''Poliziotteschi'' (; : ''poliziottesco'') constitute a subgenre of

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definiti ...

and

action film The action film is a film genre that predominantly features chase sequences, fights, shootouts, explosions, and stunt work. The specifics of what constitutes an action film has been in scholarly debate since the 1980s. While some scholars such as D ...

s that emerged in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

in the late 1960s and reached the height of their popularity in the 1970s.The Best Cop Movies You’ve Never Heard Of: ‘Poliziotteschi’ Films Get Their Due, IndieWire
/ref> They are also known as ''polizieschi all'italiana'', ''Italo-crime'', spaghetti crime films, or simply Italian crime films. Influenced primarily by both 1970s

French crime films French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

and gritty 1960s and 1970s American cop films and vigilante films (among other influences),Violent Italy: A Poliziotteschi Primer, Birth.Movies.Death.
/ref> ''poliziotteschi'' films were made amidst an atmosphere of socio-political turmoil in Italy known as Years of Lead and amidst increasing Italian crime rates. The films generally featured graphic and brutal violence, organized crime,

car chase A car chase or vehicle pursuit is the vehicular overland chase of one party by another, involving at least one automobile or other wheeled motor vehicle, commonly hot pursuit of suspects by law enforcement. The rise of the automotive industry i ...

s, vigilantism, heists, gunfights, and corruption up to the highest levels. The protagonists were generally tough

working class The working class is a subset of employees who are compensated with wage or salary-based contracts, whose exact membership varies from definition to definition. Members of the working class rely primarily upon earnings from wage labour. Most c ...

loners, willing to act outside a corrupt or overly bureaucratic system.

Etymology of the noun

In Italian, is the grammatically correct Italian adjective (resulting from the fusion of the noun , "police", and the

desinence In linguistics, a suffix is an affix which is placed after the stem of a word. Common examples are case endings, which indicate the grammatical case of nouns and adjectives, and verb endings, which form the conjugation of verbs. Suffixes can ca ...

, "related to", akin to the English "-esque") for police-related dramas, ranging from

Ed McBain Evan Hunter (born Salvatore Albert Lombino; October 15, 1926 – July 6, 2005) was an American author of crime and mystery fiction. He is best known as the author of '' 87th Precinct'' novels, published under the pen name Ed McBain, which ar ...

police procedural The police procedural, police show, or police crime drama is a subgenre of procedural drama and detective fiction that emphasises the investigative procedure of police officers, police detectives, or law enforcement agency, law enforcement agencies ...

novels to

forensic science Forensic science combines principles of law and science to investigate criminal activity. Through crime scene investigations and laboratory analysis, forensic scientists are able to link suspects to evidence. An example is determining the time and ...

investigations. In Italian media, is used generally to indicate every

detective fiction Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an criminal investigation, investigator or a detective—whether professional, amateur or retired—investigates a crime, often murder. The detective genre began around ...

production where police forces (Italian or foreign) are the main protagonists. In English, the term (a fusion of the words ("policeman") and the same suffix) has prevailed over the more syntactically correct to indicate 1970s-era Italian-produced "tough cop" and crime movies. The prevalence of over poliziesco ll'italianaclosely follows the success of the term spaghetti Western over , being shorter and more vivid. In both instances, however, the term that has come to be used more frequently by English-speaking fans of the genre (, spaghetti Westerns) was originally used pejoratively by critics, to denigrate the films themselves and their makers.

History

Although the subgenre has its roots in Italian

heist film The heist film or caper film is a subgenre of crime films and the caper story, focused on the planning, execution, and aftermath of a significant robbery. One of the early defining heist films was '' The Asphalt Jungle'' (1950), which ''Film G ...

s of the late 1960s, such as ''

Bandits in Milan ''Bandits in Milan'' (; also known as ''The Violent Four'') is a 1968 Italian crime film directed by Carlo Lizzani. It was listed to compete at the 1968 Cannes Film Festival, but the festival was cancelled due to the events of May 1968 in Franc ...

'' (''Banditi a Milano'', 1968) by

Carlo Lizzani Carlo Lizzani (3 April 1922 – 5 October 2013) was an Italian film director, screenwriter and critic. Biography Born in Rome, before World War II Lizzani worked as a scenarist on such films as Roberto Rossellini's '' Germany Year Zero'', ...

