Tomas Milian begins his topsy turvy relationship with Umberto Lenzi in perhaps the duo's classiest pairing, taking more than a little inspiration from A CLOCKWORK ORANGE with Milian playing just as morally bankrupt of an anti-hero.ALMOST HUMAN (aka MILANO ODIA) really works and contains enough action, violence, nudity, and sharp-witted dialog to keep most B- movie lovers entertained. It's not quite realistic enough and a little too over-the-top to really attract the same foreign film aficionados who would do better with similarly-themed ASHES AND DIAMONDS. In a lot of ways, the ODIA becomes so dark and disturbing (even warranting its release in the United States as a HORROR movie) that things often slingshot back into black comedy.Milian's main stooge Gino Santercole (dubbed by Michael Forest) gets in most of the funniest lines such as "it was worth killing a couple of people for this money!". He's an interesting character, being a very loyal henchman through and through with little qualms graduating from low level criminal to kidnapper/murderer. The same cannot be said for secondary stooge Lovelock, whose constant crises of conscience make him a subject of amusing taunts by Milian in his most unhinged performance yet.Somehow, Milian so makes the character believable and human enough... charming, cunning, arrogant, and determined... that he somehow remains likable even after killing and abusing so many people (including his own friends and girlfriend). Strindberg as his middle-aged (though quite fetching) girlfriend isn't the most believable either, but their passionate albeit pathetic excuse for a relationship provides even more interest in this multi-layered movie. Henry Silva's also on-hand as a hard-nosed inspector not-so- hot on Milian's trail, charming in his own way though not enough to make us really root for him.All in all, it's an interesting film and a little smarter and more plot-driven than you'll usually find in a high octane Italian crime film as the cycle tended to gravitate into the mid-70's. It's one of the few cases though where I'd recommend the slightly edited U.S. version from Joseph Brenner over the Italian as it does inject a little more pathos and creepiness than the Italian version.

After having enjoyed Lucio Fulcis entertaining,though slightly muddled Italian Crime film Contraband,I was extremely interested in seeing an Italian Crime film from Umberto Lenzi,who introduced me to the brilliant "Giallo" genre with his very under rated film Spasmo.After having put the DVD on,I realised that I needed to hold on tight,because I was in for an amazing ride...The plot:Having spent most of his life grabbing spare change,petty criminal Giulito Sacchi decides that he should at last fill his deepest desire of becoming one of the most feared,and most wealthiest criminals in the country.When Sacchi goes to pick up his new girlfriend from work,he discovers that his girlfriend works for a very powerful and wealthy man of the city.After finding this out,Giulito starts talking to his friends about the "opertunity" that he sees right in front of their faces that could make them all very rich.The only problem for Giulito is that none of his friends are able to think of an idea that they could use to get a big chunk of cash from the man.Suddenly Sacchi has a brainstorm,when his girlfriend tells him that she has been working with the mans daughter.Although it does take Giulito some time to convince the gang that it is worth taking the risk,the others eventually agree that they should take the risk and kidnap the daughter for a big ransom,which they could live off for the rest of their lives.Just before the kidnapping takes place,Sacchi kills his girlfriend to make sure that no word gets out about the plans.When the gang grab the girl (and kill her boyfriend!)everything seems to be going to plan,and when they find out that her dad is desperate to pay them as much money as they want to get his daughter back,they all start to relax,with the knowledge that this kidnapping is going to be a very smooth and easy operation.Although as they get closer to getting their hands on the cash,the fear of it falling apart starts to get deep inside the minds of some of the kidnappers,whilst the deep and dangerous greed of Giulito Sacchi starts to make all of the gang fear that his desire for money and power might be about to destroy their chance of getting a piece of the ramson money...View on the film: Whilst Lenzi has toned down his excellent scatter-shot jump-cutting that make his brilliant Giallos so distinctive,he has impressively put all of his relentless energy into making Emesto Gastaldis great screenplay move at an unbelievable pace.With the beginning of the film starting with a very intense looking car chase.Along with Tomas Milian entertaining slime-ball performance of Giulito Sacchi,Umberto does an excellent job at making Sacchi a great lead character,which includes turning Giulito into a proto- (Pacino) Scarface character,who instead of being at the bottom of the pile,wants to be the man that has the world,and everything in it.For the violence in the film,Lenzi cleverly has the extremeness of the violence increase,as Sacchi gets more insane (although scenes of Giulito and his gang invading a villa,where the daughter is hiding, at around the 30 minute mark show that Giulito Sacchi has already jumped over the edge,in his mad lust for money and power.When watching the last half an hour of the film,I was very surprise to see Umberto give the film an amazing Film Noir look,with part of the films ending taking place around a river,which allows Lenzi to make the plot fill a lot more intense,by giving the scenes a very stark murky look with Sacchi trying to get away from the foggy area,even though Lenzi shows that even Sacchi,must now be questioning if he has any chance to succeed at all? Final view on the film: An explosive,adrenaline-fulled Italian crime film,with a gripping screenplay and dazzling directing from Lenzi.

