After his son is kidnapped, a millionaire industrialist seeks revenge, in spite of the potential danger that his rash actions will bring about for his child and another kidnapped boy, the son of a poor mechanic.
Luc Merenda James Mason Marino Masé Irina Maleeva Daniele Dublino Vittorio Caprioli Valentina Cortese Marco Liofredi Francesco Impeciati Alessio Juso Enzo Pulcrano Giulio Baraghini Renato Baldini Serena Bennato Flora Carosello Raul Lovecchio Renato Romano Salvatore Billa Loris Bazzocchi Willi Colombini Tom Felleghy Dolores Calò Omero Capanna Renato Castellani Pietro Ceccarelli Giovanna Chemeri Rolando De Santis Cesare Di Vito Max Dorian Show All…
Running Guns - Die Nacht der Rache, Dirty Deal, Colère noire, Auge um Auge, La città sconvolta: caccia spietata ai rapitori, Caza Implacable, 绑架辛迪加
Italy
Germany16
France
France
Germany
Italy
There is a scene when the one kidnapped kid starts reciting every meal the kidnappers served him and it has to be said they ate better than me! Although by day seven they had run out of pasta dishes when they gave him scrambled egg on toast. Kidnap Syndicate is a simple enough story where two boys are kidnapped one from a rich family and the other coming from a poor background - the rich kid's father played by James Mason flat out refuses to pay the ransom instead treating it like any other business negotiation whereas the poor kid's father is willing to sell everything he owns to bring his son back home! Focusing on the profitable kidnap business…
Kidnap Syndicate is a simple but brilliantly well made Poliziotteschi that punches well above its weight. The story, which focuses on the kidnapping of two young boys from families at opposite ends of the economy, provides an obvious metaphor for the dichotomy between the rich and poor in society. Specifically how the latter is treated by the former; all false promises and a ruthless mindset that values money above all else. It's on the nose, but very effective. The story is efficiently delivered - a few minutes focusing on the central characters at the start really pays off as the narrative unfolds. It's a film of two halves really - the first focusing on the drama surrounding the central kidnap,…
"If shit was worth something, the poor would be born without an ass."
Fernando Di Leo's High and Low
Three men in ski masks attempt to abduct the son of a wealthy family from a public school yard, but the boy's friend, the son of a poor mechanic, defends him, so the kidnappers take both. They demand a hefty ransom for the two children, ₤10 billion, but it's nothing the rich construction magnate Mr. Filippini can't afford. Mr. Filippini promises to treat both children equally, to treat poor ex-motocross-racer-turned-motorcycle-mechanic Mario Colella's son as if he were his own, to not treat him poorly just because he's poor. The tragic irony, however, is that he treats his…
“When an order is carried out, it’s never the killer’s fault.”
Capitalism creates kidnappers. Blue collar vigilantism turned on its head. I did not expect to be so emotionally floored by this Fernando di Leo poliziottesco. Engrossing, heartbreaking tale of how classism infects even a seemingly “routine” Years of Lead kidnapping. Mario Colella (Luc Merenda) is a good guy, single parent and simple motocross mechanic. Two boys are kidnapped from school. One the son of a crooked, construction magnate. The other, Colella’s boy, also grabbed in the chaos.
The first half of the film we see ransom treated like a business deal. We watch a police commissioner throw up his hands at the grim inevitability of it all: kidnapping is…
British actor James Mason plays a wealthy man whose son is kidnapped. The catch is that the son's friend from a working class background is also kidnapped. His father played by Luc Merenda is a mechanic. Unlike Mason, he has no money to bargain with. The greed and hubris of Mason's character causes a great deal of program. Merenda armed with a motorcycle and weapons is out to make things right.
Kidnapp Syndicate has an amazing opening and closing but sags a bit in the middle. There are some exciting action sequence and it includes a beautiful score by Oscar winner Luis Bacalov. Hearing James Mason, who has a distinctive British voice, dubbed into Italian takes some getting used to. However the dialogue isn't why you watch this intense entry into the Italian crime films of the 70s. Apparently it's based on an actual kidnapping.
I watched it on YouTube. Here's the link if interested.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zy39MBLbuMA
Fernando Di Leo directs James Mason. Heavy smoking and J&B aplenty. I am now a committed fan of Di Leo. In a more subdued manner but he still has a few surprises in store for the faithful. The constant yelling between Luc Merenda’s character and the police commissioner as well as Mason and the wife is comical for most of the first half. Heck, everyone’s constantly yelling. But then the plot shifts and the true nature of the movie comes to life. Then it’s just cruise control until the satisfying fine.
A mean revenge film with some serious weight to it. The emotional scenes in the first half really make the violent payoff even more satisfying. The score is super dope. Luc Merenda is fantastic as a broken man hell bent of vengeance. A very under appreciated Di Leo joint. Would play beautifully on a double bill with something like Jorge Grau’s Hunting Ground, Lustig’s Vigilante, or even Mad Max. Up there with the best exploitation films. Absolutely love it.
Poliziotteschi from Fernando Di Leo. The adolescent son of wealthy businessman ‘Filippini’ and the young son of lowly mechanic ‘Mario Colella’ are kidnapped together. Where Filippini can afford the astronomical ransom, Colella cannot. Filippini treats the ransom negotiations like any other business deal, placing the boys in danger. Colella’s child is consequently killed, and he sets out to gain revenge. A slick and compelling story of hierarchy, greed, classism, bureaucracy, vigilantism, violence, despair. The wealthy father bargains with his own son, while the poor father does everything he can to rescue his. A breathless opening act leads to a twisting and talky second act, while the third act is littered with an array of well executed chases, shoot-outs. The climax…
Best New To Me 2021
*************************************
Another Fernando Di Leo poliziottescho jam staring Luc Meranda and James Mason. From the get go, the contours of the story and where it will go are obvious. Meranda is a widower mechanic whose son is kidnapped along with the son of James Mason, a wealthy, greedy industrialist. Mason's greed has obvious outcomes and Meranda hops into action during the final third to exact his revenge.
Some awesome motorbike chases and other action punctuate this one. The final act is really fun even if it contains no surprises. When Meranda shows up with a briefcase and puts it on the conference table you kinda know there's no money in there....
Mason is clearly on…
Luc Merenda shows up to be beautiful and get revenge as his son and the son of a wealthy millionaire asshole, are kidnapped, but they only want money for the rich kid, not the poor kid. The movie turns dark as Luc climbs to the top of the organization. Banger score, banger Di Leo commentary, banger finale. Banger.
An action packed second half with some solid set pieces make up for a somewhat talky first half. A fairly decent class conscious polizio offering, would have been stronger if the rage was evenly distributed.
1st rewatch --- This film goes above the genre-tropes and gives Luc Merenda a chance to play a more emotional character. The first third plays out like a drama. Merenda plays a mechanic whose son Fabrizio is kidnapped. But his son wasn't the intended target. The kidnappers were out to kidnap Fabrizio's friend Antonio, a son of a millionaire. Fabrizio tried to help Antonio by attacking the kidnappers. It cleverly shows how children look beyond the class distinction. But Fabrizio's father has to learn the hard way that his social status makes him helpless. He has to depend on Antonio's wealthy father whose only worry is his bank account.
Then, after a tragic event, the movie shifts and becomes more…
