Umberto
Lenzi was one of the most prolific Italian genre directors working in Italy,
but he is virtually unknown here in the States outside of the circles of the most
die-hard of genre fans. In fact, his work is so obscure at times that even adherents
to his most extreme horror movies don't even follow the other dramatic work for
which he is also known despite his roster of titles on the IMDB. Much of
International Cinema is “inspired†by American filmmaking (i.e. outright ripped
off from) and following the Oscar-winning success of William Friedkin’s masterful
1971 crime drama The French Connection, with its astounding subway/car
chase, Italy dove head-first into the Eurocrime, or poliziotteschi, genre headfirst making a slew of action films
where the camera’s point-of-view is inspired by Owen Roizman’s work on the
aforementionedreal-life-inspired crime film. Filmed in late 1975 in
Rome and released in New York in July 1978 under the title of Assault with a
Deadly Weapon, The Tough Ones is yet another one of those films that
is known by multiple titles too numerous to even list. Upon superficial
investigation of the beautiful and colorful poster art for the film, one might
assume (as yours truly did) that actor Franco Nero is the star. Rather it’s the
late Maurizio Merli who, not surprisingly, began his career because he looked
like Mr. Nero when the latter was unavailable for White Fang to the Rescue,
the 1974 sequel to both Challenge to White Fang (1974) and White Fang
(1973).
Mr.
Merli plays Inspector Leonardo Tanzi, a hot-headed, self-appointed crime
fighter who makes Gene Hackman’s Jimmy “Popeye†Doyle and Clint Eastwood’s
“Dirty†Harry Callahan look timid in comparison as he tears up each scene that
he appears in, slapping and kicking bad guys and even suspected bad
guys, at the slightest hint of guilt or provocation. He’s fed up with the crime
plaguing his jurisdiction, dishing out his own version of justice by breaking
up a hidden casino, tackling a pair of purse-snatchers on a motor scooter, and diving
into a bank robbery and killing some of the robbers. One of his best bits is
when he is flagged down by a man whose girlfriend has been raped by a gang
headed up by a rich kid who was released from jail just hours earlier. Taking a
clue from the crime scene, he hunts down the spoiled brat and his cronies, smashing
the ringleader’s face into a pinball machine before kicking all their asses in
a crazy set piece. Anyone who gets in his way of getting to another criminal
gets their ass handed to them. This
doesn’t bode well for his girlfriend who is nearly sent to her death when
criminals drop her car into a car crusher, stopping it just before it crushes
it – with her in it! There’s a weird, typical living-on-the-fringe-of-society
character named Vincenzo Moretto (played wonderfully by the late Tomas Milian) who
seems frail and timid at first, but he proves to be a lunatic and is later told
to swallow a bullet (literally) by Tanzi in a strange exchange at Moretto’s
sister’s house.
Tanzi’s
boss is played by Arthur Kennedy (Lawrence of Arabia) who spends a lot
of his time yelling at Tanzi. He reminds me of Jackie Chan’s superior in the Police Story movies with whom Mr. Chan fences
regarding his methods of bringing criminals to justice. While The French
Connection was rightfully lauded for its cat-and-mouse chase between Charnier
and Doyle and the famous car chase, those set pieces came as a logical step in
the overall plot which was tracking down and arresting the heroin dealers,
helping to propel the storyline. In The Tough Ones, there are car chases
and even an impressive rooftop pursuit on foot for no better reason than they
are there. A subplot involving a young female addicted to heroin by a sleazy
criminal comes out of nowhere (this reminds me of Charnier forcing heroin on
Doyle in John Frankenheimer’s The French Connection II in 1975) to allow
Tanzi to attempt to save her and beat the guy up. Some of the action comes off
as unintentionally funny as Tanzi is constantly slapping people around. Another
crazy chase involves Moretto commandeering an ambulance in an attempt to get
away from the police, shockingly killing the sick woman and her husband in the rear
of the vehicle with a machine gun. Let’s just say that the film’s ending,
though abrupt, is satisfying…
I
must start off by talking about this Blu-ray set that this is, hands down, one
of the absolute best and most in-depth special editions that I've ever
reviewed. An incredible amount of love and care has been put into this project
by Grindhouse Releasing and the folks behind this package deserve high kudos
for what they have achieved here. They literally spent years on it! In fact, I
will go so far as to say that even if you aren't a fan of this type of movie
but if you like cinema in general, this is a set worth picking up as a blind
purchase, because there is much here to be entertained and informed by.
