Eurocrime! The Italian Cop and Gangster Films That Ruled the '70s (2012) User Reviews

Great documentary on a somewhat overlooked subgenre

[Corpus_Vile · 8/10 · 8 November 2012]

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.

Catches the essence of a somewhat unknown genre.

[pmhughes82 · 8/10 · 3 June 2013]

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.

Highly entertaining and informative

[jtreadwellemail · 9/10 · 25 August 2012]

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.

Excellent documentary on an excellent subject (and no QT in sight)

[lazarillo · 8 April 2015]

Any fan of the 1970's Eurocrime genre will obviously enjoy this documentary, which features plenty of clips from this wonderful genre of (mostly) Italian films as well as interview clips from a lot of the major players like Franco Nero, Luc Merenda, Antonio Sabato, and director Enzo Castellari. I liked this doc a little better than some of the more recent ones though because instead of mixing in "fan-boy" interviews to handle the more in-depth analysis of the genre, the filmmakers actually did the heavy lifting themselves while wisely keeping the fan-boy gushing behind the scenes. Nor were there the typical pandering interviews of more well-known modern-day celebrities who may have been "influenced by" but really had nothing to do with the genre. (To be specific, the filmmakers didn't seek out Quentin Tarantino, who would served as BOTH a gushing fan-boy and a bit of celebrity pandering).

There is no denying the knowledge of some fan-boys like Tarantino, but this documentary still manages to impart a book-like knowledge of the genre by editing the player interviews into a kind of "power point" presentation. The documentary does a good job of explaining, for instance, the period and conditions where these movies were made, in a country which was at the time ridden with crime, corruption, violent mafiosi, and left-wing revolutionaries, but also one where people literally went to the movies 4-5 weeks on average and had an endless appetite for this kind of fare. You wouldn't think most of these movies would be any good given the rushed and impoverished conditions under which they were made, but they're actually MORE interesting on average than most of the over-produced Hollywood crapola you see these days, and it was no mistake that these cheap films also made up a lot of the America grindhouse filler that Tarantino et. al. spend so much time worshiping today.

I appreciated especially the interviews with the English dubbers like Michael Forrest and. I have personally said many bad things about these kind of guys over the years (especially when they managed to turn a serious Italian film into half-ass comedy), but they clearly had a difficult job and they took it a lot more seriously than perhaps I've really ever appreciated.

The only downside of this documentary is they missed a few of the major players like Tomas Milan (who I guess IS on the DVD extras), Barbara Bouchet, who really shouldn't have been that hard to find, and Fabio Testi. But I suppose that can't be helped. And obviously a lot people like director Fernand Di Leo are no longer with us. They do pay homage to Maurizio Merli (who is also dead) and Umberto Lenzi (who just refuses to do interviews with anybody), but I would have like to see more with Sergio Martino, who--whether he was available for an interview or not--was a lot more essential to the genre than Antonio Sabato or Joe Dallesandro. Still, these are minor quibbles. I would definitely recommend this overall.

Incredible doc!

[plloydholt · 9/10 · 2 June 2013]

I managed to see this yesterday at the Day Of Crime festival in Manchester, and was blown away. Eurocrime is my favourite genre, but there's not much information available relating to it. Thank God then, that this documentary has been made and we can now see the genres stars and directors discussing all the crazy, funny, amazing stories about making these great films. It's a long doc, but it packs in so much information that the time just whizzes by! It's one of the best documentaries about film i've ever seen and REALLY needs to be more widely available for fans of the genre like myself!! Please make this available on DVD soon!!

Great informative overview

[jellopuke · 9/10 · 18 August 2020]

You get a real sense of the players, stars, and styles of the movies with loads of interviews and clips. Sure it doesn't talk to everyone and glosses over some people, but for an overview it's very well done and gets a lot across. At times it has a low production value, but it's not too obtrusive. You'll want to track down a lot of movies after watching it!

Entertaining

[kosmasp · 7/10 · 11 October 2012]

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!

Engaging and educational.

[Hey_Sweden · 8/10 · 8 November 2014]

This is a genuinely interesting, well-researched and therefore informative documentary on the emergence, duration, and eventual decline of a very specific genre. Namely, the "poliziotteschi" that dominated the 1970s: those rough and raw Italian made cop and gangster films that only in more recent years have received something of a revival.

The Italians were always quick to capitalize on a fad, taking their cue from American cop films like "Dirty Harry" and "The French Connection" and gangster cinema such as "The Godfather" (which inspired American-made knock-offs as well). However, they really put their own distinctive flair on these stories, upping the ante in terms of the violence and sleaziness taking place on screen.

