The plot has been explained well enough by the other reviewers. Porel and Lovelock are basically lower class James Bond homologues: pretty boy fashion plates who kill, screw and bully without regret, knowing they can do so because they're on the right side of the law. This leads to some entertaining sequences (the opening chase - in which they do not run over the guide dog, the villains do that, but they do zoom past the distraught blind man and just leave him to his fate, the quarry shootout, the prevention of the bank robbery, the hostage situation). But there's no real strength to the narrative, the heroes are astoundingly unlikeable and never taken wholly seriously. And they are incompetent at heart: the dud finale (which only works as a very ironic grace note) shows just how hopeless they really are at what they do. There's also the scene in which they interrogate the sister of the bad guy, and she voraciously forces them to have sex with her, leaving them totally exhausted. The violence is rough and cruel, yet the gore is lessened because the blood is of the thick red paint variety so beloved of early 1970's filmmakers. Also, one bad guy is shot through the head from behind and has a larger exit wound than usual (nothing too extreme though), but when he tumbles down there is no entry wound at the back of his head... Not a classic, not really enjoyable, but a movie with a few effective/cool scenes which would work well in a best of- compilation.

Alfredo (Porel) and Antonio (Lovelock) are cops and partners assigned the tough jobs in Rome. Their captain, known simply as "The Captain" (Celi) is caught in a bind: he knows about their reckless and violent ways, but he can't deny they get results. So he tolerates them, as does Norma (Dionisio), The Captain's secretary. So he designates the two men as a "special squad", which allows them pretty much free reign in Rome, which means not just legal rules, but perhaps even moral ones are broken. The rest of the movie is almost like a series of vignettes as they go to different crime scenes and solve the problem in their own inimitable no-mercy, no-prisoners, no-conscience, no-problem style. These situations range from a hostage showdown to an illegal gambling ring, and beyond. It all comes to a head as our two anti-heroes finally confront a crime boss named Pasquini (Salvatori) on his yacht. Will living this type of lifestyle finally catch up to Alfredo and Antonio? Find out today! Here we have noted director Ruggero Deodato's entry in the Poliziotteschi sweepstakes of the day. So you'd have to figure Mr. Cannibal Holocaust (1980) himself would turn in a particularly hard, violent, brutal and uncompromising entry. And you'd be right. There is certainly a strain of nihilism that runs through Live Like A Cop, Die Like A Man, and it's not to everyone's taste. Especially since the tone of the movie and the actions of the characters are so alien and unfamiliar to American audiences of today. We're so unused to seeing behavior like this on screen, it's hard to know what to think. While no doubt an acquired taste, Deodato was simply reflecting what was going on in Italy at the time and, presumably, his rage about the conditions in society then, especially as it relates to crime.Moral considerations aside, there's plenty for genre fans to enjoy here, such as the insane motorcycle setpiece at the beginning of the film (which provides a killer kickoff to all that we're about to see - letting viewers know this is no run of the mill crime drama), as well as other well-staged and well-shot violent moments. From the title on down, you know that you're in macho territory here. While it may be in dispute whether that's Deodato subtly mocking (Italian?) machismo, or he's legitimately going for it, the movie delivers the goods nonetheless, from start to finish. Ray Lovelock himself sings the Bob Dylan-like songs on the soundtrack, and the movie works on at least two levels: as a comment on the society of the time and the behavior of men, or simply as a violent actioner. It doesn't take much to read into the movie just a tad, and the fact that you never really root for and get totally behind Alfredo and Antonio is most likely not an accident. It's probably more an indicator that there may be more brewing beneath the surface.Released on DVD by Raro, Live Like A Cop, Die Like A Man may not be for everyone, but viewers will see a movie ahead of its time, and a Poliziotteschi that will make you think. We recommend it.

