Search the Cinema Head Cheese Archives!

Showing posts with label Ray Lovelock. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ray Lovelock. Show all posts

April 25, 2014

Movie Review: "Meet Him and Die" (1976; Raro Video)

...since the sixties, Italian cinema has relished a most illustrious and deliciously visceral engagement, in the eclectic arena of cult cinema, having dabbled in just about every genre under the sun. There's no denying the fervored fans of devotees of each and every genre...the Sword and Sandal flicks...the Gothic Horrors...the Spaghetti Westerns...the Post-Apocalyptic, Sci-Fi and Space flicks...the Gore-Drenched Splatter & Zombie Horror...the Enigmatic, Mystery-Drive Giallos. And of course...though measurably under-appreciated...there's the Action-Packed Crime Thrillers, or 'poliziotteschi', as they are coined by ardent devotees of the sub-genre. Wrought with tension-filled drama...crosses, double-crosses & even triple-crosses...daring getaways & dynamic chases...and of course, rampant & bloody gunplay, graphic & visceral enough to unnerve even the most seasoned & jaded of gore-mongers. Often emulating their American crime thriller counterparts, with parallel themes of revenge, family loyalty, undercover ops, honor amongst thieves, corruption amongst law enforcers, carefully planned & executed heists, and capers gone oh-so wrong, the 'poliziotteschi' films have still managed to garnish a most exclusive and exotic flavor, which has genuinely individualized and singled them out from their domestic inspirations...gritty, pulpish, juggernaut 'beasts', unto their own selves. Director Franco Prosperi's (..uh, no...not that Franco Prosperi, the director of the 'Mondo Cane' shockumentaries, as well as the brutally visceral and unflinching "Africa: Blood & Guts") singular entry into the genre, the 1976 actioner, "Meet Him and Die", might not be the best example, as far as this particular niche of film; however, there's still a whole heck of a lot here, to relish, nonetheless...

July 23, 2011

Movie Review: Live Like a Cop, Die Like a Man (1976)

On the heels of their Fernando Di Leo crime collection (Caliber 9/ The Boss/ Italian Connection/ Rulers of the City), Italian cult film specialists Raro DVD are continuing their run of Polizia DVDs with their recently released, Live Like a Cop, Die Like a Man. Written by Di Leo and directed by the controversial and always fearless Ruggero Deodato, Live Like a Cop, Die Like a Man ventures many places most police films don't.

Buy Live Like a Cop, Die Like a Man on DVD


It really doesn't take very long for the viewer to get a clear indication as to where Deodato is going to take Live Like a Cop, Die Like a Man. In actuality, the first ten minutes hit you quick and hard with some surprising brutality and a thoroughly impressive manic motorcycle chase . French actor, Marc Porel and Ray Lovelock (Violent City, Django, Kill!) play Alfredo and Tony, two crime-fighting pretty-boys who have a knack for killing criminals before a crime has been committed. With the help of their boss (Adolfo Celi, Thunderball) these guys take apart Italian crime, in a very unorthodox fashion.