Director: Fernando Di Leo
Script: Fernando Di Leo & Peter Berling
Cast: Jack Palance, Al Cliver, Harry Baer, Gisela Hahn, Enzo Pulcrano, Roberto Reale, Edmund Purdom, Vittorio Caprioli
Running time: 96 mins
Year: 1976
Certificate: 18
During the prologue of this film two hoods return from a heist, but one shoots the other in front of his young son and the boy retaliates by throwing something heavy at the killer, resulting in him being scarred, facially, for life.
Some years later, Manzari (aka Scarface, played by Jack Palance) is now head of a large crime organisation that’s feared throughout the region and the boy, Rick, who he left behind grieving his dead father, has now grown up – into Al Cliver – but is still getting grief, indirectly, by Scarface’s gang, who he’s trying to infiltrate so he can kill Manzari in revenge for the murder of his father.
Enter Tony (Harry Baer) into the fray, who works for another gang boss, as a debt collector, driving round the city in his brightly coloured dune buggy, as you do, putting a beating on non-payers to his boss, Luigi (Edmund Purdom). It’s quickly apparent that Tony is smart and ambitious and, after Scarface disrespects his boss he works out a scam to get Luigi’s money back, and then some. However, his con, involving bringing in a professional actor to play a tax inspector backfires resulting in Luigi being executed by one of Tony’s rivals, Peppe, and Tony, Rick and a much older hood, Napoli (Vittorio Caprioli) – who’s been a mentor character to Tony – set up another sting to hopefully put an end to Scarface once and for all.
Rulers of the City is a fun slice of Italian gangster Guignol with Palance on good form menacing all the other criminals, mostly with a stern look and pithy one-liner. Meanwhile Caprioli supplies some mild comedy relief; Edmund Purdom (who some may recall played the dean in the slasher film, Pieces) plays Mafioso, Luigi, with a bit of class, and Enzo Pulcrano is well cast as volatile jerk, Peppi, who’s out to get Tony, for some unexpressed reason. I guess they just don’t have the right chemistry!
The film is nicely shot by DoP Erico Menczo, and the satisfying visuals are suitably accompanied by a funky flute and guitar-based score by Luis Bacalov. Plus, there are some dangerous-looking vehicular stunts, especially some effective motorbike sequences.
While the film doesn’t really produce anything new, story-wise, what it does do, it does well, and is therefore a perfectly watchable Italian crime flick that doesn’t outstay its welcome and showcases some interesting actors that hold one’s attention.
If I had to say anything critical of the movie, I would say that Palance should be in it a little more, and Al Cliver isn’t really used as effectively as one would hope.
Raro Video have done a good job restoring this less well known gangster film from the land of the boot and have provided us with an interesting selection of extras too.
Violent City (15.5 mins) – An archival featurette, that includes interviews with director, Fernando Di Leo, actor, Al Cliver and editor, Amedeo Giomini. All have something interesting to say about the film. Cliver remembers the director as being ‘more English’ in his approach to filmmaking, in that he wasn’t loud-mouthed and egocentric like many Italian directors can be – in his opinion, I hasten to add. Amedeo also has fond memories of working with Di Leo, saying that even when Fernando did get angry he was still nice about it. It seems that Palance didn’t speak with his co-workers much, but was always very polite and professional. We also hear from weapons expert, Gilberto Galimberti, who helped choreograph the film’s fight and action scenes.
As a child I saw my father murdered and I want revenge now that I’m grown! (13 mins) – Film expert Mike Malloy classifies Rulers of the City as being in this subgenre and then he talks about his reasons for creating such specific subgenres. He groups Rulers in with the likes of Gangs of New York, Son of Django, Kid, Summertime Killer, Death Rides a Horse and Conan the Barbarian. During his spiel we also learn that during his career Jack Palance made three Italian crime films.
It’s a pity Raro Video weren’t able to source the trailer for the film or some production stills, but the special features are still worth your time.
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