Mafia Junction (1977)

Overrated

An absolute waste of money

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

A convoluted but watchable polizia movie from Massimo Dallamano, the man most famous for the sleazy giallo gem WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO SOLANGE?. This is a plot-heavy film which seems to have been made before frequent fist-fights and car chases became a genre staple (c.f. the extraordinary films made by Umberto Lenzi in the genre), as the action is quite sparse here. Thankfully the sometimes-confusing plot is always twisting and turning to keep you watching and you don't really have time to notice the lack of excitement in the proceedings.There are a few good scenes like when Rassimov has his men take out the bad guys by gunning them down and burying them in a concrete grave, a well-filmed stunt car crash down a desert hill, or the finale in which the two gangs and the police have a massive shoot-out in a warehouse which perhaps inspired some of Tony Scott's movies, which have similar endings. Gotta love the shot of the gangster getting gassed in the oven in a matter-of-fact way too. Strip away the layers of crime and the contemporary setting and what you basically have is another remake of the YOJIMBO plot.Dallamano was always a director who made above-average films for the genres he worked in and this is no exception, with lots of stylish camera angles and crisp cinematography. The film has a nicely international scope which comes across as pretty convincing thanks to location filming in London and Lebanon. The cast are pretty good in their respective roles, good enough to keep you engaged at least. The only minor flaws in my mind are that the dialogue is occasionally clunky and unbelievable (as a result of the dubbing, no doubt) and the surprise twist ending isn't really that surprising after all, given the title. More of a "ah, I knew that was coming" type moment.Cast-wise, exploitation stalwart Ivan Rassimov takes the complicated leading role of Cliff, who underneath it all is a drug enforcement agent. On top he's a charming playboy who has a way with the ladies, but he's also a double-crossing and callous villain out to make himself a profit from all the chaos he creates. Another fine performance from Rassmov, whom I always think is something of an under-valued actor. Italian film veterans Ettore Manni and Giacomo Rossi-Stuart are on hand to lend gravitas to the proceedings and there's even a small role for Camille Keaton. Heaven knows what British comedy stalwart Patricia Hayes is doing in the movie but she's actually quite convincing as chief gangster "Momma Turk"! However, most of the film's attention is rightly focused on the quite captivating appearance of Stephanie Beacham, who has a fairly major role in the movie and spends half of her screen time getting kidnapped and the other half naked in the bedroom! Dallamano obviously had an eye for beauty so gets her to shed her clothing at every available opportunity. SUPER BITCH is a pretty enjoyable time-waster, nothing unique or new here but it does its job well. Once you've got over the initially confusing first half, where it's not really revealed who is who (at least to this viewer), you're able to settle back and enjoy what the film has to offer, which is basically lots of characters deceiving and betraying and battling each other over drug money. Stephanie Beacham (who isn't a bad actress at all) tops it all off and makes everything worthwhile.

I'm not much at home in the poliziotteschi genre, but this was a fun, fast-paced film of international allure, playing in New York, Athens, Paris, Beirut and mostly London, though the filming locations here on IMDb indicate partly differently. Anyway, things start out with loads of action, but for the rest of it, there is only some in the middle and the end.In between there's a lot scheming, blackmail and intimidation to and fro, plus some murders, sexy time, fine female nudity and singing, all performed by a lot of colorful characters, with 'superbitch' taking the lead. The rather dramatic conclusion came as bit of a surprise; what preceded was much exploitation oriented. Add a very nice score by Riz Ortolani as the final icing on the cake, and what we have here is a more than enjoyable crime (/action) flick.Unfortunately I saw a mediocre VHS-rip with English dub, but what the hey; a good 7 out of 10.

Cunning undercover cop Inspector Cliff (an excellent performance by Ivan Rassimov) infiltrates a drug trafficking syndicate run by formidable old lady Mama the Turk (a fabulously feisty portrayal by Patricia Hayes). Cliff pits the members of two rival gangs against each other. Director Massimo Dallamano, who also co-wrote the intricate and tough-minded script with Sandy MacRae, relates the complex and compelling story at a snappy pace, maintains a hard, gritty, no-nonsense tone throughout, stages the lively car chases and fierce shoot-outs with considerable aplomb, and delivers plentiful jolting outbursts of sudden brutal violence. The fine acting from the tip-top cast keeps the movie buzzing, with especially stand-out contributions from the ravishing Stephanie Beacham as Cliff's spunky and charming girlfriend Joanne, Ettore Manni as the weak Morell, Luciano Catenacci as the fearsome Gamble, Giacomo Rossi-Stuart as the equally redoubtable Marco, and Verna Harvey as spitfire teenage trollop Eva. This film warrants extra points for the pathetic old geek with a bunny rabbit fetish and the guy who plays jaunty acoustic guitar during a savage back alley beating. Cliff makes for one supremely bad-ass anti-hero: He's cocky, corrupt, and completely amoral. As a tasty extra plus, both Beacham and Harvey bare their yummy wares (Beacham even goes full-frontal in a shower scene!). Great surprise bummer ending, too. Riz Ortolani's funky throbbing score hits the get-down groovy spot. Jack Hildyard's slick cinematography gives the picture an impressive polished look. A very cool flick.

this is a good thriller/chiller type of European crime story. Ivan Rassimov gives Clint Eastwood an able run for his money as a Dirty Harry type detective albeit a corrupted one. Stephane Beacham, the presumed title character is as beautiful as she had been with Brando in "The Nightcomers". This might sound like a cheapy production with the video title being "Superbitch". But it has great photography & excellent location work ie the ruins in Greece at the beginning. Also the film has a thumping theme on it's soundtrack. Look out for veteran Brit actress Patricia Hayes as Mamma with her band of misfit though lovable grown children. Hayes is excellent & funny as the old lady crime family boss. Without giving spoiler away I'll just say this. The song two of her eldest boys sing her will have you reaching for your hanky. This movie goes to show you where a slim budget need not hinder the making of a good taut movie. And this movie's script gets tauter and tauter as the later part of the movie wears on. You must pay good attention in the last part of the movie to appreciate all you've seen from the beginning. This would be a great part for an actress like Sharon Stone to pick up the Mamma role with a merry band of criminal children. She's at the right age to do it believably. Perhaps not as old as Hayes was but a younger 'Mamma' actress would work just fine. If not Stone then an actress like Susan Sarandon. But this could be updated & remade. Id love it.