Eurocrime! The Italian Cop and Gangster Films That Ruled the '70s

Move over "Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation!" because I have a new favorite genre film documentary. It was actually destined that I would love this one, since I'm literally obsessed with Italian exploitation cinema from the seventies, and two sub genres in particular: the giallo and the poliziotesschi! Mike Malloy's masterwork unfolds exactly like you would expect from a documentary that is basically just a love-letter written by a devoted fan and addressed to his beloved genre. It's professional, well-structured and informative, with testimonials of the genre's (still living) main contributors, clips & footage of the biggest classics as well as more obscure gems and plentiful of great – and admittedly geeky – trivia! I've been gazing and deep-diving into "Poliziotesschi" movies for many years already, and of course I already knew most things about the genre's historical background, trademarks and particularities that Mike Malloy brings forwards here in great detail, but – in all honesty – I was also expecting and even hoping to see this and received exactly what I wanted: personal heroes of mine (John Saxon, Henry Silva, Franco Nero, …) who are talking just as passionately and enthusiastically about untamed film-making as I would, even though 95% of the rest of the world either doesn't know these titles or looks down upon them. "Eurocrime! Etc…" exists of chronological chapters, starting with the symbolical birth of the genre in the early '70s and ending – in chapter 8 – with the exciting news that the "Poliziotesschi" is currently going through a sort of revival and how most of "old & trashy" movies are being rediscovered by a new generation of fans. The chapters in between cover a variety of fascinating insights, like an ode to the main contributors (directors as well as actors), the influence of the contemporary political and social climate, the rather discriminating role of women in these stories, the often thin connection with the real Mafia and other criminal organizations (like Red Brigade) and the regrettable downfall of genre together with the Italian cinematic culture in general. But, arguably the most exhilarating chapter handles about everything that makes this exploitation sub genre truly unique: the unseen brutality and cruel depiction of violence, the guerrilla-style methods that were used to shoot the infamous car chase sequences, the unorthodox stunt work and the innovative tricks that allowed each Italian director to deliver up to three or four films per year. I could easily write half a novella on how brilliantly everything is captured in the slightest detail, but instead I should just be encouraging everyone to track down the documentary and get overwhelmed by it yourself. In order to be 99% complete and 1% objective, I should add that there are a few things missing as well. A few people are missing, in fact. Even though they all get briefly mentioned at one point or another, Mr. Malloy maybe should have given slightly more attention to people like Fernando Di Leo, Ray Rovelock, Stelvio Massi, Marino Girolami and a few others. Also, although admittedly they primarily excelled in other genres – notably horror – and each only made one "Poliziotesschi" classic, some love for Lucio Fulci ("Contraband"), Mario Bava ("Rabid Dogs") and Rugero Deodato ("Live like a Cop, Die like a Man") would have been nice 9/10 for the documentary itself, but upgraded to 10/10 because of the 30+ original trailers that feature as a fantastic extra feature on the DVD.

Very entertaining documentary about crime movies of the 70s in Italy. Quite a lot of people could be found and interviewed for this. It's almost like traveling back in time, when you watch this. The movie is also very well edited and shot. There is a clear distinction and structure through the whole thing (which can't be said about most of the movies discussed in the documentary of course). If you like crime movies, than this will be an easy sell. It does appeal more to a specific group of people of course, but maybe some people will be curious and give it a try. I'm sure they will be tempted to get a few movies that are being discussed here. Mission accomplished I'd say!

This remarkably entertaining and illuminating documentary on the explosion of Italian cop and mobster movies that proliferated throughout the 1970's manages to cover a lot of ground in a highly dynamic and engrossing way. Among the people interviewed are actors John Saxon, Franco Nero, Fred Williamson, Chris Mitchum, an especially vibrant and funny Henry Silva, Richard Harrison, Michael Forrest (who carved a nice niche for himself as an American dubber working in Italy), Antonio Sabato, Luc Merenda, Leonard Mann, and Joe Dallesandro, directors Claudio Caiano and Enzo Castellari, writer Claudio Fragasso, actress Nicoletta Machiavelli, and stuntman Ottaviano Dell'Acqua. Writer/director Mike Malloy scrupulously addresses an assortment of relevant and interesting topics that include the origins of the genre, how crime was rampant in Italy at the time these pictures were being produced in mass volume (the terrorist group the Red Brigade was all over the news while Naples was a veritable hotbed of organized criminal activity), staple genre ingredients like outrageous and often dangerous stunts, over-the-top action set pieces, extreme violence, and the frequently misogynistic treatment of women (Malloy warrants extra praise for not idly glossing over this rather distasteful aspect of these films), the spotty distribution and harsh critical reception of these movies in the United States, the difficulty American actors had in adjusting to these movies being made without direct sound, the recent revival of this genre in the last few years, and even an amusing segment on the blatant inclusion of J&B Whiskey as product placement in these films. Better still, Malloy primarily interviews folks who were actual active participants in the genre; there thankfully isn't a single gushy fanboy geek to be found in the entire documentary. In addition, Malloy's artful use of such invigorating cinematic techniques as split screen, cool stylized animation, and snappily edited montages transcends the usual flat talking head format that tends to bog these type of retrospective features down. Jam-packed with oodles of choice clips and further galvanized by a funky-throbbing score, this one rates as absolutely essential viewing for fans of this rough'n'ready genre.