, it was also strongly influenced by such rough-edged American police thrillers of the late 1960s and early 1970s as ''

Bullitt ''Bullitt'' is a 1968 American action thriller film directed by Peter Yates from a screenplay by Alan Trustman, Alan R. Trustman and Harry Kleiner and based on the 1963 crime novel ''Mute Witness'' by Robert L. Fish. It stars Steve McQueen, Ro ...

'', ''

Dirty Harry ''Dirty Harry'' is a 1971 American action-thriller film produced and directed by Don Siegel, the first in the Dirty Harry (film series), ''Dirty Harry'' series. Clint Eastwood plays the title role, in his first appearance as San Francisco Polic ...

'', '' The French Connection'', ''

Magnum Force ''Magnum Force'' is a 1973 American action-thriller film and the second to feature Clint Eastwood as maverick cop Harry Callahan after the 1971 film '' Dirty Harry''. Ted Post, who had previously worked with Eastwood on '' Rawhide'' and '' H ...

'', and '' Serpico''; the 1970s wave of American vigilante films, including 1974's '' Death Wish''; the increase of cynicism and violence in French crime films; the resurgence of

mob film Mafia films—a version of gangster films—are a subgenre of crime films dealing with organized crime, often specifically with Mafia organizations. Especially in early mob films, there is considerable overlap with ''film noir''. Popular regional ...

s in the wake of ''

The Godfather ''The Godfather'' is a 1972 American Epic film, epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo's best-selling The Godfather (novel), 1969 novel. The film stars an ensemble cast inc ...

''; French and American noir and

neo-noir Neo-noir is a film genre that adapts the visual style and themes of 1940s and 1950s American film noir for contemporary audiences, often with more graphic depictions of violence and sexuality. During the late 1970s and the early 1980s, the term ...

films; and the rise of exploitation films in the late 1960s and 1970s. More generally, the genre was also heavily influenced by real-life crime and unrest in 1970s Italy during the period known as the ''anni di piombo'' (political violence, kidnappings, assassinations, bank robberies, political militant terrorism, impending oil crisis, political corruption, organized crime-related violence, and recession). Just as American police films, American crime thrillers, and American vigilante films of the time focused on the crime waves and urban decline in the United States of the 1960s and 1970s, ''poliziotteschi'' were set in the context of, or directly addressed, the sociopolitical tumult and violence of Italy's '' anni di piombo'', or the "Years of Lead", a period of widespread social unrest, political upheaval, labour unrest, rising crime, political violence, and political terrorism from the 1960s to 1980s. During this period, paramilitary and militant political terrorist groups, both on the far left (e.g. the

Red Brigades The Red Brigades ( , often abbreviated BR) were an Italian far-left Marxist–Leninist militant group. It was responsible for numerous violent incidents during Italy's Years of Lead, including the kidnapping and murder of Aldo Moro in 1978, ...

) and far right (e.g. the

neo-fascist Neo-fascism is a post-World War II far-right ideology which includes significant elements of fascism. Neo-fascism usually includes ultranationalism, ultraconservatism, racial supremacy, right-wing populism, authoritarianism, nativism, xe ...

Nuclei Armati Rivoluzionari The Nuclei Armati Rivoluzionari (), abbreviated NAR, was an Italian neofascist, neo-fascist armed militant organization active during the Years of Lead (Italy), Years of Lead from 1977 to November 1981. It committed over 100 murders in four year ...

) engaged in kidnappings, assassinations, and bombings (such as the Piazza Fontana bombing, the murder of former prime minister

Aldo Moro Aldo Moro (; 23 September 1916 – 9 May 1978) was an Italian statesman and prominent member of Christian Democracy (Italy), Christian Democracy (DC) and its centre-left wing. He served as prime minister of Italy in five terms from December 1963 ...

, and 1980 Bologna train station bombing). At the same time, there was a period of especially violent conflict and disorder within the

Sicilian Mafia The Sicilian Mafia or Cosa Nostra (, ; "our thing"), also referred to as simply Mafia, is a secret society, criminal society and criminal organization originating on the island of Sicily and dates back to the mid-19th century. Emerging as a form of ...

, kicked off with the "

First Mafia War The Ciaculli massacre on 30 June 1963 was caused by a car bomb that exploded in Ciaculli, an outlying suburb of Palermo, killing seven police and military officers sent to defuse it after an anonymous phone call. The bomb was intended for Salva ...

