Execution Squad
- Lucio De Caro
- Steno
- Lucio De Caro
- Steno
- Roberto Infascelli
- Peter Geissler[1]
- Enrico Maria Salerno
- Mariangela Melato
- Franco Fabrizi
- Cyril Cusack
- Roberto Perpignani
- Jutta Brandstaedter[1]
companies
- Primex Italiania
- Dieter Geissler Filmproduktion[1]
- 25 February 1972 (1972-02-25) (Italy)
- 17 November 1972 (1972-11-17) (West Germany)
- Italy
- West Germany[1]
Execution Squad (Italian: La polizia ringrazia) is a 1972 crime film directed by Steno and starring Enrico Maria Salerno. Set during Italy's tumultuous anni di piombo ("Years of Lead"), the film obtained a great commercial success.
Cast
- Enrico Maria Salerno as Commissioner Bertone
- Mariangela Melato as Sandra
- Franco Fabrizi as Francesco Bettarini
- Cyril Cusack as Former Superintendent Stolfi
- Mario Adorf as Deputy Prosecutor Ricciuti
- Laura Belli as Anna Maria Sprovieri
- Jürgen Drews as Michele Settecamini
- Corrado Gaipa as Lawyer Armani
Plot
Commissioner Bertone is an upright officer in a Rome over-run by crime. Due to a justice system which protects the rights of suspects and citizens against the police, many crimes go unpunished with convictions not being obtained the criminals ending up back on the streets. However, some of the released criminals turn up dead. Bertone discovers an organized group of vigilantes are dealing with the criminals the police cannot obtain convictions for. A young criminal on the run after a bungled robbery costs the lives of two citizens is the syndicate's next victim, followed by an older criminal. The vigilantes start to target prostitutes and homosexuals active on the streets at night, as well as a trade union leader who was accused of killing a policeman during a riot, and even a criminal in custody. Bertone tries to bring the second kid involved in the robbery to justice legally, but the self-appointed executioners are closing in and his own officers are sympathetic to the 'clean up squad'.
Style
Italian film historian Roberto Curti stated that many critics have consider Execution Squad to be the initiator of the "poliziottesco" film genre.[2][3][4][5] Curti opined that Execution Squad was just a logical continuation of Damiano Damiani's Confessions of a Police Captain.[5] The film is credited to Stefano Vanzina, the first time in his career that Vanzina had abandoned his usual credit of Steno which he had used since 1949.[5] The film is also a drastic change from Steno's usual output which consisted primarily of comedy films.[5]
Production
The script and story were written by Lucio De Caro and Steno.[1][5] Steno stated that the script was originally written for a different director, but "back then my colleagues were afraid to speak ill of the police".[5] The lead role in the film was given to Enrico Maria Salerno, but was originally offered to Lando Buzzanca, one of Italy's most famous comedians at the time.[6] The film was shot at Centro Incom in Rome and on location in Rome.[1]
Release
Execution Squad was released in Italy on 25 February 1972 where it was distributed by P.A.C.[1] It grossed a total of 1,696,360,000 Italian lire on its domestic release.[1] Curti described the film as an unexpected box office hit in Italy.[6] It was released in West Germany on 17 November 1972 as Das Syndikat.[1]
See also
Footnotes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Curti 2013, p. 56.
- ^ Curti 2006, p. 103-108.
- ^ Mathijs & Mendik 2004, p. 80.
- ^ Chiti, Poppi & Pecorari 1991, p. 7.
- ^ a b c d e f Curti 2013, p. 57.
- ^ a b Curti 2013, p. 58.
References
- Curti, Roberto (2013). Italian Crime Filmography, 1968-1980. McFarland. ISBN 978-0786469765.
- Mathijs, Ernest; Mendik, Xavier (2004). Alternative Europe. Wallflower Press.
- Chiti, Roberto; Poppi, Roberto; Pecorari, Mario (1991). Dizionario del cinema italiano: I film (in Italian). Gremese Editore.
- Curti, Roberto (2006). Italia odia: il cinema poliziesco italiano. Lindau.
External links
- Execution Squad at IMDb
- v
- t
- e
- A Night of Fame (1949)
- A Dog's Life (1950)
- È arrivato il cavaliere! (1950)
- Cops and Robbers (1951)
- Toto and the King of Rome (1952)
- Toto and the Women (1952)
- Toto in Color (1952)
- The Unfaithfuls (1953)
- Man, Beast and Virtue (1953)
- Cinema d'altri tempi (1953)
- A Day in Court (1954)
- An American in Rome (1954)
- Le avventure di Giacomo Casanova (1954)
- The Letters Page (1955)
- Nero's Weekend (1956)
- Female Three Times (1957)
- Susanna Whipped Cream (1957)
- Maid, Thief and Guard (1958)
- Mia nonna poliziotto (1958)
- Toto in the Moon (1958)
- Toto in Madrid (1959)
- The Overtaxed (1959)
- Uncle Was a Vampire (1959)
- Un militare e mezzo (1960)
- Letto a tre piazze (1960)
- Some Like It Cold (1960)
- Psycosissimo (1961)
- Musketeers of the Sea (1961)
- La ragazza di mille mesi (1961)
- The Two Colonels (1962)
- Totò Diabolicus (1962)
- Copacabana Palace (1962)
- Toto vs. the Four (1963)
- Heroes of the West (1964)
- I gemelli del Texas (1964)
- A Monster and a Half (1964)
- Letti sbagliati (1965)
- Rose rosse per Angelica (1965)
- Love Italian Style (1966)
- The Crazy Kids of the War (1967)
- How to Kill 400 Duponts (1967)
- Caprice Italian Style (1967)
- Transplant (1969)
- Gang War (1971)
- The Blonde in the Blue Movie (1971)
- Execution Squad (1971)
- Il terrore con gli occhi storti (1972)
- L'uccello migratore (1972)
- My Brother Anastasia (1973)
- Flatfoot (1973)
- Policewoman (1974)
- Flatfoot in Hong Kong (1974)
- The Boss and the Worker (1975)
- Febbre da cavallo (1976)
- L'Italia s'è rotta (1976)
- Three Tigers Against Three Tigers (1977)
- Double Murder (1977)
- Flatfoot in Africa (1978)
- Amori miei (1978)
- Dr. Jekyll Likes Them Hot (1979)
- Hot Potato (1979)
- Flatfoot in Egypt (1980)
- Prickly Pears (1980)
- Quando la coppia scoppia (1981)
- Il tango della gelosia (1981)
- Dio li fa e poi li accoppia (1982)
- Banana Joe (1982)
- An Ideal Adventure (1982)
- Bonnie and Clyde Italian Style (1983)
- Mani di fata (1983)
- Mi faccia causa (1984)
- Urban Animals (1987)
- Big Man (1987)