Italian cult cinema can be so deliciously rudimentary and effective from time to time. The whole basic concept of "Colt .38 Special Squad", for instance, is simply to exploit the immense success of the Hollywood classic "Dirty Harry" and expand it by throwing in an entire squadron of ruthless & trigger-happy coppers! Add to that an evil villainous character, a staggering soundtrack by Stelvio Cipriani and a handful of extremely violent sequences and we've got ourselves a bona fide Italian Poliziotteschi cult hit! Chief inspector of police Vanni is on the hunt for über-criminal Marsigliese and shoots his brother during a confrontation. Purely to make a statement, Marsigliese savagely executes Vanni's wife right before the eyes of his 6-year-old son. After this tragic incident, Vanni receives permission from his superiors to put together a special squad that doesn't have to follow the book of instructions and with the liberty of using heavier gun power. The squad immediately has its hand full, as Marsigliese's accomplices just stole a cargo-load of explosives and terrify the city with a number of bloody bomb attacks. "Colt .38 Special Squad" is a highly entertaining and action-packed Italian cop thriller, but personally I don't rank it alongside my absolute favorites of the genre. The reason for this is merely the lack of a monumental heroic character. Even though he starred in the popular blockbuster "The French Connection", lead actor Marcel Bozzuffi plainly doesn't have the tough and invincible charisma of other Italian cop characters such as Maurizio Merli, Luc Merenda or Franco Nero. He himself is a rather inconspicuous guy, and none of his squad team members are anything special either. In fact, they are so bleak and random that I often forgot their faces or mistook them for secondary petty thieves. Ivan Rassimov, on the other hand, is very memorable as Marsigliese and literally everything you expect from a devilish gangster boss! The film also contains multiple moments of uncompromising and shocking violence, like the aforementioned execution, a nasty hit-and-run accident and packages blowing up in people's faces. You can always count on Poliziotteschi movies for gratuitous bloodshed! This was – sadly - the last accomplishment of writer/director Massimo Dallamano before he died in a car accident. To me, Dallamano will always remain the genius creator of the greatest Italian giallo ever made ("What have you done to Solange?), but he also made the excellent psychedelic horror flicks "Devil in the Flesh" and Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray".

COLT 38 SPECIAL SQUAD is a typical example of the Italian polizia flick, so if you're wondering what a Dirty Harry-inspired police film from the '70s looks like, then look no further than this. It's a film which exemplifies the best of a genre that's still hidden from most film fans today, who are missing out on the delights of Maurizio Merli and his contemporaries beating the hell out of criminal scum.Although this film doesn't boast any roles for big Hollywood names or familiar genre fans, it proves to be distinctly above average. That's because it tells a complex, action-packed story at speed, never slowing down for a second. There are robberies, kidnappings, assassinations, terrorism and even a bombing campaign, all delivered in a typically gutsy, as-it-is kind of way, free of sentimentality, the focus on the realism. Massimo Dallamano's camera never sits still for a second in depicting a kinetic struggle between criminals and the police.The essential story involves Marcel Bozzuffi (THE FRENCH CONNECTION) playing a tough Inspector with a personal vendetta against a criminal gang. He sets up a special squad, all armed with powerful handguns and motorbikes, to track down and take out the criminals, but of course it doesn't go according to plan. Although the way, the haunted Carole Andre gets caught between cops and bad guys, and Ivan Rassimov once again tackles the role of criminal mastermind. It goes without saying that the various action bits – shoot-outs, car chases, you name it – are second to none and miles ahead of most of what Hollywood churns out today.

Slightly above-average and pretty bleak poliziottesco; it came, more or less, halfway through the run of the genre and, while well enough made, it is also curiously undistinguished (though buoyed by a typically great pounding score by Stelvio Cipriani and expert cinematography by Gabor Pogany). The “Special Squad” of the title is a hand-picked team of fearless cops determined to fight the most nefarious criminal minds – their prowess and agility gives rise to plenty of exciting chase sequences (cue the remarkable stuntwork which often came in handy within this particular genre) but only one of them is really well-defined as a character.However, there’s also the topical element of terrorism – exemplifying such heinous acts as plagued the country during this era – with a couple of spectacular but harrowing explosions in public places. The film is given a nice boost by having Marcel Bozzuffi, best-known for playing the criminal pursued by Gene Hackman in THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971), essaying the role of the iconoclastic cop this time around! Carole Andre', a regular starlet in Italian films of the time, is somewhat wasted as the long-suffering moll (though leading an outwardly luxurious life) of one of the hoods; her one attempt to stand up to the gang, plus her innocent involvement with a member of the Squad, seals her fate and she’s eventually marked for death. Ivan Rassimov is the dour villain, typically given a fashionable name (Il Marsigliese) and who engages throughout in a cat-and-mouse game with Bozzuffi – the former had killed Rassimov’s brother in a run-in with the police, and the criminal reiterated by murdering Bozzuffi’s spouse. The final showdown (with Bozzuffi predictably turning up to execute Rassimov just when it seems he’s likely to get away) is swift but nonetheless effective; disappointingly, they share no real confrontation scene.Unfortunately, this turned out to be director Dallamano’s last film; he died some time after the end of shooting in a car accident! Also, Grace Jones makes an unremarkable early appearance here as a nightclub singer. The No Shame Limited Edition DVD is quite splendid: not only because of the shining transfer of the film itself and some wonderful supplements – fascinating interviews with both editor Antonio Siciliano and composer Cipriani – but also the fact that it includes a bonus feature on a second disc, namely Luciano Ercoli’s own swan-song called THE RIP-OFF (1978), actually a poliziottesco spoof once thought lost and which I’ll get to in due time...

Colt 38 special squad is a rare breed in the poliziotteschi genre. Excellent shot and filled with great casting, cinematographer/director Massimo Dallamano really comes trough on this one. Known for his outstanding camera precision on the Sergio Leone trilogy Colt 38 grapes you all the way. Of course there are a lot good examples for movies in those Italian cop/crime films.Like Milano Calibre 9 or The big racket. But Colt 38 special squad belongs among those films. Rather than just focusing on the usual violence this one delivers also a other angle, those of the mental-pain and struggle. Like a real pro Massimo let's you get involved in those characters and start to care form them. With all well paced storytelling we follow French crime lord Ivan Rassimov as the Dark angel in his mad rage against the city and his cops. Expeccialy against Marcel Bozzuffi as hard boiled Capitan Vanni. An old beef is going on between the two of them. Personal as can be, Vanni and his special crew of cops now not only arresting the locals bastards but are also mix up in the personal vendetta between Vanni and the crew of Dark Angel. The result is well packed storytelling with some brutal, but subtle action. Colt 38 is a well crafted movie with memorable scenes. Think in the line of city bombing and care chases. Rassimov is one's of the most cool killers. But really, Vanni is stealing the show in my opine that is. Of course also in real life those guys competing. Both are die hard actors. Dirty rotten by all those amazing scripts in there carrier. Kinda like De Niro and Pacino in Heat. Do not make the mistake of thinking less about this movie in budget ways. It's great cinema and a prime example of Polliziotesschi madness. Not to be missed