Despite the often inventive use of real locations, and the much better dubbing than average for the English language version (Balsam was obviously speaking in English on the set) and a few good sparks of action, this is a somewhat disappointing movie. For one thing, it lacks a real climax. In fact, the biggest action spot is right at the very beginning! Instead of action, the movie is very dialogue bound.The plot also disappoints. It's that well-used one, detailing Mafia infiltration into the construction industry. Fortunately, the acting is forceful enough to maintain a fair amount of audience interest, and the plot actually does have one or two welcome twists.

This Italian crime drama from director Damiano Damiani is a very well directed film; throughout his long career, Damiani has succeeded in making classy films (with the exception of AMITYVILLE II: THE POSSESSION) and this one is no exception. However, it isn't an action film at all, so those looking for gun and fist-fights should look elsewhere. Things kick off with a criminal being released from an asylum; his immediate action is to go gunning for a crime boss who duped him. There's a brief, expertly directed shoot-out, and then the police procedural story of corruption and racketeering really begins.Instead of action, Damiani delivers us a character-focused drama that's presided over by the larger-than-life Martin Balsam as a corrupt police captain. Balsam makes this film work; rather than being presented as a villain, he's a sympathetic character and his minimalist performance really works here. Playing a totally unflappable captain – he doesn't even blanch when presented with evidence of his crimes – he really makes the viewer identify with his aims and methods and Balsam is superb throughout.The film is rather lengthy and slow-paced, and it's more about acting and plot than anything else. Damiani's photography is excellent and the film has a polished veneer to it. Unusually, Franco Nero is present, but as a supporting role rather than a leading character; he's okay, but in comparison to Balsam, he seems wooden, overdoing it. The rest of the cast is filled by hard-faced actors playing various lowlifes, and they're all very effective. The beautiful Marilu Tolo puts in a notable performance as a woman caught up in the mess.Full of some very memorable scenes – the shoot-out, the striking builder lying in his own blood, the ending in the prison – this is a genuinely good film; a little slow and lacking in action for my liking, but with good technical qualities and a nice score from Riz Ortolani, the guy who did the music in the infamous CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST. In the end, though, it's Martin Balsam who makes this film so good.

Honest, dedicated Commissioner Bonavia (superbly played by Martin Balsam) risks both his life and career in order to arrest wily, powerful and evasive mobster Ferdinando D'Ambrosio (a marvelously slimy portrayal by Luciano Catenacci). Bonavia clashes with shrewd, smooth and by-the-book young district attorney Traini (the always fine Franco Nero) over the questionable methods he uses to nab D'Ambrosio. Director Damiano Damiani, who also co-wrote the sharp, complex and intriguing script with Salvatore Laurani, relates the absorbing story at a steady pace and does an expert job of maintaining a serious and gritty tone throughout. The uniformly sound acting from a tip-top cast rates as another substantial plus: Balsam and Nero both excel in their meaty roles, with fine support from Marilu Tolo as D'Ambrosio's frightened old flame Serena LiPuma, Giancarlo Prete as gutsy union organizer Rizzo, Claudio Gora as crooked attorney general Judge Malta, Arturo Dominici as shifty mafia shyster lawyer Canistraro, and Adolfo Lastretti as dangerous, unhinged hoodlum LiPuma. Both Riz Ortolani's moody, melodic score and Claudio Ragona's polished cinematography are up to speed. The potent central message about pervasive corruption and travesties of justice packs one hell of a strong punch. Moreover, the film's tough, no-nonsense sensibility stays grimly true to itself to the literal bitter end. Those expecting your usual nasty and sleazy shoot 'em up action picture will be disappointed, but fans of more demanding and complicated fare should appreciate this admirably ambitious and intelligent character study of two radically contrasting law enforcers. Well worth a look.

Political thriller by Damiano Damiani (BULLET FOR THE GENERAL, HOW TO KILL A JUDGE) that creates a world so vivid that every time I watch it, I forget Franco Nero didn't dub his own voice. The opening scene takes place in a Sicilian mad house, hundreds of years old, fortified with decaying stone. It is here that we first hear Riz Ortolani's amazing theme, a fuzz-tone guitar and a melancholy orchestra, and the ranting and moans of madmen. We see Captain Bonavia (Martin Balsam, who did dub his own voice) arrange for the release of LiPuma, a psychotic criminal obsessed with cleanliness who is no sooner free than he makes an attempt on the life of a gangster named D'Ambrosio, which results in the deaths of Lipuma and several of D'Ambrosio's thugs, but not D'Ambrosio. It is immediately hinted that Bonavia arranged for LiPuma's release for just this reason. The mystery here isn't who did what, but why he did it, and who you're supposed to root for: Captain Bonavia, the official made cynical and allegedly irresponsible by years on the job, who may or may not be motivated by graft, or DA Traini (Franco Nero), who investigates the attempt on D'Ambrosio's life. Traini is young and idealistic and immediately suspects Bonavia's involvement. Bonavia is fifty going on a hundred and mocks Traini at every turn as he fills him in on the history of a city built, literally, on corpses. Damiani underlines the similarities between these two men--does Traini embody the idealism Bonavia lost, are they both just stooges of a corrupt, ancient system--in subtle ways, and he, along with Balsam, builds Bonavia's character with equal aplomb. You can watch this film repeatedly and see these subtleties, equal credit for which must go to Balsam's performance, which is one of his best, which is saying a lot. Minor characters, like LiPuma and his hunted sister, Serena, come across with enough depth to exacerbate the tension. Riz Ortolani's score chimes in at just the right moments to intensify the drama, which is what this really is, a drama that grabs you by the guts. Damiani's ability to create this kind of film, angry and topical, anti-establishment, but so lived-in, it never feels forced, deserves greater recognition. This one, especially, should be required viewing, despite the fact that I've never seen it in any form other than a cheesy DVD that probably capitalized on public domain and is dubbed (it should be noted that the Italians dubbed most of their films, even the Italian versions, and were good at it) and has glitches that lead me to believe it was mastered from VHS. Don't avoid; the integrity of the film survives.