Dinsdag 14 september

 

 

The Cult Corner: De Keuze van Koolhoven

 

 

 

 

 

The Night of Fernando Di Leo

 

Milano Calibro 9 (1972): 97 min.
Il boss (1973): 100 min.

 

 

 

Milano Calibro 9

 

Just released from prison Ugo Piazza (Gastone Moschin) is abducted by some thugs who work for his former employer Americano. They beat the living hell out of Ugo in hopes that he will tell them where the $300,000 that he stole before going in prison is hidden. After a few beatings Ugo still refuses to tell them anything so the Americano offers him a job to keep him close.

 

Milano Calibro 9 is the first in a trilogy of films of famed Italian director Fernando Di Leo followed by La mala ordina and Il Boss. Even though Milano Calibro 9 wasn't one of the first Italian crime films, its lasting impact is undeniable as it the tone and style for all Italian crime films that followed it. Several Euro-cult regulars appear in this film including Mario Adorf, Gastone Moschin, Barbara Bouchet, Frank Wolff, Luigi Pistilli and Lionel Stander. This film is filled with a superb cast of colorful characters with the character Rocco Musco played by Mario Adorf being the one that stands out the most as he nearly steals the whole show with his maniacal over the top portrayal of a Mafioso.

 

One has to wonder if Martian Scorsese ever saw Milano Calibro 9 because Joe Pesci's Tommy DeVito performance in Goodfellas bears a strong resemblance to the Rocco Musco in Milano Calibre 9. Overall the acting in this film is first rate. The action is fast and furious and the violence is brutal and bloody. Fernando Di Leo's direction is pitch perfect as every frame and moment unfolds effortlessly into the next. There are a few interesting plot twists along the way that lead up to an ending that is truly unforgettable. Overall Milano Calibre 9 is one the best examples the Italian crime genre has to offer. (10.000 K bullets) 

 

 

 

 

 

Il boss

 

Italy, 1973, the mob has been fractured by heavy police involvement in all of their forms of business. All of the old leaders have left for hiding, leaving behind their Lieutenants which has caused an immense amount of destabilization. There's no order to the crime world anymore and all of the younger captain's are taking aim at their new bosses in order to form a more stable union. After the massacre of several rival mob bosses in a theater, Don Giuseppe (Claudio Nicastro), a captain under Don Corrasco (Richard Conte) who gave the order, has recently had his daughter kidnapped by the villainous Cocchi (Pier Paolo Capponi) who plans on getting his hands upon Giuseppe in order to torture information out of him while eventually going after Corrasco's empire. The one thing they didn't count on though is Nick Lanzetta (Henry Silva), a cold blooded and calculating hit man who will stop at nothing to protect the family. Nick hits the streets and before long he'll find these men... and make them pay!

 

Il Boss isn't your average cops and robbers chase like the majority of Italian crime flicks. It takes a very Mafia story approach but also mixes things up with its changing up of tradition. It is not perfect though. For fans of Euro Crime, this could be the holy grail if you haven't seen it already. Brilliant violence, tougher than nails leading men and.. well, a rocket launcher! I give it a four out of five and am very happy with this classic. Check it out! (Varied Celluloid)

 

 

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Screening start om 20:00 op de Overtoom 301 in Amsterdam.

 

Een kaartje voor de hele avond inclusief beide films is slechts € 4. Reserveren is niet mogelijk, plaatsen zijn beperkt dus kom op tijd. De bar opent om 19:30.

 

Cinema OT301 is makkelijk bereikbaar via tram 1 en 17 (uitstappen: halte Jan Pieter Heijestraat).