Colt 38 Special Squad
Italy 1976. Director: Massimo Dallamano
Cast: Marcel Bozzuffi, Riccardo Salvino, Ivan Rassimov, Frank Garfield
Aka: Quelli della Calibro 38

Inspector Vanni (Marcel Bozzuffi) has his wife killed by a ruthless French gangster called The Marsigliese who's avenging the death of his brother and because he thinks that cops "shouldn't be allowed the luxury of a family". Vanni is then given responsibility over a special secret police squad. This special squad is mainly a gang of specially trained vigilantes armed with the gun of the title, riding shiny new motorcycles while wearing white helmets. Now The Marsigliese has laid his hands upon loads and loads of dynamite which he intend to use upon the city of Torino. Vanni and his team must stop him.

Massimo Dallamano's Colt 38 Special Squad is classic Italian crime movie material and it was also the director's last movie as he died soon after completion. And as expected from an old cinematographer (he shot the first two Dollar movies) the film is very well directed and photographed. A little greyish perhaps, (but that's alright) and I didn't like Marcel Bozzuffi as the good cop so much. He have too much of a suspicious look to him, neither has he a moustache, and sure enough he's best remembered for having played the crazy hitman in The French Connection. But he is a good actor and he do look cool when chasing baddies dressed in a blue cardigan. There's also some exciting car and motorcycle chases, a bust in a jeans-store, a kung-fu fight, an appearence by Grace Jones as a nightclub singer, a guy blown up while taking a leak and a superb score by Stelvio Cipriani. Definitely worth a shot.

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