'Syndicate Sadists' (1975) - Umberto Lenzi.

Infamously tempestuous and fruitfully incestuous filmmaking bedfellows, the reigning cannibal king, Umberto Lenzi, and his audaciously wig-sporting partner in-Euro-crime, Tomas Milian team up again for the roustabout, boorishly boy's own, Cops an' Robbers actioner, 'Il Giustiziziere sfida La citta' aka ' Syndicate Sadists', and while this isn't on par with the luridly iconic, mercilessly machine-gunning home-invasion sleaze-fest, 'Almost Human', it still manages to dutifully deliver the requisite amount of breathless thrills an' bellicose blood-spills to effectively embellish the tired plot machinations; with red beanie-wearing, gleefully anti-social anti-hero, Milian playing volatile ex-biker cop, Rambo!!!?? whose singular penchant for righteous revenge is entirely apropos, and 'Rambo' is given ample opportunity for slow-motion blood-squibbing, jaw-cracking, justice-seeking spectacle, once he disturbingly discovers to his escalating chagrin that his beloved brother has been slain by foes nefarious! 

Rambo's relentless retribution is fuelled by the ecstatic crime funk of maestro, Franco Micalizzi, his deliciously infectious grooves galvanizing all the the numerous health and safety-taunting bike chases, nimble numb-skull battery, and ubiquitous ballistic overkill one expects from the murderously entertaining, delightfully dizzying milieu of 70s Euro-crime! Even with its discernible dearth of excruciatingly elaborate ultra-violence, 'Syndicate Sadists' makes for a highly entertaining, exploitative riff on Dashiell Hammett's classic 'Red Harvest', and ardent, Lenzi/Milian/poliziotteschi aficionados shouldn't be too disappointed, although, to be fair, it falls somewhat short of living up to its blood an' thunder moniker! So, perhaps, not ideal for Euro-crime newbie's, but if you keep your expectations low, 'Syndicate Sadists' is not without amiable grubby charm, and, I, for one, could happily watch, Milian merely open an envelope, caring not one measly jot if he refused to push it into pastures new!

 

 

 

 

'This is kinda' weird the first time out, but it gets easier!'

'Milian is more metal than all of us, dude!'