" of the 1960s and culminating in the " Second Mafia War" of the early 1980s. Italian organized crime groups such as the Sicilian Mafia, the

Camorra The Camorra (; ) is an Italian Mafia-typeMafia and Mafia-type orga ...

, and especially the Roman Banda della Magliana were actively involved in both criminal and political activities during this time, carrying out bombings and kidnappings, making deals with corrupt politicians, and forming strong ties to extreme far-right groups and neo-fascist terrorist organizations. Accordingly, ''poliziotteschi'' films such as '' Execution Squad'' (1972) often featured political extremists and paramilitary or terrorist groups alongside or in addition to the more commonly featured apolitical '' mafiosi'' and

gangster A gangster (informally gangsta) is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from ''Organized crime, mob'' and the suffix ''wikt:-ster, -st ...

criminal elements found in Italian crime films. Romano puppo

Due in part to the genre's often ostensibly negative portrayal of political activists and militants, especially leftist militants, and its seeming endorsement of

vigilantism Vigilantism () is the act of preventing, investigating, and punishing perceived offenses and crimes without legal authority. A vigilante is a person who practices or partakes in vigilantism, or undertakes public safety and retributive justice ...

and "tough-on-crime" or " law and order" stances, some ''poliziotteschi'' films (such as 1976's '' The Big Racket'') were criticized by then-contemporaneous critics and accused of exploiting

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

fears of rising crime and political upheaval while containing

reactionary In politics, a reactionary is a person who favors a return to a previous state of society which they believe possessed positive characteristics absent from contemporary.''The New Fontana Dictionary of Modern Thought'' Third Edition, (1999) p. 729. ...

, pro-violence, or even quasi-

Fascist Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural soci ...

ideological elements in their overarching message. These critiques were similar to those levelled at the 1970s American " vigilante films" of the same period, such as 1974's '' Death Wish'', films by which the ''poliziotteschi'' genre was considerably influenced. In retrospect, despite contemporaneous claims in the 1970s of overly conservative or reactionary themes within the genre, film historians such as Louis Bayman and Peter Bondarella contend that, in fact, ''poliziotteschi'' films generally presented a more multi-faceted, complex outlook on the political turmoil and crime waves of the time, as well as violence in general, with Bayman and author Roberto Curti in particular arguing that the genre generally used political conflicts and violence for largely

apolitical Apoliticism is apathy or antipathy towards all political affiliations. A person may be described as apolitical if they are uninterested or uninvolved in politics. Being apolitical can also refer to situations in which people take an unbiased p ...

tension-building and

cathartic In medicine, a cathartic is a substance that ''accelerates'' defecation. This is similar to a laxative, which is a substance that ''eases'' defecation, usually by softening feces. It is possible for a substance to be both a laxative and a cathar ...

or emotional purposes rather than to promote any particular political agendas. Curti notes that the genre's protagonists often simultaneously displayed both right-wing and left-wing views, and protagonists were often

while villains were often wealthy right-wing conservatives. The film '' Caliber 9'' (1972), for instance, features protagonists of both right-wing and leftist ideologies and offers differing views on the causes of crime and the true antagonists of law-abiding Italian society, while ''Execution Squad'' reveals the actual antagonists of the film to be right-wing reactionary, "tough-on-crime" ex-police officers and vigilantes rather than the initially suspected leftist militants. Rather than explicitly supporting violence or vigilantism, the genre just as often displayed a morally ambiguous or aloof position on these themes, or even presented vigilantism and violence as a ''

no-win situation A no-win situation or lose–lose situation is an outcome of a negotiation, conflict or challenging circumstance in which all parties are worse off. It is an alternative to a win–win or outcome in which one party wins. Arbitration or media ...

