THE BLACK HAND is a quietly undemanding Italian crime film set in America at the turn of the 20th century. The hero of the hour is Antonio, a young Italian immigrant desperate to make a name for himself, thus joining the ranks of the local mafia and quickly rising. The big name appeal is Lionel Stander playing a dogged cop determined to bring down the gangsters once and for all. Unlike the violent, action-packed enterprises of Umberto Lenzi or Fernando Di Leo, this is a slow and stately affair that gets somewhat bogged down in endless romance and sex scenes that seem to go on forever. A handful of violent assassinations help the pace to pick up a little but it remains predictable fare, right down to that 'twist' ending you'll see coming a mile off.

Everybody knows that Italy is the birth land of the mafia. So who better than the Italian film industry could make films about it?This rare film doesn't take place in modern days, but at the turn of the twentieth century, as were Richard Thorpe's BLACK HAND, starring Gene Kelly in a very surprising character and performance, and also Richard Wilson's PAY OR DIE, telling the nearly same story and starring Ernest Borgnine. A very accurate and terrific little film, far better than other action and gratuitous violence showers as were the seventies other Italian flicks starring Luc Merenda, Thomas Millian, Henry Silva, Richard Conte and so on. Oh, don't misunderstand me, those latest films are good, they please me, but they are not so accurate. Actually there were two kinds of mafia films. The one I am talking now would be more like the Damiano Damiani or Pasquale Squitieri like kind, far closer to actual, real mafia. One last thing about this one: Philippe Leroy is outstanding as the mob boss.

just viewed this movie and decided to take the time to make some comments since no one else has.overall I give the movie a 7,the score would be higher if there were less blood and more clothes on the females.Deserves an R rating.In the 1960's and 70's I spent many hours being entertained by dubbed movies,this one is dubbed so it is to my liking.What I like about it in no certain order is as follows:The movie is about the mafia...it's made by Italians,has alot of Italian actors...it seems fitting.Set in the early 1900's in America it has a dark look and mood...great atmosphere.I believe the character lionel stander plays is the same one ernest borgnine had in the movie "pay or die" that of an Italian on the police force combating the mafia,based on a real person.His character gives a sense of realism to the movie and made me wonder if the movie was based some on fact.The little I know about the real person is similar to the character in the movie.In the past I havn't seen much of Lionel stander in the movies but his performance as a tough cop is very good.He is not the main character though,a young man(placido ?)is,he plays a young immigrant that is a victim of circumstance.He is a just person that kills an expendable gangster in the heat of a fight,the victim had previously killed an elderly friend of his.He gets employment from the mob being unaware of the serious unlawful part he has in one of their cold blooded operations...he is a tragic figure.Other viewers might feel this movie is just another low budget poorly dubbed movie.The film left me with the feeling it may have been based more on fact than much more expensively made films about organized crime.It also left me wondering if the young main character was based on a real person-I liked the movie.