The great Sergio Martino is doubtlessly best known for his Giallo masterpieces such as the elegant LO STANO VIZIO DELLA SIGNORA WARDH (THE STRANGE VICE OF MRS WARDH, 1971), the convoluted IL CODA DELLO SCORPIONE (THE SCORPION'S TAIL, 1971), the insanely brilliant IL TUO VIZIO È UNA STANZA CHIUSA E SOLO NE HO LA CHIAVE (YOUR VICE IS A LOCKED ROOM AND ONLY I HAVE THE KEY, 1972, maybe my choice for my all-time favorite Giallo), the dark and obscure TUTTI I COLORI DEL BUIO (ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK, 1972) or the delightfully nasty I CORPI PRESENTANO TRACCE DI VIOLENZIA CARNALE (TORSO, 1973). A true master of the Giallo-genre Martino has also delivered great films in many other (sub-)genres of Italian cult-cinema, be it Western (MANNAJA, 1977), Cannibal-flick (LA MONTAGNA DEL DIO CANNIBALE, 1978), Post-Nuke Action (219 - DOPO LA CADUTA DI NEW YORK, 1983) or weird monster movie (L'ISOLA DEGLI UOMINI PESCE, 1979). The gritty and violent MILANO TREMA - LA POLIZIA VUOLE GIUSTIZIA aka. THE VIOLENT PROFESSIONALS of 1973 is another great example for Martino's versatility as a filmmaker.
Many of the greatest Poliziotteschi of the 70s were set in Milan, and while MILANO TREMA can not quite compete with the two greatest genre-masterpieces that carry the Northern Italian city's name in their title (Fernando Di Leo's MILANO CALIBRO 9 of 1972 and Umberto Lenzi's MILANO ODIA: LA POLIZIA NON PUÒ SPARARE of 1974) it is a wonderfully gritty, violent and uncompromising example for the genre that my fellow Eurocult fans should not miss.
Regular leading man Luc Merenda plays Commisario Giorgio Caneparo, a rough Milan cop whose unorthodox methods and willingness to take the law in his own hands are under-appreciated by his superiors. The film already begins brutally promising, when two violent criminals escape from a con-train, killing a bunch of innocent people and soon thereafter meed their fate at the hands of the Commissario. When the tough cop's more mild-natured superior and friend is murdered, he decides to go undercover for vengeance...
The Italian Poliziottesco is a violent and gritty genre that defies political correctness, and MILANO TREMA is a great example for that. While the level of sleaze and sexual violence is relatively low (in comparison e.g. to Lenzi's movies), the movie is brutal as hell, and uncompromising in its brutality. The (anti-)hero cop played by Luc Merenda does not scant to bend the law and execute evildoers on the spot, the victims of violent crimes in the movie include innocent children and pregnant women. The rest of the cast includes the great Richard Conte, Italian cult-movie regular Silvano Tranquilli and Martine Brochard in the female lead. The movie is full of the genre-typical car-chases and violent shoot-outs, all of which are very-well made. The score by the De Angelis brothers is very good and the camera-work is amazing, especially during action-sequences. Overall MILANO TREMA is a violent and highly rewarding Poliziottesco. It does rank slightly below the ultimate genre-masterpieces like Lenzi's MILANO ODIA, but it is definitely a must-see for any fan of the genre. Highly recommended!
Many of the greatest Poliziotteschi of the 70s were set in Milan, and while MILANO TREMA can not quite compete with the two greatest genre-masterpieces that carry the Northern Italian city's name in their title (Fernando Di Leo's MILANO CALIBRO 9 of 1972 and Umberto Lenzi's MILANO ODIA: LA POLIZIA NON PUÒ SPARARE of 1974) it is a wonderfully gritty, violent and uncompromising example for the genre that my fellow Eurocult fans should not miss.
Regular leading man Luc Merenda plays Commisario Giorgio Caneparo, a rough Milan cop whose unorthodox methods and willingness to take the law in his own hands are under-appreciated by his superiors. The film already begins brutally promising, when two violent criminals escape from a con-train, killing a bunch of innocent people and soon thereafter meed their fate at the hands of the Commissario. When the tough cop's more mild-natured superior and friend is murdered, he decides to go undercover for vengeance...
The Italian Poliziottesco is a violent and gritty genre that defies political correctness, and MILANO TREMA is a great example for that. While the level of sleaze and sexual violence is relatively low (in comparison e.g. to Lenzi's movies), the movie is brutal as hell, and uncompromising in its brutality. The (anti-)hero cop played by Luc Merenda does not scant to bend the law and execute evildoers on the spot, the victims of violent crimes in the movie include innocent children and pregnant women. The rest of the cast includes the great Richard Conte, Italian cult-movie regular Silvano Tranquilli and Martine Brochard in the female lead. The movie is full of the genre-typical car-chases and violent shoot-outs, all of which are very-well made. The score by the De Angelis brothers is very good and the camera-work is amazing, especially during action-sequences. Overall MILANO TREMA is a violent and highly rewarding Poliziottesco. It does rank slightly below the ultimate genre-masterpieces like Lenzi's MILANO ODIA, but it is definitely a must-see for any fan of the genre. Highly recommended!