Manhunt In the City (1975) review

MANHUNT IN THE CITY 1975 aka L'UOMO DELLA STRADA FA GIUSTIZIA (A MAN OF THE STREET BRINGS JUSTICE) aka MANHUNT

Henry Silva (David Vanucchi), Luciana Paluzzi (Vera Vanucchi), Silvano Tranquilli (Paolo Giordani, newspaper reporter), Claudio Gora (Ludovico Miele), Susanna Melandri (Clara Vanucchi), Raymond Pellegrin (Inspector Bertoni), Luciano Catenacci (Lt. Caspucci), Claudio Nicastro (Salvatore Mannino), Nello Pazzafini (arms dealer in salvage yard)

Directed by Umberto Lenzi

"...I just found the four murderers of my daughter. Now if you don't get here, I'm gonna kill them all."

The Short Version: Umberto Lenzi's third Italian crime thriller is just as different as his two previous movies in the genre. Here, Silva's distraught citizen grieving over his daughters death must decide whether to let the law handle things, or do his own dirty work. Lenzi's film juggles a lot of themes at once and delivers a surprisingly satisfying experience for serious fans of this genre.


During a jewel robbery, a construction surveyor's daughter is gunned down in cold blood as the criminals make their escape. Before dying, the little girl mentions having seen 'a scorpion'. Distressed over the authorities failure in capturing those responsible, David Vanucchi is approached by a private group of vigilantes wishing for him to join their secret brute corps. Declining, David does some investigating of his own to find the one called 'Scorpion', the killer of his daughter and anyone associated with her death.


Lenzi's third Italian crime picture is a decidedly different approach much like his two previous efforts GANG WAR IN MILAN (MILANO ROVENTE 1973) and ALMOST HUMAN (MILANO ODIA: LA POLIZIA NON PUO SPARARE 1974). In the latter, Silva was originally set to star as Giulio Sacchi, but Tomas Milian was adamant about taking the role for himself. Lenzi rectified this by giving Silva the lead here as the agitated citizen fed up with a weak judicial system and rampant crime. You'd probably think that Lenzi would give Silva the opportunity to turn into Bronson's Paul Kersey character and waste any punks he comes across.


The movie doesn't play out quite like you'd think, though. It's more STREET LAW (IL CITTADINO SI REBELLA 1973) than DEATH WISH (1974) with the bulk of the film focusing on the Vanucchi characters. There's a heavy dose of political pandering about the helpless citizens who are more or less sitting ducks while the police struggle to follow up leads and deal with corruption from "upstairs". There's also an interesting dichotomy at work here between the subject of revenge and justice and how both lines get blurred over the course of the film. Needless to say, this being a Lenzi film, the violence smacks you in the face from the start. During the credits, we see Vanucchi working on a construction site while elsewhere, a gang of crooks prep their guns for a jewelry heist moments before pulling off the job.



Hearing the police sirens, the gang make their escape after successfully grabbing all the jewels they can carry. For whatever reason, one of the disguised men decides to shoot this little girl, Vanucchi's daughter, three times on their way out. The police prove almost useless in offering David and his wife any satisfaction for their loss. Vanucchi quickly becomes frustrated with the way his case is being handled and for a good portion of the film, the forces of law and order are shown to be outnumbered by vicious robbers and street thugs. This rarely talked about Italian crime movie is vastly dissimilar from Lenzi actioners such as the more well known VIOLENT NAPLES (NAPOLI VIOLENTA 1976) and ROME ARMED TO THE TEETH (ROMA A MANO ARMATA 1976).

Insp. Bertoni: "I have a young daughter, too."

David: "Yeah, but mine is dead."

The script by both Lenzi and Dardano Saccetti gets a bit heavy handed at times with its talk of a by-the-book police force useless in taking care of the people they are sworn to protect. Silva does the disgruntled citizen shtick well, even though he's better suited to playing hitmen and hard boiled cops. It's difficult watching him getting beaten up by low level street scum a good portion of the film. By the end, though, he's a cold killing machine. The stunning Luciana Paluzzi was blessed with being both a fine actress and a very beautiful woman. She's had a long and illustrious career in international cinema appearing in movies spanning all genres. There's lots of ideas bandied about in this obscure and thoroughly underrated gem. After this one, it was full bore brutality for Lenzi and his Merli brigade of crime pictures; those later films being his most talked about among fan circles.