Disc
One consists of the following:
A
state-of-the-art 4K transfer of the uncensored director’s cut, which looks
beautiful, as though the film were just made today. It’s hard to imagine all
those awful VHS bootlegs from the 1980’s, the PAL and SECAM-to-NTSC
conversions, after seeing this. Remember when DVD knocked our socks off in
1997? There is no comparison to this Blu-ray.
There
is a feature-length audio commentary by author/director Mike Malloy, director
of Eurocrime. Mr. Malloy admits on this commentary
that he is no fan of horror movies, a genre which I have adored since 1981.
What he is a fan of, clearly, are these European crime films and I would be
hard-pressed to find somebody more enthusiastic and knowledgeable than he is on
this subject. His commentary is also very humorous, which is a welcome quality.
I know virtually nothing about this genre, but it was a constant pleasure to
listen to Mr. Malloy describing not only the on-screen action and what went on
behind the scenes during the filming of certain scenes, but also the amazing
tidbits that he brings to the non-initiated listener. If you know nothing about
Eurocrime, you get a very good sense of it from Mr. Malloy's encyclopedic
knowledge. For example, like fellow commentator Troy Howarth, who has done some
excellent commentaries for the Blu-rays of Dario Argento’s best work, he points
out that all the dialogue has been looped in post-production by different
people known as voice-over actors. I really appreciate that he identifies and
mentions the names of those largely unheralded folks who have performed this
service in Italy for decades. Anyone who has seen a Mario Bava or Dario Argento
film will instantly recognize some of the voices that are heard in this film as
well. It’s like reuniting with old friends! In fact, for Argento fans, Argento
regular Fulvio Mingozzi appears briefly in this film.
All
Eyes on Lenzi – The Life and Times of the Italian Exploitation Titan – this is an 84-minute documentary in
high definition which is really a series of interviews with Calum Waddel,
Rachel Nisbet, Mikel Koven, John Martin, Danillo Mattei, John Morghen, Manlio Gomarasca, Giovanni Lombardo
Radice, Scooter McCrae, and Signor Lenzi himself discussing his films,
how other people view his work, and how he generally never received the type of
praise that he truly deserved. Pretty much everyone in this documentary
acknowledges that the director was never on the same level as Mr. Bava and Mr.
Argento, and one even states that he was in a tier just below them, but it
appears to be a place that the director himself didn't mind being. This is an
excellent look at the director's films, and it could easily stand on its own.
Music
for Mayhem (about 33 minutes
in high definition) is a discussion between director Lenzi and composer Franco
Micalizzi and they speak mostly about the films they worked on together and how
this type of genre would not get made today. Imagine Taxi Driver (1976)
being made the same way now, by a major studio? Impossible.
Citta
Frontale (about 22 minutes
in standard definition) – this bit looks to be a carry-over from another
release of the film, probably DVD. This is a look at the filming locations,
which is something that I always love seeing and physically going to.
Sybil
Danning’s Action Videos Intro
(92 seconds in standard definition) – taken from the VHS release for the film
under the title of Assault with a Deadly Weapon, Ms. Danning introduces
herself as the “Angel of Vengeance for Adventure Video†in this intro to the
film.
International
Trailer, this runs about 3:29 and is English. There are scratches on the print,
but it’s in better condition than you might think for a film of this age.
Home
Video Trailer, this runs about 30 seconds and has a brief intro by Sybil
Danning.
Grindhouse
Releasing Prevues is chock-full of the trailers to: Cannibal Holocaust,
Cannibal Ferox, Massacre Mafia Style, Gone with the Pope, Pieces, Scum of the
Earth, The Beyond, Cat in the Brain, An American Hippie in Israel, Corruption,
The Swimmer, The Big Gundown, I Drink Your Blood, Captive Female, Death Game, and
Ice House.