.'' Though ''poliziotteschi'' films have been viewed by some critics as condemning a "liberal" or "weak" judiciary system as ineffectual in its treatment of criminals, the genre also suggests a more general distrust of authority, whether left-wing or right-wing, by portraying right-wing law enforcement, politicians and businessmen as hopelessly corrupt and manipulative. According to Bondarella, the "classic" ''poliziotteschi'' film reveals "almost universal suspicion of the very social institutions charged with protecting Italian society from criminal violence". La polizia chiede aiuto

With directors such as Fernando Di Leo and

Umberto Lenzi Umberto Lenzi (6 August 1931 – 19 October 2017) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and novelist. A fan of film since young age, Lenzi studied at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia and made his first film in 1958 which went unre ...

and actors such as

Maurizio Merli Maurizio Merli (February 8, 1940 – March 10, 1989) was an Italian film actor and a star of many Italian police thrillers. Career After a decade of minor film roles, 1974 saw a breakthrough for Merli with his first starring role in a rema ...

and

Tomas Milian Tomás Quintín Rodríguez-Varona Milián Salinas de la Fé y Álvarez de la Campa (3 March 1933 – 22 March 2017) was a Cuban-born actor with American and Italian citizenship, known for the emotional intensity and humor he brought to starring ...

, ''poliziotteschi'' films became popular in the mid-1970s after the decline of

Spaghetti Western The spaghetti Western is a broad subgenre of Western films produced in Europe. It emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's filmmaking style and international box-office success. The term was used by foreign critics because most o ...

s and Eurospy genres. The subgenre lost its mainstream popularity in the late 1970s as Italian erotic comedy and horror films started topping the Italian box office. Although based around crime and detective work, ''poliziotteschi'' should not be confused with the other popular Italian crime genre of the 1970s, the ''

giallo In Italian cinema, (; : ; from , ) is a genre that often contains Slasher film, slasher, thriller (genre), thriller, psychological horror, psychological thriller, Sexploitation film, sexploitation, and, less frequently, supernatural, supernat ...

'', which, to English-speaking and non-Italian audiences, refers to a genre of violent Italian murder-mystery thriller-horror films. Directors and stars often moved between both forms, and some films could be considered under either banner, such as

Massimo Dallamano Massimo Dallamano (17 April 1917 – 4 November 1976) was an Italian cinematographer, film director, and screenwriter. He is best known for his work on Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy, and for directing several giallo and poliziotteschi films ...

's '' What Have They Done to Your Daughters?'' (1974). The ''poliziottesco'' subgenre gradually declined in popularity during the late 1970s. Screenwriter Dardano Sacchetti, who was unhappy with what he deemed the genre's "fascistic" undertones, credits himself for "destroying it from the inside", by making it evolve into self-

parody A parody is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satire, satirical or irony, ironic imitation. Often its subject is an Originality, original work or some aspect of it (theme/content, author, style, e ...

. By the end of the decade, the most successful films associated with the genre were

comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...

pictures, which gradually evolved towards pure comedy.Christian Uva, Michele Picchi
Destra e sinistra nel cinema italiano. film e immaginario politico dagli anni '60 al nuovo millennio
Edizioni interculturali, 2006, p. 90

Directors include

Mario Bianchi Mario Bianchi (7 January 1939 – April 2022) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. Bianchi directed several features including sexploitation and pornographic films Pornographic films (pornos), erotic films, adult films, blue film ...

Alfonso Brescia Alfonso Brescia (6 January 1930 – 6 June 2001) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He began working in film against his father's wishes, and eventually directed his first film '' Revolt of the Praetorians'' in 1964. Brescia worked i ...

* Enzo G. Castellari *

Bruno Corbucci Bruno Corbucci (23 October 1931 – 7 September 1996) was an Italian screenwriter and film director. He was the younger brother of Sergio Corbucci and wrote many of his films. He was born in Rome, where he also died. The vast majority of h ...

Damiano Damiani Damiano Damiani (23 July 1922 – 7 March 2013) was an Italian screenwriter, film director, actor and writer. Poet and director Pier Paolo Pasolini referred to him as "a bitter moralist hungry for old purity", while film critic Paolo Mereghett ...

Alberto De Martino Alberto De Martino (12 June 1929 – 2 June 2015) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. Born in Rome, De Martino started as a child actor and later returned to the cinema where worked as a screenwriter, director and dubbing supervis ...

Ruggero Deodato Ruggero Deodato (; 7 May 1939 – 29 December 2022) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and actor. His career spanned a wide-range of genres including Sword-and-sandal, peplum, Comedy film, comedy, Drama (film and television), drama, P ...

Lucio Fulci Lucio Fulci (; 17 June 1927 – 13 March 1996) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and actor. Although he worked in a wide array of genres through a career spanning nearly five decades, including Commedia all'italiana, comedies and spagh ...

