The Violent Professionals
| The Violent Professionals | |
|---|---|
 US film poster | |
| Italian | Milano trema: la polizia vuole giustizia |
| Directed by | Sergio Martino |
| Written by | Ernesto Gastaldi[1] |
| Produced by | |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Giancarlo Ferrando[1] |
| Edited by | Eugenio Alabiso[1] |
| Music by | |
Production companies |
|
| Distributed by | Interfilm |
Release date |
|
Running time | 104 minutes[1] |
| Country | Italy[1] |
| Language | Italian |
| Box office | ₤1.162 billion |
The Violent Professionals (Italian: Milano trema: la polizia vuole giustizia, lit. 'Milan trembles: the police demand justice') is a 1973 poliziottesco film directed by Sergio Martino and starring Luc Merenda, Richard Conte, Silvano Tranquilli, Chris Avram and Martine Brochard. Merenda plays a Milan cop who goes undercover as a getaway driver for the mob so he can wage a one-man war on crime, to avenge the death of his mentor.
Cast
[edit]- Luc Merenda as Inspector Giorgio Caneparo
- Richard Conte as Padulo / Salassolio
- Silvano Tranquilli as Inspector Gianni Viviani
- Carlo Alighiero as Chief Nicastro
- Martine Brochard as Maria
- Chris Avram as Inspector Del Buono
- Steffen Zacharias as Monsùmerda
- Bruno Corazzari as Gori
- Cyrille Spiga as Steiner
- Rosario Borelli as Pepi Cartiglia
- Antonio Casale as Casardi
- Luciano Rossi as Cruciani
- Lia Tanzi as the prostitute
Production
[edit]Filming took place on-location in Milan and Novara. It was the first poliziottesco for genre mainstays Sergio Martino and Luc Merenda, who would collaborate on several films throughout the decade.
Release
[edit]The Violent Professionals was released in Italy on 22 August 1973 where it was distributed by Interfilm.[1] It was a box office hit in Italy where it grossed a total of 1,162,424,000 Italian lire.[1]
Home media
[edit]The film has been released in an English-language friendly DVD by Wild East and as a double feature from Alpha Video with Deadly Drifter.[1]
The boutique label restored and released the film on Blu-Ray in 2018.[2] British label 88 Films a Blu-Ray in 2021.[3]
Reception
[edit]A retrospective review for the website Mondo Digital reads, "One of the most purely enjoyable Italian crime films of the 1970s, The Violent Professionals has everything you could want in a poliziottesco title: a rebellious cop, fuzzy political cynicism, shocking violence, and rough and tumble car chases."[4]
In 2009, Empire named it #9 in a poll of the "20 Greatest Gangster Movies You've Never Seen* (*Probably)".
See also
[edit]Footnotes
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Curti 2013, p. 102.
- ^ The Violent Professionals Blu-ray (Milano trema: la polizia vuole giustizia). Retrieved 3 October 2025 – via www.blu-ray.com.
- ^ "The Violent Professionals - The Italian Collection 66". 88 Films. Retrieved 3 October 2025.
- ^ "The Violent Professionals". www.mondo-digital.com. Retrieved 3 October 2025.
References
[edit]- Curti, Roberto (2013). Italian Crime Filmography, 1968-1980. McFarland. ISBN 978-0786469765.
External links
[edit]- The Violent Professionals at IMDb
- (in Italian) Film locations in Milan
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