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Street Law [1974] (NTSC)
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A cut above the usual vigilante movie
Review date: 2007-12-15 Rating: 8 out of 10
Enzo G. Castellari's Street Law aka Il Cittadino si Ribella is surprisingly entertaining and not quite the Death Wish clone the marketing promises, largely because Franco Nero's would-be vigilante is so hapless that he spends much of the film getting beaten up by the crooks he's trying to track down after being humiliated in a bank robbery. He's also a far from admirable figure who constantly breaks his word no matter how many times he gives it and frequently behaves like an out and out coward completely out of his depth. It's a long way from a great film, but it's shot with some style and imagination and an interesting use of derelict or decaying locations, among them a ship in dry dock - the ill-fated Achille Lauro, no less!
Blue Underground's Region 1 NTSC DVD only offers the film in a dubbed English version, but it's a good transfer with a few decent extras - commentary by Enzo G. Castellari and Franco Nero, who both turn up in the retrospective featurette Laying Down the Law (which prominently features Nero's ego!), a US TV spot and dubbed Italian theatrical trailer
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Reviews
Italian Masterpiece
Review date: 2006-05-08 Rating: 10 out of 10
Even though Death Wish came out in the same year, Street Law came first and I feel it is the better of the two.
Stret Law is a reflection of the times. Italy in the 70's was suffering from organised crime, ineffective policing, corruption and terrorism.
What rose Street Law above the crime thrillers of the time was how it dealt with the main character Carlo Antonelli.He was product of the times, frustrated, angry and bitter about the state of the society he lived in.
He is also haunted by the fascist legacy of Italies past and how the previous generation fought for freedom only for it to be taken away by organised crime.
What I loved about this film, was like John Ford's The Searchers, was that the main hero sank to the blackest depths but in Anontelli's search he did not come out redeemed by defeating his demons. He was confronted by something more brutal - simple survival, both from his enemies and himself.
This was made believable by Nero's committed performance. He lives and breaths Antonelli. There hasn't been many action films where the main hero's protrays such fragility and vulnerability.
What also stood out was the style and direction. Enzo G Castellari has been dubbed the 'Italain Sam Peckinpah' but I feel that in this film he has equalled himself with the best of Peckinpah's work.
The interior lighting and use of Geneo locations in background longshots make this film beautiful to behold.
There is all of Castellari's trademarks, slow motion, fast editing, beautiful pyrotechnics but he added another innovation? with the integration of soundtrack with the film with start stopping of the beautiful 'Goodbye My Friend'.
To sum up, this film works on several different levels, a revenge thriller, a swirling tide of understanding, reconciliation and friendship, hope, and a journey to be at peace with oneself.
Product Details/Specifications
Actor(s):
Renzo Palmer
Giancarlo Prete
Franco Nero
Barbara Bach
Nazzareno Zamperla
Creators:
Franco Nero (Primary Contributor)
Giancarlo Prete (Primary Contributor)
Carlo Carlini (Cinematographer)
Gianfranco Amicucci (Editor)
Luciano Luna (Producer)
Mario Cecchi Gori (Producer)
Arduino Maiuri (Writer)
Director(s):
Recording label: Blue Underground
Manufacturer: Blue Underground
EAN: 0827058104890
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Colour, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Widescreen,
Release date: 2006-04-25
Universal product code (UPC): 827058104890
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Running time: 105 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1976-02
Language: English (Original Language)