Franco Nero : Street Law

Hey folks! I know that Enter the Ninja was pure Franco Nero goodness and I decided to take a peek some of his earlier works and found a Italian action thriller. Brought to us by Italian action/sci-fi exploitation Enzo G. Castellari (A Few Dollars for Django, Eagles Over London, The Shark Hunter, The Last Shark, 1990: The Bronx Warriors, Warriors of the Wasteland, Escape from the Bronx, Hamerhead, Sinbad of the Seven Seas and The Return of Sandokan) so expect some crazy ideas. This is Street Law.

Telly Savalas??!!!

Hard working and clinical scientist Carlo (Franco Nero of Django, Force 10 from Navarone, The Shark Hunter, The Salamander, Enter the Ninja, The Last Days of Pompeii, Django Strikes Again, Die Hard 2: Die Harder, Crimson Dawn, Megiddo: The Omega Code 2 and Django Unchained) is accosted and kidnapped during a vicious bank heist and the hoods end up kicking the crap out Carlo dragging him through a crazed car chase leaving him scarred on a psychological level. Working with the inspector (Renzo Palmer of Danger: Diabolik, White Fang To the Rescue, The Big Racket and The Family), Carlo feels the police are moving too slow on this and appearing ineffectual, Carlo decides to take the law in his own hands Charles Bronson style.

So this isn't doing anything for you huh?

Carlo is begged by his stunning girlfriend Barbara (Barbara Bach of The Spy Who Loved Me, Force 10 of Navarone, The Great Alligator, Screamers, The Humanoid, Jaguar Lives!, The Unseen and Caveman) to not get involved chasing after the men that humilated and beat him but his revenge is the only thing that matters...FOCUS DUDE!!! YOU GOT A BOND GIRL!!! Anyway, Carlo slaps around and blackmailed a street thug name of Tommy (Giancarlo Prete of Confessions of a Police Captain, Street Law, The Last Shark, Space:1999, Midnight Blue, Warriors of the Wasteland, The Last Blood and Ladyhawke) getting his feet wet in the underworld, trying to find these men and exact his vengeance. Will Carlo take these monsters down? Will his relationship with Tommy get them both killed? Will Barbara give up on Carlo and chase after Ringo Starr?

Well we have some amazing camera work, stunts are pretty sound and fight scenes aren't too shabby. Poor me I had to gaze at Barbara Bach. The music score by Guido and Maurizio De Angelis (Trinity Is STILL My Name!, Man of the East, Charleston, Zorro, Scandal in the Family, Violent City) brings a gritty film a more menancing theme. Franco Nero did almost all his own stunts with a few exceptions by famed stuntman Rocco Lerro (Man Who Cried for Revenge, Watch Out, We're Mad, Street Law, High Rollers, The Inglorious Bastards, The Shark Hunter and Hercules) as a stunt double.

The cinematography of Carlo Carlini (I Vitelloni, General Della Rovere, Death Rides a Horse and The Big Gundown) is spellbinding, giving an edge to the violence depicted on the streets and the back alleys out of sight of the city. Shot in 35mm through Techniscope (Italian Technicolor using half the film stock, same running time, less negatives to develop and technical superior lenses).

While this was no Death Wish which came out the exact same year, it still brings a lot of action and suspense to the table. With an audacious use of violence and eluding to sexual perversions this is pure seventies that was gutsy and giving fresh and harsh vision. So if you enjoy a rough and tumble action thriller, give it the once over.

So you gonna read my palm or not?