Street Law (1976)

Strong and Moving!

I gave this film a 9 out of 10, because it was exactly what I expected it to be.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

This motion picture was release in the USA in February 1976 starring the beautiful Barbara Bach as Barbara, Franco Nero as Carlo Antonelli, and Giancarlo Prete as Tommy. The picture opens showing these three thugs riding around in Europe robbing people, beating them up, killing them and anything else they wanted to do. In addition, no one could stop them. One day Carol Antonelli goes into his bank to deposit some money when out of nowhere the three thugs that the law is looking for comes in and robs the place. To add insult to injury the three thugs take Carlo as there hostage. As thug are driving and trying to get away from the cops who are chasing them, they beat the hell out of Carlo. The thugs abandon the car and get into another leaving the bloody and battered Carlo alone. Enters Barbara Bach. Who is sitting in the room as Carlo tries to explain his story of his beating and robbery to the local police. Carlo doesn't like the treatment by the local authorities so he decides to take things into his own hands. Enters Giancarlo Prete. Tommy is a young man who tries to make a living by robbing nickel and dime places. Carlo takes pictures of Tommy robbing a store and frames him in to trying to find the three thugs that robbed him and beat him up. Now some of my own personal thoughts on this picture! I was really disappointed with this picture. I thought Franco Nero was a bad actor, because the role he played as the victim was horrendous. I thing that Pierce Bronson or Chuck Norris could have played this role a lot better. The reason that I bought this movie, Barbara Bach was in it. Her beautiful body and her acting was a total wasted in this picture. She had maybe four scenes and they were not very long either. Therefore based on the acting of Franco Nero, no leading woman and they wasted Barbara Bach beauty and talent I give this movie 2 weasel stars and that's being gentle

Cagey, hard-working, obstinate no-nonsense scientist Franco Nero gets kidnapped during a brutal bank heist by a trio of vicious, nasty crooks. The hoods severely pummel Nero, take him along for a wild, harrowing car chase, and leave Nero forever scarred psychologically by the distressful experience. When the police prove to be ineffectual, Nero decides to go the Charles Bronson "Death Wish"-like enforce the law on your own self-proclaimed keeper of the peace vigilante route, teaming up with genial, helpful illegal arms dealer Giancarlo Prete in order to exact harsh revenge on the vile, untouchable low-life criminals who regularly get away with preying on decent, law-abiding folks.An unexpectedly potent little crime/action potboiler, "Street Law" manages to be both utterly arresting and extremely hard-hitting thanks to its bang-up execution and accomplished technical polish. Under Italian B-film ace Enzo G. Castellari's typically strong, punchy, expert direction the compelling, convoluted and twist-ridden narrative unfolds in a most suspenseful, exhilarating and wickedly dead-on manner. Moreover, the gritty, smoky, squalid and threatening big city urban cesspool environment seems authentically grim and grimy, the cool, driving, harmonica-tinged rock score really hits the socko sonic spot, the brisk, starkly lit, sinuous cinematography gives the movie an excellent slick look, and the ferocious, rousing, often quite jolting action sequences -- Castellari's use of strenuous, gut-wrenching slow motion is incredibly effective -- deliver one hell of a strong and lingering punch. Better still, Nero contributes his usual top-notch performance, Prete is surprisingly likable as a conscience-plagued miscreant who yearns to go straight, and beauteous brunette Barbara Bach registers well as Nero's concerned, caring girlfriend. Why, "Street Law" even comes complete with a provocative, gruffly unsentimental, yet profound moral: Revenge is anything but sweet -- and it almost always comes with a highly serious and painful price to pay. Resolutely tough-minded and unusually complicated, with a suitably bleak tone and a pungently brooding atmosphere, this coarse, crackling, thoroughly gripping and exciting hard-edged vengeance crime thriller sizes up overall as an absolute powerhouse.

What do you do when you've been beaten, robbed, and kidnapped and you don't feel the police are doing enough to find those responsible for the crime? If you're Carlo Antonelli (Franco Nero) you take matters into your own hands and go after the bad guys yourself. This is the basic premise of Enzo Castellari's Street Law. It's an action packed film with enough gun battles, car chases, and bloodshed to make the most ardent of fans happy. Some of the violence may seem a little far fetched, but that only adds to the fun. Castellari certainly has an eye for action sequences and films these scenes with some interesting camera work. The film does drag a bit during some of the more dialogue heavy scenes as Nero delivers another of his endless speeches railing against the police. The supporting cast is good with Giancarlo Prete giving a standout performance. The other name in the cast, Barbara Bach, is so underutilized that I forgot she was in the movie a couple of times.As hard as this may be to believe, Franco Nero is actually the weak link in Street Law. Some of his reaction shots are ridiculous. Nero's character gets the stuffing beat out of him several times in the film. During these beatings, Nero has a look of complete astonishment on his face as if he didn't realize these baddies were going to beat him up if he kept interfering with them. This is just one example, but Nero needlessly overacts in several other scenes throughout the film. I don't know if it was Nero's fault or if Castellari is to blame, but it hurts the film.

Shot in the same year of the american "Deathwish" with Charles Bronson, has a similar plot but it results much more realistic and exciting. The great Franco Nero's performance and the brilliant music by the De Angelis brothers make of this an "absolutely must see" for all the fans of this kind of movies !