''Syndicate Sadists'' (, or ''"The Executioner Challenges the City"''), also released under the titles ''Rambo's Revenge'' and ''Final Payment'', is a 1975 '' poliziotteschi'' film directed by

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 ...

. It stars Joseph Cotten and Tomas Milian.

Plot

Milián plays Rambo, an ex-cop who seeks revenge against two powerful crime families who were responsible for the murder of his friend.

Cast

* Tomas Milian as Rambo * Joseph Cotten as Paternò *Adolfo Lastretti as Ciccio Paternò *Mario Piave as Pino Scalia * Maria Fiore as Maria Scalia *Duilio Cruciani as Luigino Scalia * Silvano Tranquilli as Eng. Marco Marsili * Evelyn Stewart as wife of Eng. Marsili *Alessandro Cocco as Giampiero Marsili

Production

The film predates

Ted Kotcheff William Theodore Kotcheff (; April 7, 1931 – April 10, 2025) was a CanadianUS Director Ted Kotcheff Granted Bulgarian Citizenship. Bulgarian Justice Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva on Friday granted citizenship to Ted Kotcheff, a US director bor ...

's ''

First Blood ''First Blood'' is a 1982 American war action film starring Sylvester Stallone as Vietnam War veteran John Rambo. Directed by Ted Kotcheff, the film was co-written by Michael Kozoll, William Sackheim, and Stallone, deriving from the 1972 no ...

'', the film which introduced audiences to the John Rambo of

David Morrell David Morrell (born April 24, 1943) is a Canadian-American author whose debut 1972 novel ''First Blood (novel), First Blood'', later adapted as the 1982 First Blood, film of the same name, went on to spawn the successful Rambo (franchise), ''Ra ...

by seven years. Tomas Milian happened to read David Morrell's novel while flying from the U.S. to Rome. Loving the story he tried to talk some Italian producers into making a film out of it, with him starring as

John Rambo John James Rambo is a fictional character in the Rambo (franchise), ''Rambo'' franchise. He first appeared in the 1972 novel ''First Blood (novel), First Blood'' by David Morrell, but later became more famous as the protagonist of the film serie ...

. Nothing came of this, but he was allowed to use the Rambo moniker in the next poliziottesco he starred in. The film does not borrow elements from the novel, with Lenzi stating he was more influenced by

Don Siegel Donald Siegel ( ; October 26, 1912 – April 20, 1991) was an American film director and producer. Siegel was described by ''The New York Times'' as "a director of tough, cynical and forthright action-adventure films whose taut plots centered o ...

's crime films. Ida Galli took a role in the film when her real-life son Alessandro Cocco was cast as a kidnap victim.

Release

''Syndicate Sadists'' was released in Italy on August 16, 1975 where it was distributed by Medusa. It grossed 1,451,703,190 Italian lire. Film historian Roberto Curti described it as a "huge hit in Italy". ''Syndicate Sadists'' was released in the United States by Sam Sherman's Independent International. It was released in the United States titles ''Rambo's Revenge'' and on home video as ''Final Payment''. It has been released as ''One Just Man'' in the United Kingdom. The unrated American DVD of the film is missing two minutes of footage: a scene where the mother of the kidnapped boy comes home and Paterno's henchmen searching for Rambo in a pub, and two reaction shots.

Footnotes

References

External links

* 1975 films 1970s Italian-language films 1975 crime thriller films 1970s action thriller films Poliziotteschi films Films directed by Umberto Lenzi Films set in Milan Films scored by Franco Micalizzi 1970s Italian films {{1970s-Italy-film-stub