This is the first 'Mark' film involving Franco Gasperri as the tall, cold narcotics detective out to bring down a drug smuggling operation in Milan. Mark is a kindly detective, I think, as he tries to dissuade a young rookie from joining the narcotics division and takes a poor young junky girl under his wing to help her recover.What Mark is really all about is the taking down of dodgy businessman Benzi (Lee Cobb, who thankfully provides a nice performance to contract with Gasperri's robotic acting style). Mark knows Benzi is pushing heroin in Milan but doesn't quite know how he's doing it, while Mark's stupid boss continues to insist that Benzi is as clean as a gay guy's flat. With his bumbling sidekick in tow, Mark sets off to get to the bottom of the case.Of course, the plot has to go round the houses a bit so there's some recently released German guy who is employed as muscle for Benzi, a sinister businessman-type who follows everyone around, and a getaway driver/drug courier that Mark keeps bumping into. On their third encounter Mark is giving this guy the beatdown when a priest beats Mark, causing Mark to shout "I'm a cop! You should have checked first you stupid prick! F**k off!"There's a few standout scenes before the film turns dark in the last third and we get to the usual warhouse shootout- You've got Mark jumping out of a car and chasing an ambulance on foot, and you've also got Mark casually stepping out of the way of a car travelling along the street on its roof. Stelvio Massi once again stands out with his cinematography, which just suits this stuff like a...suit.

For starters, this is probably the only Poliziotesschi/Euro-crime thriller of which the title in English sounds cooler than the original Italian one! Usually the lengthy and almost poetic sounding original titles are abruptly altered with catchy sounding English words or superlatives (one of the aka's here is actually "Blood, Sweat and Fear"), but the most commonly used title is "Mark the Narc" and that pretty much suits the film perfectly. Secondly, and speaking as a die-hard fan of the Euro-crime sub genre, I don't understand why "Mark the Narc" isn't more regarded as a modest classic or at least more frequently mentioned by fellow admirers of the genre! Perhaps it's because other master-directors like Umberto Lenzi and Fernando Di Leo were simultaneously unleashing numerous Poliziotesschi classics that were grittier and much more violent than this one, or perhaps it's simply because writer/director Stelvio Massi stubbornly opted to cast the unconventional Franco Gasparri rather than the familiar genre icon Maurizio Merli. Fact remains, however, that "Mark the Narc" is a more than solid, suspenseful and straightforward Poliziotesschi with memorable stunt work, competent acting performances and a fantastic soundtrack (courtesy of the almighty Stelvio Cipriani). The plot is formulaic, but we honestly don't expect or even desire it to be different in this genre! Mark Terzi is an honorable young police commissioner on a dedicated mission to cleanse the streets of his beloved Milan and get rid of all the filthy drug-related crimes and trafficking. Mark knows that the wealthy businessman Benzi is heading all the criminal networks in town but, as usual with this type of jerks, he is a well-respected citizen and enjoys the protection from all prominent politicians. In order to bring him down at last, Mark is forced to take out all of Benzi's henchmen and adjuncts, including relentless murderers and corrupt fellow police officers, and by doing so he doesn't only put his own life at risk but also that of important witnesses. As much as I also love Umberto Lenzi's outrageous Poliziotesschi-thrillers ("Violent Naples", "Almost Human"), the emphasis here clearly lies more on plot and character development rather than on cruel violence and randomly shooting as many innocent bystanders as possible. Several sequences in "Mark the Narc" are integer and stylish, like the relationship Mark develops with the heroine-addicted girl or the genuine grief he experiences after what happens to his partner. In Lenzi's films, aspects like these are merely footnotes and are preferably replaced by another virulent car chase. Don't be too alarmed, though, as "Mark the Narc" definitely does contain loads of blood-pumping action and nasty executions (the truck!). One supportive character in particular is responsible for a few notable moments of sadistic violence, namely the stone-cold and merciless killer named Grüber. It's a genuine mystery to me why the actor portraying him – Carlo Duran – never appeared in other Eurocrime thrillers, as his appearance is naturally intimidating and pure evil. Franco Gasparri is terrific in his protagonist role as well, and the mandatory American import-star Lee J. Cobb is very professional as the despicable lead villain. I urge all my fellow Poliziotesschi lovers to give "Mark the Narc" a proper chance. Even if you've seen all the classics and some of the more obscure hidden gems, this exemplary Eurocrime thriller is likely to still enchant and entertain you! As the ultimate proof of Italian craftsmanship, two sequels were released in a span of barely one and a half year. I'd really like to watch them as well, but so far I haven't been successful in tracking them down.