Disc
Two:
As
if Disc One didn’t have enough, there is a second Blu-ray chock-full of extras
that include:
Umberto (about 55 minutes in high definition)
– this features the director reminiscing about how he was introduced to cinema
when his high school teacher took his class to see John Brahm’s The Lodger
(1944) which starred Laird Cregar; how he got into directing; working with
Carroll Baker; his experience working in the Eurocrime, horror, and cannibal
film genres; the premiere of The Tough Ones at the Adriano cinema in
Italy (Roma a Mano Armata is the Italian title); his working with Tomas
Milian. A wealth of information!
The
Rebel Within (88
minutes in high definition) – the longest extra in this set is a complete
profile of actor Tomas Milian. With comments interspersed from director Lenzi, Mr.
Milian provides dozens of anecdotes from his life, most of them depressing in
nature, painting a picture of his life as an actor. He speaks about wanting to
go to the Actor’s Studio and about getting shafted out of his $80,000 fee for Sonny
and Jed (1972) wherein no one wanted to pay him! Crazy…
The
Merli Connection – a Tribute to Maurizio Merli runs about 44 minutes and appears to
be ported over from a previous DVD release as it’s in standard definition. His
son, also named Maurizio, talks about how his father loved the genre. Also on
hand are Enzo Castellari, Ruggero Deodato, Antonio Manetti, Marco Manetti, and
Antonio Tentori.
Back
Story – actor Tomas Milian –
a short interview of roughly 5 minutes in high definition wherein he describes
connecting a cable around his neck and down his leg to make himself walk like a
hunchback. Talk about Method Acting! And I thought Dustin Hoffman was crazy
when he put a pebble in his shoe to play Ratso Rizzo.
Beauty
and the Beasts – an
interview with Maria Rosaria Omaggio. This runs about 29 minutes and Senora
Omaggio reminisces about the “bruises and medals†she sustained from the near
car-crushing scene. She also speaks highly of the director. In the film, she
bears a resemblance to actress Isabelle Adjani at the time.
Corrado
Armed to the Teeth
(about 45 minutes in high definition) – this is a profile of actor Corrado Solari
who played the part of Albino in the film. He explains that even though he’s a
nice person, his face is very sinister and that’s how he got parts in these
movies, and also how actor Merli vied for director Lenzi’s attention over actor
Milian as he wasn’t as confident as Mr. Milian. Lots of great anecdotes.
Brutal
City (about 14 minutes in high definition)
– Maria Rosaria Riuzzi is completely unrecognizable in this interview. She
played the role of the young woman in the rape scene, opposite on-screen
boyfriend Valentino Macchi. One of her anecdotes regarding the rape scene was
the problem of her clothes not ripping off properly. She also appeared in
1975’s Profumo Di Donna as Alessandro Momo’s girlfriend and then in
Tinto Brass’s Salon Kitty (1976). She remembers that Maurizio Merli was
very protective of his hair, warning people not to mess it up. Tony Manero
would be proud!
The
Rebel and the Bourgeois (about
19 minutes in high definition) – this is an interview with actress Sandra
Cardini who reminisces about how Tomas Milian lived in the upscale section of
Rome called Prati and would hole himself up in his house to concentrate on his
characters that he was playing at the moment. She’s quite a raconteur.
Vodka,
Cigarettes and Burroughs
(runs about 39 minutes in high definition) – Dardano Sacchetti is profiled in this
piece (see my The New York Ripper review for more info on him) wherein he
discusses his working relationship with Umberto Lenzi and Dario Argento. He
also speaks at length about Tomas Milian.
The
Godfather of Rhythm
(about 36 minutes in high definition) – Composer Franco Micalizzi recounts his
experiences in the field of music. He was bitten by the music bug when his
mother would sing him the hits of the day instead of children’s lullabies.
There
is also a Stills Gallery featuring beautiful artwork for the film from Italy,
Spain, Germany and the U.S.
Disc
Production Credits – I would encourage you all to take a few minutes to look at
the credits listing all the people who put in an enormous amount of man and
woman hours into making this set the glorious product that it is.
Disc
Three:
It
also comes with a 17-track compact disc (remember those?) of the soundtrack
album in full stereo sound. The music sounds inspired by David Shire’s
excellent score to 1974’s The Taking of Pelham 123.
There
is also a beautifully illustrated 12-page booklet with an essay written by
Roberto Curti.
An
enormous amount of work and TLC was put into this Blu-ray package. The first
2500 copies also come with – get this! – a pen shaped like a gold bullet!!
Unbelievable…