Mario Caiano Mario Caiano (February 13, 1933 – September 20, 2015) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, Film producer, producer, art director and second unit director. Career Born in Rome, he directed nearly 50 films between 1961 and 2001 and wr ...

Marino Girolami Marino Girolami (1 February 1914 – 20 February 1994) was an Italian film director and actor. Biography Marino Giorlami was born on 1 February 1914 in Rome, Italy. Formally a Professional boxing, professional boxer, Girolami ended his boxing c ...

* Romolo Girolami *

* Fernando Di Leo *

Sergio Martino Sergio Martino (born 19 July 1938) is an Italian film director and producer, notable for his contributions to the giallo genre. Martino is the brother of the late producer Luciano Martino (who died in 2013). They collaborated frequently in their ...

* Stelvio Massi *

Giuliano Montaldo Giuliano Montaldo (22 February 1930 – 6 September 2023) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and actor. He was known internationally for his biographical docudrama Sacco & Vanzetti (1971 film), ''Sacco & Vanzetti'' (1971), which was n ...

Elio Petri Eraclio Petri (29 January 1929 – 10 November 1982), commonly known as Elio Petri, was an Italian film and theatre director, screenwriter and film critic. The Museum of Modern Art described him as "one of the preeminent political and social ...

Sergio Sollima Sergio Sollima (17 April 1921 – 1 July 2015) was an Italian film director and script writer. Biography Sollima graduated from the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia in 1935. During World War II he was in the Italian Resistance. After th ...

Duccio Tessari Duccio Tessari (11 October 1926 – 6 September 1994) was an Italian film director, screenwriter and actor, considered one of the fathers of Spaghetti Westerns. Born in Genoa, Tessari started in the fifties as documentarist and as screenwriter ...

Actors include

Mario Adorf Mario Adorf (; born 8 September 1930) is a German actor, considered to be one of the great veteran character actors of European cinema. Since 1954, he has played both leading and supporting roles in over 200 film and television productions, am ...

* Ursula Andress * Carroll Baker *

Martin Balsam Martin Henry Balsam (November 4, 1919 – February 13, 1996) was an American actor. He had a prolific career in character roles in film, in theatre, and on television. An early member of the Actors Studio, he began his career on the New ...

* Laura Belli *

Helmut Berger Helmut Berger (; ''né'' Steinberger; 29 May 1944 – 18 May 2023) was an Austrian actor, known for his portrayal of narcissistic and sexually ambiguous characters. He was one of the stars of European cinema in the late 1960s and 1970s, and is r ...

Barbara Bouchet Barbara Bouchet (born Bärbel Gutscher; 15 August 1943)
, glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com; ...

* Sal Borgese * Marcel Bozzuffi *

Charles Bronson Charles Bronson (born Charles Dennis Buchinsky; November 3, 1921 – August 30, 2003) was an American actor. He was known for his roles in action films and his "granite features and brawny physique". Bronson was born into extreme poverty in ...

* Luciano Catenacci * Adolfo Celi * Giovanni Cianfriglia *

Joan Collins Dame Joan Henrietta Collins (born 23 May 1933) is an English actress, author and columnist. She is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe Awards, a People's Choice Award, two Soap Opera Digest Awards and a Primetime Emm ...

Richard Conte Nicholas Peter Conte (March 24, 1910 – April 15, 1975), known professionally as Richard Conte, was an American actor. He was known for his starring roles in films noir and crime dramas during the 1940s and 1950s, including '' Call Northside ...

Joseph Cotten Joseph Cheshire Cotten Jr. (May 15, 1905 – February 6, 1994) was an American film, stage, radio and television actor. Cotten achieved prominence on Broadway, starring in the original stage productions of '' The Philadelphia Story'' (1939) an ...

Alain Delon Alain Fabien Maurice Marcel Delon (; 8 November 1935 – 18 August 2024) was a French actor, film producer, screenwriter, singer, and businessman. Acknowledged as a cultural and cinematic leading man of the 20th century, Delon emerged as one of ...

George Eastman George Eastman (July 12, 1854March 14, 1932) was an American entrepreneur who founded the Kodak, Eastman Kodak Company and helped to bring the photographic use of roll film into the mainstream. After a decade of experiments in photography, he ...