In the middle of this political triangle--the people, the cops and the crooks--Vanucchi is visited by two men who want him to join their "movement for social defense". Basically it's an ever growing group of concerned citizens who take it upon themselves to do what the law cannot. This was the central plot of the earlier and classic, gripping political shocker EXECUTION SQUAD (LA POLIZIA RINGRAZIA 1971) and also formed the basis for VIOLENT ROME (ROMA VIOLENTA 1975), starring Maurizio Merli and released shortly after MANHUNT IN THE CITY. Vanucchi refuses their help and prefers to do things on his own much to his estranged wife's displeasure. Vanucchi pushes too far and finds out info regarding 'The Scorpion' with the help of a transvestite that puts both his life, and that of his wife in danger.


A little over an hour in, the film briefly veers off into STRAW DOGS (1971) territory as the bad guys lay siege to Vanucchi's home. He manages to hold them off. Giving chase, he ends up being badly beaten and his wife kidnapped. Meanwhile, the police are in a wild shootout with the jewel robbers aboard an old boat, one of the main locations of Lenzi's classic ALMOST HUMAN (1974). Finally having had enough, Vanucchi decides to join the privatized group of late night vigilantes who wear black hoods when torturing malicious thugs. Easily obtaining all the information they need, Vanucchi and the group make the gang pay while Vanucchi, with a double barreled shotgun in hand, sets off after the four remaining punks.


Ending on a cruel twist of irony vastly different from other Euro crime pictures, Silva and his wife make amends and the final scene shows Vanucchi ready to bust some more heads, but as his wife begs him to "let the police do their job", he relents and the two drive away. MANHUNT IN THE CITY seldom gets mentioned when discussing the crime pictures of Umberto Lenzi. His later films in the genre focus more on the violence and comic book heroics than the gritty seriousness of these few earlier productions. MANHUNT IN THE CITY is far from a bad movie, but those expecting something along the lines of Lenzi's more sadistic crime pictures may be disappointed. Apart from a few scenes, Lenzi is surprisingly restrained here. The last twenty minutes is where the bulk of the action takes place and it is this portion of the movie less patient fans will likely identify the most. A diamond in the rough, this "lost" Lenzi opus is well worth rediscovering.

This review is representative of the R2 01 Distribution Italian DVD. There are no English options.

Eden Lake (2008) review

EDEN LAKE 2008

Michael Fassbender (Steve), Kelly Reilly (Jenny), Jack O'Connell (Brett), Tara Ellis (Abi), Finn Atkins (Paige), Jumayn Hunter (Mark), Thomas Turgoose (Cooper), James Burrows (Harry), Tom Gill (Ricky), Lorraine Bruce (Tanya),

Directed by James Watkins

"They're just boys being boys....as long as they leave us alone."

The Short Version: James Watkins directorial debut is a massive punch to the gut merciless in its violence. The story has been done before, but in seldom such a provocative, savagely astute manner. It's the new millennium's STRAW DOGS, but possesses an extremely depressing tone of unmitigated hopelessness in a world gone wild. Bearing slight similarities to other 'backwoods' horrors like TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, Watkins movie is highly recommended mature horror for viewers with strong stomachs.


Steve and Jenny take off for an idyllic getaway in the country to a quiet spot called Eden Lake. Not long after they've arrived, the couple encounter a group of young, but belligerent youngsters. When Steve confronts the motley clutch of miscreants, it sets off a senseless and increasing level of violent encounters. With the bloodthirsty gang of kids in pursuit, Steve and Jenny attempt to get out of Eden Lake alive.

"I'm not going to be bullied away by a bunch of 12 year olds."

