“Street Law” American Theatrical Poster
AKA: The Citizen Rebels, Vigilante II
Director: Enzo G. Castellari
Cast: Franco Nero, Giancarlo Prete, Barbara Bach, Renzo Palmer, Nazzareno Zamperla, Romano Puppo
Running Time: 105 min.
By HKFanatic
Following my review of “Live Like a Cop, Die Like a Man“, I continue my exploration of the “Poliziotteschi” genre, or Italian police films from the 1970’s, with “Street Law.” Much like “Live Like a Cop…” this film opens with a blistering ten minute sequence that barely allows the audience a moment to catch their breath: in a montage of gang-style violence, we watch as innocent people are robbed and gunned down in the streets all over Geneo, Italy. The impression being that the cops aren’t doing jack to stem the tide of crime. We’re soon introduced to our protagonist, played by Franco Nero (“Django“), as he goes to deposit some of his hard-earned money at the bank. That’s when he’s abducted by some vicious bank robbers and pistol-whipped senseless in the back of their getaway car. What a way to start a movie!
Released the same year as the Charles Bronson film “Death Wish,” “Street Law” – also known as “The Anonymous Avenger” – has a reputation for being an Italian rip-off of that film. Although the two films concern a mild-mannered citizen who takes up arms after becoming the victim of a horrible crime, they really couldn’t be more different. You see, Franco Nero’s attempts at becoming a vigilante hero are ill-advised at best. Every time he tries to put his toe in the underworld to find a connection or get closer to the men who robbed the bank, he gets his ass kicked. His character is obviously in way over his head and Nero constantly has this mystified look on his face like he can’t believe what’s happening to him, an expression that becomes almost comical. There’s even a scene where he’s dragged through the mud – literally! – by the gang he’s after, with his arms outstretched in a Christ-like pose. Yes, this movie could have been called “The Passion of the Nero.”
“Street Law” was directed Enzo G. Castellari, a man who is now most famous for having made the original “Inglorious Bastards” film that Quentin Tarantino took inspiration from. In his long and storied career, he directed films as diverse as crime thriller “Heroin Busters”; the “Jaws”-inspired “Great White” (which Universal Pictures successfully banned from the United States due to claims of plagiarism); post-apocalyptic films like “The New Barbarians” and “1990: The Bronx Warriors”; and a film that is considered by many to signify the end of the spaghetti Western genre, “Keoma,” also starring Franco Nero. His direction in “Street Law” is confident and assured with brazen stunt work, unique POV angles, and a flair for balletic, slow-motion violence that is not unlike Sam Peckinpah. It also helps that Franco Nero appears to have done many of his own stunts, particularly the scene where he’s tossed around by a bad guy’s fish-tailing Mustang.
“Street Law” is a fun, guilty pleasure kind of flick, only hampered by its slow pacing (after the opening 10 minutes, you have to wait awhile for the action to kick in) and the inadequacy of its main hero. I mean, you keep waiting for Franco Nero to man up and slug someone across the face. It’s not like he isn’t an intimidating guy – he’s “Django” for crying out loud! Unfortunately, the screenplay calls for him to be a simpering weakling for most of the movie until he finally gets mad enough to take up a sawed-off shotgun at the end. The film concludes with a tense shoot-out in a gigantic warehouse, a location that director Castellari utilizes well.
In the 1970’s, street crime was a real issue in Italy. The country had fought back the fascist invaders during World War II but was now under a different kind of tyranny – by powerful gangs that strong-armed or bought off the police. “Street Law” is an attempt to visualize the kind of righteous indignation that a lot of citizens felt during this time. I’m not sure if Nero was the right man to embody their anger but I have to admit it’s something of a novelty to see an action movie where the hero is as scared shitless as Franco is here. If he – and, in turn, the movie – had been a little more bad-ass, “Street Law” could have been a classic. Instead it’s just another entertaining flick to watch if you’re into Italian crime movies.
HKFanatic’s Rating: 7/10