Mel Ferrer Melchor Gastón FerrerAncestry Library Edition (August 25, 1917 – June 2, 2008) was an American actor, director, and producer, active in film, theatre, and television. He achieved prominence on Broadway before scoring notable film hits with ...

Klaus Kinski Klaus Kinski (, born Klaus Günter Karl Nakszynski 18 October 1926 – 23 November 1991) was a German actor. Equally renowned for his intense performance style and notorious for his volatile personality, he appeared in over 130 film roles in a ...

Angelo Infanti Angelo Infanti (; 16 February 1939 – 12 October 2010) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in more than 90 films between 1961 and 2010. He was born on 16 February 1939 in Zagarolo, Italy. He died on 12 October 2010 in Tivoli, Italy due ...

* Leonard Mann * Luc Merenda *

* Mario Merola *

* Gordon Mitchell * Gastone Moschin *

Franco Nero Francesco Clemente Giuseppe Sparanero (born 23 November 1941), known professionally as Franco Nero, is an Italian actor. His breakthrough role was as the title character in the Spaghetti Western film '' Django'' (1966), which made him a pop cul ...

Jack Palance Walter Jack Palance ( ; born Volodymyr Palahniuk, , ''Volodymyr Ivanovych Palahniuk''; February 18, 1919 – November 10, 2006) was an American screen and stage actor, known to film audiences for playing tough guys and villains. He was nominat ...

Oliver Reed Robert Oliver Reed (13 February 1938 – 2 May 1999) was an English actor, known for his upper-middle class, macho image and his heavy-drinking, "hellraiser" lifestyle. His screen career spanned over 40 years, between 1955 and 1999. At the ...

* Fernando Rey * Edward G. Robinson * Luciano Rossi * Antonio Sabàto Sr. *

Telly Savalas Aristotelis "Telly" Savalas (; January 21, 1922 – January 22, 1994) was a Greek-American actor. Noted for his bald head and deep, resonant voice, he is perhaps best known for portraying Lt. Theo Kojak on the crime drama series '' Kojak'' (1973� ...

* John Saxon * Henry Silva *

Woody Strode Woodrow Wilson Woolwine Strode (July 25, 1914 – December 31, 1994) was an American athlete, actor, and author. He was a decathlon, decathlete and American football, football star who was one of the first Black American players in the National ...

* Fabio Testi * Massimo Vanni * Gian Maria Volonté *

Eli Wallach Eli Herschel Wallach ( ; December 7, 1915 – June 24, 2014) was an American film, television, and stage actor from New York City. Known for his character actor roles, his entertainment career spanned over six decades. He received a British Aca ...

Fred Williamson Frederick Robert Williamson (born March 5, 1938), nicknamed "the Hammer", is an American actor, filmmaker, and former American football player, a defensive back who played mainly in the American Football League (AFL) during the 1960s. He was a ...

The Best Poliziotteschi Movies of All Time - Flickchart
/ref>

Selected films

* ''

Wake Up and Die ''Wake Up and Die'' (, ), also known as ''Wake Up and Kill'' and ''I Kill for Kicks'', is a 1966 Italian-French crime-drama film directed by Carlo Lizzani, based on real life events of Luciano Lutring, an Italian criminal known as "the machine-gun ...

'' ''(Svegliati e uccidi'', 1966) * ''

''(''Banditi a Milano'', 1968) * '' Detective Belli ''(''Un Detective'', 1969) * '' Violent City'' (''Città violenta'', 1970) * '' Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion'' (''Indagine su un cittadino al di sopra di ogni sospetto'', 1970) * '' Execution Squad'' (''La polizia ringrazia'', 1972) * '' Caliber 9 ''(''Milano calibro 9'', 1972) * '' Manhunt'' (''La mala ordina'', 1972) * '' Tony Arzenta ''(1973) * '' High Crime'' (''La polizia incrimina la legge assolve'', 1973) * '' The Violent Professionals'' (''Milano trema: la polizia vuole giustizia'', 1973) * ''

Revolver A revolver is a repeating handgun with at least one barrel and a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold six cartridges before needing to be reloaded, ...

