Bezenby A crippled guy in a wheelchair getting beaten by two jerks. Three schoolchildren gunned down in front of some nuns. Massimo Vanni hoofing Luciano Rossi in the nuts over and over again. Welcome to Violent Rome, where the moustaches are thick, the cars as brittle as poppadoms, and the general public certainly doomed.Rome in 1975 is a filthy hovel full of bagsnatchers, conmen, bank robbers, hustlers, pickpockets, rapists, psychopaths, murderers and bawbags running riot while cop Maurizio watches in horror, almost helpless as there's only so many criminals one man can either shoot or punch in the jaw. He does have some help, however, in the form of undercover cop Ray Lovelock. And some guy who dresses up as an old lady to catch bagsnatchers, but don't get hung up on that as it has nothing to do with the rest of the film. When Maurizio pops a cap in a particularly violent criminals ass, he ends up quitting his job as a violent policeman and starts working as a violent vigilante instead, which makes him even more violent and rage-filled. In fact, this film has so much violence, car chases, and member of the public killing that it leaves almost no time to have any kind of plot at all. Not that I was caring!Out of the cast of regulars who keep showing up in these sorts of films for the next decade, John Steiner stands out the most as an evil bank robber who'll shoot anyone in his way. He always makes a great bad guy, and he's backed up by rapist Luciano Rossi and violent vigilante Massimo Vanni too. Richard Conte is a good guy in this one, and sadly, this is also his last film, as he died of a heart attack in 1975. Completely lacking in style, good acting, or plausibility, Violent Rome makes an ideal addition to your collection as it's full of all the other stuff you want in a film called Violent Rome.

Leofwine_draca The film that launched Maurizio Merli's tough police inspector into the limelight is a thrill-a-minute story of cobs and robbers done in the inimitable Italian style. Sure, the plot is light and episodic, but who cares when your film contains action as cool as it is here? Even to genre fans, Merli's crime films all look and feel the same, but VIOLENT ROME being the first seems even more polished and professional than most. Director Marino Girolami invests the film with plenty of style, cool exciting music, some of the finest genre actors around, and places hard-edged action at the centre of the film.Never has a movie lived up to its title so well, as this film contains some of the most brutal violence you will ever see. Innocent bystanders are bloodily gunned down by criminals, men slug it out with killer blows and sharp slaps to the faces which look like they really hurt, ferocious men shoot each other with guns and machine guns in broad daylight and turn each other into Swiss cheese as a result. The film goes really over-the-top as it tries to shock the viewer as much as possible in some moments. "Highlights" include a crippled man in a wheelchair being beaten to within an inch of his life, an innocent lady being stripped and raped, and a thug opening fire on a park full of happy people and mowing them down from a passing car.Meanwhile, Maurizio Merli - who, after the international success of this movie, found himself typecast in such productions for years to come, always playing exactly the same part (his name would sometimes change but never his character) - goes gunning for the criminals, engaging them in hand-to-hand combat, shoot-outs, and exciting car chases which really show off the excellent Rome location photography. Sometimes he just shoots them in the back to be sure. The strong supporting cast includes veteran Richard Conte as the leader of a vigilante group which Merli joins, Ray Lovelock as an undercover friend of Merli's who gets machine gunned during an exciting bank raid, and John Steiner as a suave English villain who is coincidentally dubbed by the same guy who did Lovelock's voice in THE LIVING DEAD AT THE MANCHESTER MORGUE.The photography is crisp and fluid at all moments and the film has superb pacing which never lets up until the bizarre ending, which you have to admit is pretty offbeat (as is the case in a number of Italian productions). Girolami's excellent direction is what makes this movie so good, and although the plot twists and turns and many characters come and go, VIOLENT ROME retains a relative simplicity which makes it so watchable. Fans looking for a traditional game of cops-and-robbers played out in some authentic Italian locations should check out this movie as one of the highlights of the Italian polizia genre.

m-sendey Commissioner Betti (Maurizio Merli), upon beholding a motivelessly slaughtered boy on a bus robbed by some thugs, vows to find the murderers, punish them for what they did, but also appease his desire of vengeance entailed by the demise of his brother who was killed in familiar circumstances. The violence begins to expand in the whole Rome… It is virtually inescapable to succumb to this wonderfully pulpy film which is filled with ruggedly crafted action sequences and swift pace. No wonder why it was a huge commercial success on the day of its premiere and Maurizio Merli became a star. Notwithstanding, but for the neat direction by Girolami, it would not have been so effective since the script itself is not anything specific, invariably appears disjointed and towards the end the ensemble is not even concerned about clarifying why another outburst of violence embarks on. Likewise, the material lacks a strong antagonist who could emerge out of the shady streets of Rome and eventually face Betti. Another element which might not be utterly engaging is a socio-political commentary on the situation in the Italy which feels a sort of out of place and somehow contrasts with the mindlessly action-packed remainder of the flick. Instead of pushing the boundaries of pastime into the same directions as unabashedly entertaining Live Like a Cop, Die Like a Man (1975) by Ruggero Deodato, it aspires higher, but it's impossible to render something serious, if it's basically this kind of actionier. Thus, making allowances for those aspects, Girolami allows it all to flow and generally focuses on shootouts and fistfights, on account of which obtains an imposingly electrifying atmosphere reminiscent of a collage consisting of gliding bullets, enormous squibs and outstanding Merli ceaselessly ready to utilize his gun in the midst. The simplicity of rendition is one of the biggest benefits of this motion picture that makes it all so compelling. The best moment of Violent Rome might be the car chase when commissioner Betti pursues one of the villains played by John Steiner. The climax is so stimulating that one is capable of smelling exhaust fumes as well as the reek of burnt tyres. The execution is superb – the editing is sharp, but it never distracts and one is likely to agree that it's an extraordinarily riveting scene which stays in one's mind.Maurizio Merli is very strong as commissioner Betti. He conveys a lot of charisma to his character as well as succeeds in creating a respectable and tough cop, the one who a delinquent wouldn't like to deal with. Ray Lovelock plays an undercover policeman who invariably comes in handy and provides Betti with multiple indispensable pieces of information. He is quite likable and believable in his role as a young, smug blonde. There are also numerous faces which all film buffs keen on Euro-cult cinema are familiar with. The soundtrack by Guido & Maurizio de Angelis is absolutely terrific and it's difficult to conceive another composer who could be able to replace this duo. Brothers de Angelis, grasping the point of the movie and their task as musicians, compose a fast, aggressive and catchy soundtrack which contextualises with this action flick phenomenally.While certainly imperfect, Violent Rome is well-paced, ruggedly crafted and stunningly scored. It serves its purpose perfectly and it's genuinely hard to remain indifferent to its charm. Though it structurally isn't the most impressive work of all time, it's a great portion of delicious and nutritious grindhouse salad with loads of bloodily-red tomato sauce which is bound to leave its viewers satisfied.

HumanoidOfFlesh Criminal violence in Rome is increasing due to weak legislation and unscrupulous layers.The old methods are no use anymore...they are antiquated.So it's up to Inspector Betti(Maurizio Merli)to fight the rising crime.Thugs are everywhere:robbing,shooting,murdering and raping innocent victims."Roma Violenta" is an exciting slay ride full of nihilistic characters and outrageous violence.The direction by Marino Girolami of "Zombi Holocaust" fame is tight and effective,the car chase scene is mind-blowing and the soundtrack is pretty mellow.Maurizio Merli was so believable in the role that he went on to reprise it in many times before his death in 1989.A must-see for fans of Italian cult cinema.8 out of 10.