There was actually a period of time, believe it or not, when Umberto Lenzi showed talent as a director. After reliably cranking out Westerns, adventures, and Second World War flicks during the Sixties, Lenzi coasted into the two most popular film genres of 1970s Italy: the giallo, a crime story that forces audiences to watch unseemly behavior from the felon's point of view, and the poliziottescho, Italy's reaction to a justice system that limited police officers while criminals happily roamed free.In competition with directors like Enzo G. Castellari and Sergio Sollima, Lenzi has been widely considered as the best maker of Italian police films. 'Almost Human' may certainly rank as Exhibit A in his poliziotteschi output of at least six titles from 1973 to 1979, including 'Rome: armed to the teeth' and 'Violent Naples.' Originally released as 'Milano odia: la polizia non può sparare' (roughly, Odious Milan: the police can't shoot), 'Almost Human' is a true standard of Italian crime, mixing defined characters with a riveting plot and well-crafted action. The 1974 shocker was also a landmark 'B' performance for actor Tomas Milian, who still regards Giulio Sacchi as one of the best efforts in his lengthy career.Modeled after box office hits like 'Dirty Harry,' 'The French Connection,' and 'Death Wish,' 'Milano odia' is a crime film injected with 1970s Italian truculence. The film opens en route to a bank robbery with Sacchi, a drunk, pill-popping felon, driving the getaway car for a local crime syndicate. Approached by a traffic cop while the robbery is in progress, Sacchi panics and shoots the officer dead, forcing his gang to drive off empty-handed. Giulio is roughed up and fired by the syndicate boss, leaving him without a meal ticket.Cash-desperate Sacchi arranges to kidnap Mary Lou Perrino (Laura Belli), the 20-year-old daughter of a local businessman, and hold her for ransom at 500 million lira with the help of his friends Vittorio (Gino Santercole) and Carmine (Ray Lovelock). This, of course, means that Sacchi has to wipe out every trace of evidence - living and nonliving - to avoid prison time. In Sacchi's rather limited world, no one is safe, including his two helpers and girlfriend Iona (Anita Strindberg). The dead bodies start piling up and police inspector Walter Grandi (Henry Silva) begins to work against the clock, assured that Mary Lou will die next unless law enforcement goes to extremes.Umberto Lenzi is known for his gialli, including 'Orgasmo,' 'A Quiet Place to Kill,' 'Oasis of Fear,' and 'Seven Blood-Stained Orchids,' probably his best effort in the genre. But it was Eurocrime that seemed to ideally fit Lenzi's technique and obsessions; he is still well-remembered for titles like 'Milano odia,' filmed before his entire career went to pieces by 1980. 'Milano odia' is a perfect vehicle for his heavy-handed style of direction, moving frantically and never afraid to shock its audiences. It advances in characteristic Italian 'B' fashion with not a page of Ernesto Gastaldi's script lacking malice. Don't expect a happy ending or the slightest civility from this picture; few characters get out of 'Milano odia' unscathed, as people are terrorized, beaten, stabbed, machine-gunned, and forced into sexual transgression. To make matters worse, the nasty behavior unwinds at a constant rate, with law enforcement not having the slightest ability to restore order.Tomas Milian pulls off a major feat by acting completely over-the-top but never looking comical at the wrong times. Unkempt, unfeeling, rather dumb, and always on edge, Milian renders Giulio Sacchi a sardonic, often funny lowlife who tries to look in control but keeps on betraying his awareness that the roof will come down at any moment. The only 'quality' Sacchi can rely upon is his outrageous behavior, which instills just enough fear in his two partners to stay on top. Gino Santercole and Ray Lovelock are excellent in their supporting roles, providing contrasts to Sacchi's total insanity. As Vittorio, Santercole holds some value in friendship but is no kinder to their hostage then Giulio. Lovelock is the most humanitarian, wanting to grab their ransom while inflicting as few bruises as possible.Henry Silva gives a solid performance as Inspector Grandi, an intentionally less dynamic form of Harry Callahan. Silva is about the only character we can relate to, because he acts on popular sentiment and takes the law into his own hands. Anita Strindberg and Laura Belli give life to their characters, although Iona's love for Giulio because of his 'size' makes womanhood look rather shallow. Technically speaking, editor Eugenio Alabiso keeps things moving at a nice clip, especially in the opening chase scene, and Ennio Morricone's pounding score is very hard to forget.'Milano odia' has been released on DVD by NoShame Films and will satisfy fans of Eurocrime. The film boasts widescreen presentation with Dolby enhancement of the original mono audio; the Italian track and English 'dubbing' are supplied with optional English subtitles. Included are the Italian and international trailers, a gallery of posters and production stills, and interviews with Lenzi, Lovelock, Santercole, Gastaldi, and Milian. Also gracing the DVD package is a six-page booklet with historical and biographical information.The film's print is in excellent condition with little grain; sound is well-coordinated between dialogue, background noise, and music. The interviews explain how the lead cast of 'Milano odia' came together, including Henry Silva's employment after the death of actor Richard Conte (much to Lenzi's annoyance). A bit too much emphasis is placed on the lasting friendship between Milian and Lovelock, when time could have been spent with the two lead actresses. Annoyingly, the case, disc, and booklet contain misspellings which look unprofessional, but NoShame's heart was certainly in the right place. The package is a decent tribute to this wacky film and highly recommended for Eurocrime junkies.*** out of 4Roving Reviewer - www.geocities.com/paul_johnr

Fine performances from all concerned, faultless non stop action direction and a pulsating score from Morricone all means that this super tight sleaze bag of ultra violence cannot fail - and it doesn't. It's not a pretty sight, except perhaps for the one shot of the lakes, with Milan looking about as disgusting as Mr Milian's constant and continuous nastiness. If I take issue at all here it is because it is established early on that the lead nasty is going to stop at nothing to achieve his goal and this leaves out the possibility of suspense or tension. We just know that he will relentlessly pursue his aims no matter who dies. That aside, it has to be said that unpleasant though much of this is it is certainly a most ruthless piece of film-making.