I caught this at weekend at A Day Of Crime in Manchester. Through various communities and being a fan of Eurocrime movies i had very high expectations of this and they were exceeded. The documentary catches the essence of what Eurocrime was all about, Tough Cops, Horrible Villains and everything in between, Car Chases, Cammora involvement it is all here. All the great actors/directors who were present in the genre in it's heyday who are still alive give their input into why the movies were so special, what they were like to make, the death defining stunts, everything a fan of Eurocrime would want and more. The greatest thing about this documentary though is that it does what all good documentaries do- it keeps you interested even if you have no interest in the subject matter- and it makes you laugh, it takes serious subject matter surrounding the genre and at points makes you cry with laughter due to the tales being told. It is brilliantly paced and does not outstay it's welcome. I could have watched another hour or two of this. For a first time director Mike Malloy really shows he has a talent for pacing, for asking the right questions, for garnering the best reactions from those interviewed who were involved in the whole Eurocrime scene. I cannot recommend this highly enough if you are interested in Eurocrime. If you are not though you will become interested by the end and will be on the hunt for old VHS copies of these films before you know it.

Trailer—Eurocrime! The Italian Cop and Gangster Films That Ruled the '70s

Everything you wanted to know about a genre you did not know existed. This is a fascinating look at the Eurocrime genre presented in a really entertaining way. A must watch.

In the 1970s, Italian genre cinema was pretty much fad oriented. Always looking to cheerfully (and decidedly shamelessly) rip off whatever genre was popular in America at the time, be they spaghetti westerns, sword & sandal epics, or hard-boiled and rather racy takes on gritty American cop films, such as The French Connection or Serpico, only of course being Italian, they put their own exploitative spin on things. These cop films were known as Polizioteschi films, or more popularly, Eurocrime. Eurocrime! The Cop & Gangster Films That Ruled the '70s, explores the mentality behind this genre, the factors that played part, and the players themselves, with contributions from the likes of Fred The Hammer Williamson, John Saxon, Henry Silva, Franco Nero, Joe Dallesandro & Luc Merenda, as well as from the technical end, from Enzo G Castellari and Claudio Fragasso. While not without its flaws- it could have been leaner (it clocks in at over two hours, with some of it coming across rather needless padding), and fails to get any contributions (although this is probably not the maker's fault ultimately, in fairness) from the likes of Fabio Testi, Tomas Milian and Umberto Lenzi, and unforgivably hardly even mentions Di Leo, who even I, a relative novice to the Eurocrime genre am aware of- it's still a well researched and often pretty funny documentary on a prolific for its time, but often overlooked genre of Italian exploitation, with some cool clips and an awesome '70s score throughout. Any fan of Eurocrime flicks should definitely check this one out, as it's very probably the only documentary you'll ever see on the genre, and again while not without its flaws, is overall a decent, well made and researched effort, with lots of entertaining anecdotes. 8/10, very enjoyable doc, and recommended.

Dealing with the 70s Italian gangster film/rip-off scene, this is a fantastic two hours of interviews mixed with clips mixed with some very original animation segueways, all soundtracked by an authentic superfly soundtrack. There is a general sense of good fun that runs throughout, even during the chapters that address misogyny and organised crime. Worth watching just for the car chases and scenes of actors genuinely doing their own stunts (the episode with John Saxon and live machine gun rounds is particularly memorable). You don't need to be a particular fan of exploitation to enjoy this film; in fact its triumph lies in the way in which it weaves its own stories from the recollections of the chief protagonists. Highly recommended.

I caught this at weekend at A Day Of Crime in Manchester. Through various communities and being a fan of Eurocrime movies i had very high expectations of this and they were exceeded. The documentary catches the essence of what Eurocrime was all about, Tough Cops, Horrible Villains and everything in between, Car Chases, Cammora involvement it is all here. All the great actors/directors who were present in the genre in it's heyday who are still alive give their input into why the movies were so special, what they were like to make, the death defining stunts, everything a fan of Eurocrime would want and more. The greatest thing about this documentary though is that it does what all good documentaries do- it keeps you interested even if you have no interest in the subject matter- and it makes you laugh, it takes serious subject matter surrounding the genre and at points makes you cry with laughter due to the tales being told. It is brilliantly paced and does not outstay it's welcome. I could have watched another hour or two of this. For a first time director Mike Malloy really shows he has a talent for pacing, for asking the right questions, for garnering the best reactions from those interviewed who were involved in the whole Eurocrime scene. I cannot recommend this highly enough if you are interested in Eurocrime. If you are not though you will become interested by the end and will be on the hunt for old VHS copies of these films before you know it.