''(1973) * '' The Great Kidnapping'' (''La polizia sta a guardare'', 1973) * '' The Boss'' (''Il Boss'', 1973) * '' Gang War in Milan ''(''Milano rovente'', 1973) * '' The Police Serve the Citizens?'' (''La polizia è al servizio del cittadino?'', 1973) * '' Emergency Squad'' (''Squadra volante'', 1974) * '' Street Law'' (''Il cittadino si ribella'', 1974) * '' Almost Human'' (''Milano odia: la polizia non può sparare'', 1974) * '' What Have They Done to Your Daughters?'' (''La polizia chiede aiuto'', 1974) * ''

Kidnap Kidnapping or abduction is the unlawful abduction and confinement of a person against their will, and is a crime in many jurisdictions. Kidnapping may be accomplished by use of force or fear, or a victim may be enticed into confinement by frau ...

'' (''Fatevi vivi, la polizia non interverrà'', 1974) * '' The Last Desperate Hours'' (''Milano: il clan dei calabresi'', 1974) * '' Shoot First, Die Later'' (''Il poliziotto è marcio'', 1974) * '' Killer Cop'' (''La polizia ha le mani legate'', 1975) * '' Manhunt in the City'' (''L'uomo della strada fa giustizia'', 1975) * '' Mark of the Cop'' (''Mark il poliziotto'', 1975) * '' Mark Shoots First'' (''Mark il poliziotto spara per primo'', 1975) * '' Gambling City ''(''La città gioca d'azzardo'', 1975) * '' Kidnap Syndicate'' (''La città sconvolta: caccia spietata ai rapitori'', 1975) * '' Silent Action'' (''La polizia accusa: il Servizio Segreto uccide'', 1975) * '' Calling All Police Cars'' (''a tutte le auto della polizia...'', 1975) * '' Syndicate Sadists'' (''Il giustiziere sfida la città'', 1975) * '' Violent Rome '' (''Roma violenta'', 1975) * '' Season for Assassins'' (''Il tempo degli assassini'', 1975) * '' Violent Naples'' (''Napoli violenta'', 1976) * '' Bloody Payroll'' (''Milano violenta'', 1976) * '' Like Rabid Dogs'' (''Come cani arrabbiati'', 1976) * '' A Special Cop in Action'' (''Italia a mano armata'', 1976) * '' Cross Shot'' (''La legge violenta della squadra anticrimine'', 1976) * '' Mister Scarface'' (''l Padroni della città'', 1976) * '' Fear in the City'' (''Paura in città'', 1976) * '' The Big Racket ''(''Il grande racket'', 1976) * '' Strange Shadows in an Empty Room'' also known as ''Blazing Magnum'' (''Una magnum special per Tony Saitta'', 1976) * '' Live Like a Cop, Die Like a Man'' (''Uomini si nasce poliziotti si muore'', 1976) * '' Meet Him and Die'' (''Pronto ad uccidere'', 1976) * '' The Tough Ones'' (''Roma a mano armata'', 1976) * '' Colt 38 Special Squad ''(''Quelli della Calibro 38'', 1976) * '' The Cynic, the Rat & the Fist ''(''Il cinico, l'infame, il violento'', 1977) * '' Weapons of Death'' (''Napoli spara!'', 1977) * '' The Heroin Busters ''(''La via della droga'', 1977) * '' The Criminals Attack, The Police Respond'' (''La malavita attacca, la polizia risponde!'', 1977) * ''

A Man Called Magnum ''A Man Called Magnum'' () is a 1977 '' poliziotteschi'' film. This film by Michele Massimo Tarantini stars Luc Merenda. Plot Cast * Luc Merenda: commissario Dario Mauri * Enzo Cannavale: maresciallo Nicola Capece * Claudio Gora: Don Domenico ...

'' (''Napoli si ribella'', 1977) * '' Double Game'' (''Torino violenta'', 1977) * '' Beast with a Gun'' (''La belva con mitra'', 1977) * '' Convoy Busters'' (''Un poliziotto scomodo'', 1978) * '' Brothers Till We Die'' (''La banda del gobbo'', 1978) * '' The Iron Commissioner'' (''Il commissario di ferro'', 1978) * '' Blood and Diamonds'' (''Diamanti sporchi di sangue'', 1978) * '' From Corleone to Brooklyn'' (''Da Corleone a Brooklyn'', 1979) * '' Hunted City'' (''Sbirro, la tua legge è lenta... la mia no!'', 1979) * ''Lust'' (''Torino centrale del vizio'', 1979) * '' Speed Cross'' (1980) * '' Tony: Another Double Game'' (''Tony, l'altra faccia della Torino violenta'', 1980) * ''La tua vita per mio figlio'' (1980) * '' The Warning'' (''L'avvertimento'', 1980) * '' The Report Card'' (''La pagella'', 1980) * '' Day of the Cobra'' (''Il giorno del Cobra'', 1980) * ''

Contraband Contraband (from Medieval French ''contrebande'' "smuggling") is any item that, relating to its nature, is illegal to be possessed or sold. It comprises goods that by their nature are considered too dangerous or offensive in the eyes of the leg ...

