Director: Alberto De Martino
Screenplay: Vincenzo Mannino, Gianfranco Clerici
Starring: Stuart Whitman, John Saxon, Martin Landau, Tisa Farrow, Carole Laure, Jean Leclerc, Gayle Hunnicutt, Jean Marchand
Country: Italy, Canada
Running Time: 99 min
Year: 1976
BBFC Certificate: 18
Whilst, at first glance, Blazing Magnum (a.k.a. Strange Shadows in an Empty Room or Una Magnum Special per Tony Saitta) seems to be another generic cop movie, itās actually quite unusual in a couple of ways. For one, it manages to straddle two Italian genres, working both as a poliziottesco and a giallo. Itās filled with car chases, fights and shoot-outs whilst also following a murder mystery plot that leads to several atmospheric murder scenes.
Blazing Magnum is also peculiar in that itās an Italian-Canadian co-production. Whilst the principal names behind the camera are Italian, the film was shot in Canada and features a lot of Canadian cast and crew members. This gives it a bit of a different feel to its contemporaries.
Intrigued, and with the film getting released on various formats as part of Studiocanalās relatively new Cult Classics range, I thought Iād give Blazing Magnum a shot.
The film begins with the murder by poisoning of Louise Saitta (Carole Laure), a student at the University of Montreal. Her brother, Tony (Stuart Whitman), a tough police captain from Ottawa, arrives in the city to investigate, aided by local cop Sgt. Ned Matthews (John Saxon).
Tony suspects that Louise’s lover, Dr. George Tracer (Martin Landau), may be responsible for her death. Tracer is a married man, and he and Louise had been having an affair. However, Tony soon begins to learn there might be more to the case and, indeed, his sister than he initially thought.
Blazing Magnum is not a film to be analysed too deeply, so my review is going to be less rambling than usual. Itās a film whose plot doesnāt bear much scrutiny in particular. Tony wouldnāt be investigating a case involving his sister thatās out of his jurisdiction for starters. This can easily be ignored but the actual investigation is pretty flimsy too, usually consisting of Tony asking a dodgy-looking character āIāve got to ask you somethingā before they make a run for it for no reason or try to knock him out.
This lack of motivation behind the set pieces makes for a film that feels a bit chucked together but, despite its flaws, itās all very entertaining, with plenty of action interspersed throughout. I love a good car chase, in particular, and there are a few good ‘uns here, courtesy of the legendary stunt co-ordinator RĆ©my Julienne, though one of them is drawn out a little too long.
The fact that Tony seems to beat up anyone and everyone for little reason also makes for an enjoyably, albeit ridiculously, tough rogue cop. So, fans of gleefully over-the-top violence will have a blast. Thereās even one scene where a hot curling iron is put where it doesnāt belong when Tony tackles an unfriendly transgender witness!
Personally, Iām a fan of crazy action movies like this, even if its slapped-together, fighting for the sake of it nature did get a little too silly. The filmās fast pace canāt be denied though and it has a strong cast. Stuart Whitman is hardly a household name but he had a long and fairly successful career, even if he didnāt reach the heights of some of his better-known contemporaries. He does a great job here as a no-nonsense cop, out for justice.
The funky soundtrack by Armando Trovajoli is pretty cool too and, whilst the stylistic flourishes donāt always work (the fast intercutting was more distracting than anything else), it looks good, like most Italian genre movies.
Overall then, Blazing Magnum is a little daft and over-the-top, and the mystery isnāt all that compelling but itās loaded with enough action and bonkers mayhem to keep genre fans happy.
Film: 
Blazing Magnum is out on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital from 11th September, released by Studiocanal as part of their Cult Classics range. I watched the Blu-ray version and itās not one of the strongest transfers Iāve seen. When it started out I thought it looked good, with a pleasingly natural grain and colours. However, the grain gets a little heavy and problematic in spots, some damage crops up here and there and the colours occasionally experience some mild fluctuation. Overall itās not bad, but donāt go in expecting anything mind-blowing. Iāve used screengrabs throughout this review to give you an idea of what it looks like.
The audio is a bit rough too, unfortunately, with a strong hiss often present and some damage at higher pitches. It must be noted that I watched with the English soundtrack though. The Italian track might be an improvement.
Special Features:
– Special Sentiments: Alberto De Martinoās Magnum Memories – new interview with the director
– City Hunter: New interview with film historian Kim Newman
– Theatrical trailer
– Blu-ray edition comes with four collectorās art cards
– English and Italian audio options available
There are only a couple of extras but these are decent. Kim Newman talks about the poliziotteschi and giallo genres and how Blazing Magnum fits within them both. He goes on to talk about the film’s director, Alberto De Martino, as well as most of the stars. It’s a typically well-researched and cheerfully passionate piece.
Alberto De Martino provides an interview too. He talks about his reputation as an ‘international director’ rather than an Italian one, as well as how he got into the industry. He began as a child actor and has some amusing stories to tell about his long career.
Itās a solid set of extras for a solid genre movie, so fans of cult Italian movies from the 70s will be advised to pick it up.
Disc/package: 
Leave a Reply