This is an interesting Italian crime thriller from notorious "Cannibal Holocaust" director Ruggiero Deodato in that it takes the usual fascist and sexist tendencies of the genre and exaggerates them to the point of ironic parody.Ray Lovelock and Mark Porel play two rogue motorcycle cops who are more like criminals with badges. They endanger the public, they beat, torture, and shoot suspects, and the avail themselves of any woman they come across. But there is also a definite homosexual subtext between the two characters. Both are played by pretty-boy actors. They ride around on the same motorbike. At and one point, they have what is pretty close to three-way sex with the slutty sister of a gangster they are pursuing. The sister is played by "Fabiana Flavia", who is actually Sofia Dionisio, the younger, bustier sister of Silvia Dionisio, who was Deodato's wife at the time (So, yes, Deodato films a fairly graphic double sex scene with his own sister-in-law!). Silvia Dionisio also has a smaller part as a secretary, but it's a plum part for an actress in one of these macho films, first because she gets to keep her clothes on, and second, because she gets to banter with these two sexist pigs as they shamelessly hit on her (and her "liberated" character definitely gives as good as she gets).There are some very disturbing moments of violence in this film, equaled only in the genre by Lucio Fulci's notorious "Contraband', Andrea Bianchi's "Cry of a Prostitute",and the grindhouse classic "Rico" (aka "Cauldron of Death"). These films generally vary greatly from intelligent noirish and morally ambiguous fare, where a lone cop or sympathetic criminal is forced to survive in an urban jungle, to trite, right-wing fantasies where a straight-arrow cop takes on mustache-twirling bad guys while his lilly-livered liberal superiors fume. This movie takes the latter path generally, but it exaggerates the vigilante cops so much it becomes a kind of reducto ad absurdum. It's not a great film perhaps, but it is certainly worth watching, especially if you are a fan of the genre.

Ruggero Deodato is a director known for making hard films, filled with violence and cynicism. His impressive cop thriller, "Live Like A Cop, Die Like A Man", is no exception. Alfredo and Antonio belong to a special branch of the Rome police department. They are given the hard cases, having to deal with the lowest criminal scum around. Their methods of dealing with the criminal element are certainly not standard procedure, as we see early in the film. The 'bad guys' who have the utter misfortune of having to deal with Fred and Tony, do not get handcuffed and have their rights read to them. Deodato, most known for a contemptuous piece of cinema called 'Cannibal Holocaust', has fashioned a stylish crime drama, filled with interesting and unusual characters. The viewer gets to know the two vigilante cops, who seem to be operating on the same wavelength. They cruise around on a motorcycle together, kill and torture bad guys together, even live together. They share the same cynical attitude towards life and death. There is a real bond there, and that relationship elevates this to a higher level. It is fun to watch these two in action, cocky and sexist bastards that they are, but somehow likable. Filmed with a great deal of energy and style. The opening scene, a wild motorcycle chase through the streets of Rome, sets the tone for the rest of the film. And the music is worth mentioning, some great background music, typical of the 70's time period, compliments the action. Deodato often had a strange habit of using the most inappropriate music to go along with the extreme violence happening on the screen. Soft ballads were often heard as people got beaten and murdered, or sexy disco music complimented a brutal rape, such as in "House On the Edge Of the Park". It somehow makes the brutal imagery all the more sick and twisted. For 'Live Like A Cop' actor Ray Lovelock who portrays Antonio, sings the main theme for the film. Great stuff. In America at this time, a TV show called 'Starsky & Hutch' was doing well. A cop show that featured two handsome partners, one blond and the other dark haired, much like the two heroes of this film. Perhaps that TV show was an influence, but the movie was made before 'Starsky & Hutch' was shown on Italian TV, so who knows? Up until recently "Uomini Si Nasce Poliiziotti Si Muore" was super-rare, almost impossible to find on video. Now there is a new DVD from an Italian label, 'Raro Video', that is well worth tracking down. Featuring a choice of original Italian language or a funny dubbed English track, and including an interesting interview with Ruggero Deodato and actor Ray Lovelock, who both discuss the film. Highly recommended for fans of 70's exploit films and crime films. There were countless cop thrillers to come out of Italy in this time, but this stands out as one of the best, and certainly one of the most brutal.