This unrelentingly vicious British horror movie is one of the most stunningly breath-taking pieces of grueling horror to emerge in quite some time. It's of the 'Backwoods' school of terror filmmaking with a nod towards STRAW DOGS (1970) and LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT (1972). The brutality increases as the film wears on and at times, almost becomes unbearable. Rarely have I seen a film in recent memory that has such carefully defined characters that are rendered all the more realistic by chaotic world events that can draw in the viewer in such a compelling way. Then, in ferociously mischievous fashion, the filmmakers pull the rug out from under you. The 'Dimension Extreme' moniker on the DVD case, for once, is warranted.


The acting here is of a high caliber all around especially the two male leads and central antagonist. These young actors truly make you want to see them get their just desserts by the end. The dialog may be indecipherable at times from the thick British accents, but actions speak louder than words shortly after Steve and his soon-to-propose-to girlfriend, Jenny, reach Eden Lake. Another point on how successful everyone involved was, I can't think of another film that made me as angry at what I was seeing. EDEN LAKE is incredibly bleak and the performers should be commended for pulling off what many films fail to accomplish.

"We look after our own round here!"

Brett gets "fired up" (if you've seen the film, you know what I mean) with one of the kids he bullies

Jack O'Connell (as Brett) deserves the David Hess award for Most Reprehensible Villain. Hess was so convincing as Krug in Craven's LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT, that it was reported that people actually believed he was that character! O'Connell comes off in much the same way. To put it bluntly, he's a scummy little bastard. What makes Brett so vile and uncompromisingly evil is that he's basically a young kid, albeit a hoody wearing dirt-monger prone to inconceivable levels of rage and violence. During the finale, this vicious veneer of vehemence loses its loquacious luster when events have been turned around in his favor.


The product of an abusive home, Brett bullies his circle of friends, forcing them to take part in sadistic torture so that they have just as much blood on their hands as he does. Not all of them are totally free of blame. The gang takes photos of their cruelties on a cell phone. Cell phones play a big part in this brutal game of survival; unfortunately, they are used to the detriment of the protagonists during a crucial moment and provide a final taste of grim irony during the last scene.

"They're just children..."

Kelly Reilly does her best Marilyn Burns impression--covered in blood and shit and running from savages

Apparently there's a particular youth culture in the UK that have contributed to an alarmingly high level of crime; derogatorily referred to as 'Chavs', socially uncultured youths associated with violent juvenile delinquency and murder. One such case from January of 2008 involved repeat offender and 18 year old Adam Swellings who, only hours after being freed on bail, was convicted, along with two others of beating a father of three to death who stood up to them. This is what happens in EDEN LAKE. Brett and his gang become obnoxious and arrogantly vociferous leading to Steve standing up to them even though Jenny tries to convince him to let it go. Still, nothing Steve says warrants the level of brutality that Brett rains down on them much like real life crimes such as the one described above.

One of the relatively few quiet moments in the film and one of the many beautiful photographic shots

It's a stroke of genius to make the character of Jenny a schoolteacher. At the beginning, we see her closing out her day in the classroom filled with the vibrant innocence of the youngsters surrounding her, a stark contrast to the later crew we're introduced to. Watkins script also touches on child abuse which again collides with the apparent normalcy of our main protagonists alluding to the violence that lies ahead. This divide in social class and the way they are depicted may be deemed controversial to some, but it strikes a visceral chord just the same.


This is what separates movies like EDEN LAKE from empty calorie horror flicks like FRIDAY THE 13TH and others of that ilk. Nothing against those movies, but Watkins film hits much closer to home with its young, foul-mouthed lord of the flies than any mythical slasher icon that outlives any type of bodily destruction. Watkins has designed an infinitely frightening little movie that derives its terror straight from the pages of the news which makes it far scarier than any mask wearing, knife wielding killer cut up.


The ominously sweeping photography and the haunting, stirring score add to an already impressive, if grim package. An incredibly vile little movie, EDEN LAKE is likely to stir angry feelings in viewers, probably more so for the British audience who may identify more closely with the material. Depending on your mood, this movie is definitely not for everyone. Approach with extreme caution, although very well acted and directed, a stop over at EDEN LAKE is one respite you won't soon forget.

This review is representative of the Dimension Extreme DVD