Umberto Lenzi
Milano Odia: La Polizia Non Può Sparare

Let's imagine taking a little jump into the past!

Let's imagine going back in time, when Italy wasn't yet invaded by dull teen movies or indigestible holiday comedies. Before all this, there was what our country offered best on celluloid! We could make an endless list of Italian films that set standards worldwide, but now I don't want to talk about a classic of our cinema, instead, of a film that over the years has been gradually forgotten, a little gem that I think is worth (re)discovering for those who love the crime genre.

We are in 1974 and the film in question is "Milano Odia: La Polizia Non Può Sparare," directed by a certain Umberto Lenzi (also famous for "Napoli Violenta" and "Roma A Mano Armata"), the genre of this film is precisely Italian noir which was just gaining ground in those years and would soon become popular among our directors (among the most representative it's worth mentioning Fernando Di Leo).

In this film, the story of Giorgio Sacchi (masterfully played by Tomas Milian) is narrated, a small-time criminal living in the outskirts of Milan who, obsessed with the thirst for wealth, organizes with two accomplices to kidnap Marilù Porrino (Laura Belli), the daughter of a wealthy industrialist, with the obvious aim of obtaining a ransom. Giorgio Sacchi is certainly not a sophisticated criminal mind but rather an ambitious madman who, filled with drugs and alcohol, unleashes his most sadistic side that creates real lakes of blood around him. This wave of murders draws the attention of Commissioner Walter Grandi (played by Henry Silva) who, with the few means at his disposal, tries to stop the unbalanced protagonist. Additionally, there are other more or less relevant characters that give various interesting turns to a not too original but well-constructed plot, where the fast-paced narrative rarely offers moments of boredom. Certainly, the strength of this film, as I mentioned earlier, is the performance of Tomas Milian (forget the cheerful and boisterous "Monnezza") who, embracing the role of an anti-hero, manages to bring to life a unique character in his genre, as cruel as he is ambiguous in certain unexpectedly cowardly attitudes that leave the viewer disoriented. Few are the flaws I caught during the viewing; the first that comes to mind is the always wooden Henry Silva as the commissioner, although his somewhat mechanical acting doesn't excessively clash with the context he finds himself in.

At the time, there was much talk regarding this film due to the violence (for some gratuitous) present, with scenes reminiscent of the splatter genre, but if this doesn't bother you (and I don't think it will), you can seek out this little gem of our cinema that worthily represents the Italian noir movement, allowing you to take an enjoyable dive into Italian cinema of the '70s from which Tarantino has largely drawn, without making much of a secret of it.

Enjoy the Viewing