Colt 38 Special Squad

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Sep 24, 2010 This Italian crime movie starts out in a slightly over-rash way, leaving the viewer guessing what sort of a story he is exactly going to watch. We are familiar with the shootouts between the police and the criminals and with brutal violence towards women and children, but in this case, the movie starts out with a criminal avenging the death of his brother by killing the inspector’s (Marcel Bozzuffi) wife in front of their young son. The action is so fast that it takes you trouble to realize that the criminal from the opening scene is the same criminal who is pestering inspector Vanni with his dynamite threats later on. Ignorant, perhaps, but the disappeared moustache makes it easy to mistake his identity. If you’ve missed the mentioning of “Il Marsigliese” in the quick phone call, it is easy to not make the right connection later on. I had the same problem with the guys from the 38 special squad assigned especially to fight crime in general and the gang of the Marsigliese in particular: you get such a short look of them that it is very easy to mistake them with some of the criminals later on. But eventually, everything falls into place. What I like in particular about this movie are the beautiful shots of the city and of some of the (interior) filming locations. The chase in the clothes’ store and the explosion in the market hall are spectacular, like most of the other scenes involving pyrotechnics. The dynamite issue makes a change with other, similar movies, as does the personal vendetta issue from the side of the criminal (normally, it is just the police inspector harbouring feelings of revenge towards those who hurt his loved ones). The violence is grave, but not as over-the-top as in, for instance, Umberto Lenzi’s poliziottesci. The usual stuff is in it (bank robberies, car chases, shootouts) plus a bit more. The ending is spectacular too. Apart from the abovementioned identification issues, this is a very OK movie. See more Jun 29, 2010 This exciting cops and robbers caper is Italy's answer to American action classics such as 'Bullitt' and 'The French Connection'. Definitely campy to be sure, but it's a good way to waste some time if you're looking for international crime cinema. See more Jun 10, 2010 What started out as a film that seemed to have the cheese of another Polizioteschi film called Stunt Squad actually manages to pull its self together and become a really well made crime film. Although theres a bit of a lag in the middle section, the action is relentless. Ivan Rassimov is great as the mysterious crime lord who keeps the city of Turin in fear with random bombings. The violence is exploitive and the chase sequences are OK. Stelvio Cipriani's score is incredible. And Massimo Dallamano's direction is good. See more Nov 22, 2009 Dull Italian police film. See more Apr 27, 2009 This is an interesting movie. But Nicola Silvestri did not need to die in this movie because people including police men should have evacuated from the market where they had known the dynamite was hidden. See more Dec 9, 2008 While possibly not as polished as Fernano DiLeo's Milano Calibro 9 it has to be said that Colt 38 Special Squad is probably one the most entertaining of the the Italian violent crime or poliziottesco genre movies. Under the direction of Massimo Dallamano who brought the world such delights as Venus In Furs and What Have The Done To Solange? this time we get treated to breakneck motorbike chases, formidable stuntwork and a surprisingly brutal and wince inducing scene. This along with aforementioned Milano Calibro 9 Rabid Dogs, Almost Human and Castellarii's Stret Law probably represent the perfect dropping in point for any who wish to explore this delightful genre of film further See more Read all reviews

Colt 38 Special Squad

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