Writer / director Mike Malloy gives us a number of extremely enjoyable interviews with the actors - both Italian and American - and filmmakers who were prolific in this genre. Among them are Franco Nero, Enzo G. Castellari, Mario Caiano, John Saxon, John Steiner, Henry Silva, Fred "The Hammer" Williamson, Chris Mitchum, Leonard Mann, and Luc Merenda.

Divided into several sections, the film has enough animation and visual gimmicks to transcend being mostly a "talking head" sort of affair, and it's delivered with an obvious passion for the subject matter. Topics covered include the origin of Eurocrime, the men who made the movies, the way that women tended to be treated in them (they usually didn't fare too well, unfortunately), the way that real life Italian crime organizations always made their presence known, the political climate in which they were released, and the way that they hastened their demise by adding too much comedy.

It seems like an oversight that Fernando Di Leo would barely get a mention; even as a relative novice to poliziotteschi, this viewer knows that Di Leo was a big name in this genre. Actor Tomas Milian gets a prominent mention, but is not seen during the documentary; a separate interview with him is an extra on the DVD release.

All in all, if you're like me and know that you've done little more than scratch the surface when it comes to Eurocrime, Malloy's movie will make you aware of how much there is to discover.

Among the funniest tidbits of information: Umberto Lenzi being outed as one of the "screamiest" directors that some of the actors had ever worked with.

Eight out of 10.

Visually distracting but pretty engaging.

[quickwatson · 7/10 · 23 July 2020]

Having just come off a long love affair with Yakuza cinema I needed a break. Crime films have aleays interested me with their ethical conundrums so I was eager to learn more about the Italian take on the genre.

Having a decent documentary act as an introduction seemed like a good entre. Eurocrime provides a good measure of basic information. What made it difficult to absorb in one sitting was the editing, which heavily relied on a style of constantly moving images (picture within picture). This technique is imitative of trailers from the 60s/70s but it becomes tedious and distracting after just a few minutes.

Furthermore the quality of the film clips reflect a disinterest of the filmmaker in tracki ng down the proper film ratios and deinterlaced codecs. Same can be said for the interviews, which have that soap opera look of 30fps footage. Furthermore the subjects looked like they were just plunked down in front of a dirty grey curtain (or, alternately a distracting faux-scratchy film effect).

Frankly it gave me a headache but in the lobg run I appreciate the information more than the style so give it a look if the genre appeals to you.

Everything you always wanted to know about "Poliziotesschi" but never thought about asking!

[Coventry · 10/10 · 14 November 2017]

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.

Outstanding documentary on a uniquely Italian genre

[Woodyanders · 9/10 · 19 November 2014]

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.

Great!

[BandSAboutMovies · 5/10 · 5 June 2020]

This documentary explores the rise and fall of the violent Italian poliziotteschi genre, which may have started with Dirty Harry and The Godfather clones but emerged as its own unique film form that was uniquely able to address red terrorism and organized crime.

There's a lot to learn here, including how the idea of shooting without permits and live sound led to the creativity that these movies all have. Plus, you'll hear from the stars and makers of these films as they explain how these low budget rushed movies were made.

Nearly everyone you would ever want to hear from in this style of movie is here, including Franco Nero, John Saxon, Henry Silva, Antonio Sabato, Fred Williamson, Richard Harrison, Chris Mitchum, Enzo Castellari, Joe Dallesandro, John Steiner and Claudio Fragrasso.

I learned a ton about why Italian movies have dubbed sound and quick zooms that I would have never known if I hadn't seen it. Throw in some great anecdotes and an explanation of how peblum led to spaghetti westerns which led to giallo which then led to these films and I was hooked.

Great for novices and experts alike

[singhlall · 9/10 · 9 August 2020]

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.

Bravissimo!!!

[richieringo · 10/10 · 5 December 2023]

I was perusing documentary titles, on Tubi, when I ran across Eurocrime! The Italian Cop and Gangster Films That Ruled the 70s. Though the description of this film peaked my interest, I honestly didn't know what to expect. In the past, when I've done this, I have often been disappointed, in the films I've chosen. But, this time, I was pleasantly surprised. In fact, from frame one, this documentary grabbed and held my attention. Anyway, in a nutshell, Eurocrime! Is a fast paced, action-packed, documentary, which includes a whole slew of interesting interviews, with pertinent 70s stars. Bravissimo!!!