seriousness playing Capuano in the previous movie. Saxon played yet another mobster in the Merli vehicle, THE CYNIC, THE RAT AND THE FIST (1977); another crimer for Umberto Lenzi. He wasn't always playing lawbreakers, though; Saxon was on the right side of the law in some entries, one such being Alberto de Martino's fireball classic, BLAZING MAGNUM (1976), oddly titled SHADOWS IN AN EMPTY ROOM for its US release.

Genre regular Raymond Pellegrin co-stars as Merli's partner. He sends for him early into the movie when he realizes his hands are too full with multiple robberies and a kidnapping case all at once. These two have a good rapport onscreen. When Arpino (Pellegrin) reveals he's retiring in a month, that's a cue for the viewer that something bad will likely happen to him later in the picture. Interestingly, we get a better feel of the working relationship of Betti and Arpino than we do the burgeoning, intimate relationship between Betti and Luisa (Mirella D'Angelo) that never even begins to simmer. 

Merli's movies occasionally had love interests, but these sometimes ended up much the way Paul Kersey's did in the DEATH WISH sequels a few years later. Other times these romantic angles weren't given chances to bloom--simply there to give Merli's cop characters a lady to rescue and swoon over him afterward. It wasn't till the tail-end of his career in THE REBEL (1980) that he was given a cop role with a heavy dose of characterization; and a female coupling with some believable passion behind it. 

The phrase "action-packed" perfectly describes SPECIAL COP IN ACTION (1976). Stunt director Goffredo Unger truly delivers some fabulous chase sequences and other instances of kinetic movement. So many of these movies were interchangeable with one another and Girolami and his crew bucks the system by cramming as many bank robberies and car chases as he possibly can to keep the film moving to its unexpected ending. Without giving anything away, if you've seen VIOLENT ROME, that film's ambiguous ending could be seen as foreshadowing for what is to come.

In Italian cinema, and especially their crime pictures, slow-motion is often overused to the extreme. You get it here too, but sparingly. Letting the action move untouched, as well as being able to see the impact of crashes at full speed, is a refreshing change of pace.

SPECIAL COP is a big bang closer to the Betti series. It's a satisfying finish to a trilogy that began coarse, yet solid; reached an apex with Umberto Lenzi's no-nonsense, brutal sensibilities; and climaxed with an explosion of adrenaline-fueled, epic action. If you're not familiar with the actor, this series is a fantastic starting point; but begin with VIOLENT NAPLES, then ROME, then SPECIAL COP. If you enjoy Tough Cop style actioners, then Merli is the man you're after.

This review is representative of the Dorado Films bluray 2 disc set (one bluray double feature of SPECIAL COP IN ACTION and WEAPONS OF DEATH and DVD of THE COUNSELLOR); Specs and Extras: 1080p 1.85:1 (both HD features; THE COUNSELLOR is 2.35:1 widescreen English only); English dub/Italian dub (English dubtitles), Italian, Spanish subs for HD feature films; original theatrical trailers for all three films; SPECIAL COP running time: 01:41:13