The first in Stelvio Massi's trilogy of films starring the ill-fated actor Franco Gasparri as cop Mark Terzi is a slick, professional, and moderately exciting hard-boiled crime thriller, with well-drawn and believable characters and an emphasis on suspenseful plotting over tons of action. Whereas the excellent crime flicks of Umberto Lenzi usually concentrated on scenes of random violence against innocent victims, THE NARC is more of a straight-laced thriller chronicling Gasparri's attempts to bring big-time drug baron Lee J. Cobb to justice. Like most Italian "polizia" movies from the period, the character of Mark Terzi is an unconventional cop whose unorthodox and violent methods are frowned upon by his superiors, risking suspension, much like the character Maurizio Merli might play.The film begins with the police investigating a dead drug addict, found floating face up in a swimming pool. His unconscious heroin-addicted girlfriend lies nearby, so good-guy cop Mark decides to take her back to his apartment and look after her, nursing her through a period of "cold turkey" and back to a clean bill of health. Lots of forceful acting follows as the uneasy relationship develops between the two. Meanwhile, there are two main connected plot strands. The first concerns the nefarious activities of Lee J Cobb, the "imported big-name American actor" (others in films of the period include John Saxon and Jack Palance), a well-liked, powerful and respected citizen of the city who Mark believes is involved with drug-dealing and the underworld. His unconvinced superiors will have none of it, of course, labelling him instead as a nutter.The second plot thread concerns the release of a German convict known as Gruber from jail. I don't know where they found the actor to play Gruber, but he's one of the most convincing heavies I've seen! Gruber immediately goes on a mission of revenge, brutally breaking the neck of his former partner in crime who let him bear the wrath of the police, and shooting others in cold blood. He's also a sexual pervert with a habit of beating up and murdering women, including the drug-addicted girl that Mark rescued from the swimming pool at the film's beginning. Once this happens, Mark goes after him with a vengeance and a tense stand-off occurs between the two, with inevitable results.With Gruber out of the way, Mark is free to try and trap Cobb and expose him as the drug-dealing scum he really is (the viewer knows this, but the typically stuffy police superior will have none of it). He employs his fellow cop buddies to follow some trucks from a toy shop (!) - which he believes is the location of the drug-trafficking - and witnesses a deal between a hood and a policeman. After lots of personal tragedy, Mark finds the secret base and shoots all of the criminal gang. Cobb escapes by car and a countryside chase ensues...THE NARC may not be an action-packed movie but there are a couple of outstanding sequences to watch out for. The car chase at the end is pacy and exciting, and I love the slow-motion shots of Mark's tiny little car bouncing and smashing through the undergrowth when he takes a short cut. Another scene has Mark stumbling upon a bank job. With the getaway car speeding towards him, he aims and fires at the baddies (being an expert marksman), causing the car to fly up in the air in beautifully-shot slow motion, before crashing down hard and in pieces on the ground. Wow! An amazing shot and thoroughly authentic - none of this dodgy editing to try and convince you that a car can just fly over the top of another car for no reason instead of just ploughing into it. The icing of the cake is that Gasparri (or at least a stand-in) is actually standing next to the vehicle when it hits the ground, adding to the authenticity! The acting is generally strong, with the handsome and charismatic Franco Gasparri taking the leading role of the on-the-edge cop; Lee J. Cobb is also very good in what is a rather underdeveloped part as the chief villain of the movie. Nice to see the underrated Giampiero Albertini from ASSAULT WITH A DEADLY WEAPON, typecast again as Mark's cop buddy. THE NARC has its fair share of downbeat tragedy, cool action, moments of nasty violence (the truck murder is pretty shocking), funky music, and good pacing, making it a solid entry in the polizia stakes, if not a must-see.

Bit of a disappointment this and its a shame because it looks so good and with such a good score by Stelvio Cipriani it sounds good too. Franco Gasparri is charismatic and effective in the lead role and the dialogue is good and snappy. Its just that there could have been a bit more going on, a bit more action or involving background. The bad guys led by Lee J Cobb are a mixed bunch and do not really convince and Sara Sperati as the non love interest is a waste of space. I think all the emphasis upon her drug addiction is because we are supposed to get involved here and feel sorry for the girl, unfortunately we don't. So all left to Gasparri and its asking far too much. With so many bad guys about the place we could have had a bit more action, rather than chat and visits to the race track.