'' (''Luca il contrabbandiere'', 1980) * '' The Blue-Eyed Bandit'' (''Il bandito dagli occhi azzurri'', 1980) * '' The Iron Hand of the Mafia'' (''Mafia, una legge che non perdona'', 1980) * '' The Rebel ''(''Poliziotto, solitudine e rabbia'', 1980) * ''Speed Driver'' (1980) * ''Fear in the City'' (''Cappotto di legno'', 1981) * '' The Mafia Triangle'' (''Napoli, Palermo, New York - Il triangolo della camorra'', 1981) * ''Uomini di parola'' (1981) * ''Vultures Over the City'' (''Buitres sobre la ciudad'' or ''Avvoltoi sulla città'', 1981)

Poliziotteschi comedy and parodies

* ''

Stuntman A stunt performer, often called a stuntman or stuntwoman and occasionally stuntperson or stunt-person, is a trained professional who performs daring acts, often as a career. Stunt performers usually appear in films or on television, as opposed ...

'' (1968) * '' Police Chief Pepe'' (''Il commissario Pepe'', 1969) * '' The Funny Face of the Godfather'' (''L'altra faccia del padrino'', 1973) * '' Flatfoot'' (''Piedone lo sbirro'', 1973) * '' Italian Graffiti'' (''Tutti figli di Mammasantissima'', 1973) * '' Piedino il questurino'' (1974) * '' La mafia mi fa un baffo'' (1974) * '' Flatfoot in Hong Kong'' (''Piedone a Hong Kong'', 1975) * '' Loaded Guns'' (''Colpo in canna'', 1975) * '' The Cop in Blue Jeans ''(''Squadra antiscippo'', 1976) * ''

Free Hand for a Tough Cop ''Free Hand for a Tough Cop'' (), also known as ''Tough Cop'', is an Italian poliziottesco-action film directed in 1976 by Umberto Lenzi and the second entry into the Tanzi/Moretto/Monnezza shared universe. In this movie Tomas Milian plays for the ...

'' (''Il trucido e lo sbirro'', 1976) * ''

Hit Squad The Hit Squad is an American hip hop collective of East Coast hip hop artists. Originally formed in the 1990s by Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith of the rap group EPMD, the group included rap artists such as K-Solo, Redman, Das EFX, Top ...

'' (''Squadra antifurto'', 1976) * '' The Swindle'' (''Squadra antitruffa'', 1977) * '' Flatfoot in Africa'' (''Piedone l'africano'', 1978) * ''

Little Italy Little Italy is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave populated primarily by Italians or people of Italian ancestry, usually in an Urban area, urban neighborhood. The concept of "Little Italy" holds many different aspects of the Italian cul ...

'' (''Squadra antimafia'', 1978) * '' The Gang That Sold America'' (''Squadra antigangsters'', 1979) * '' Assassination on the Tiber'' (''Assassinio sul Tevere'', 1979) * '' Crime at Porta Romana'' (''Delitto a Porta Romana'', 1980) * '' Flatfoot in Egypt'' (''Piedone d'Egitto'', 1980) * '' Crime at the Chinese Restaurant'' (''Delitto al ristorante cinese'', 1981) * '' Crime on the Highway'' (''Delitto sull'autostrada'', 1982) * '' Crime in Formula One'' (''Delitto in Formula Uno'', 1984) * '' Cop in Drag'' (''Delitto al Blue Gay'', 1984)

References

External links

Poliziotteschi – The Final Take
at

Allmovie AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, television series, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne. History AllMovie was ...

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{{film genres * Italian films by genre Film genres 1960s in Italian cinema 1970s in Italian cinema 1980s in Italian cinema Movements in Italian cinema