The Italian Connection

 

Last week I talked about Caliber 9 and this week's feature is The Italian Connection (1972), not to be confused with The French Connection or the Italian Job which I've talked about previously. Both films are directed by Fernando Di Leo and form two thirds of his poliziottesco (essentially spaghetti crime drama) trilogy together with The Boss (1973) which I've yet to watch.

The Italian Connection is about two American hitmen, Dave Catania (Henry Silvia) and Frank Webster (Woody Strode). They are sent to Milan to make an example of small time pimp Luca Canali (Mario Adorf, who played Rocco in Caliber 9). The big boss in New York thinks Canali has stolen a huge shipment of heroin, because the Milanese boss Don Vito told him so. Therefore Canali needs to die messily to send a message to anyone who thinks they can steal from the mob. What follows is a desperate struggle for poor Canali to remain ahead of the killers and to find out which of his friends he can still trust.

Obviously I'm not spoiling the ending.

Compared to Caliber 9, The Italian Connection is a far darker and grittier movie. Caliber 9 was by no means a pleasant stroll in the park, but The Italian Connection has more violence, particularly towards women and even children. There is a very bleak tone to this film, almost depressing. It also has more nudity if that is a problem for you.

Connection, like Caliber, keeps up with the fast moving close-ups, which I hate, but many scenes are more ambitious than Caliber, particularly the chase scene towards the end. Otherwise the cinematography is a solid product of its time.

The actors are good, the soundtrack is very 70's, and the plot is simple but interesting. I never got bored, but I was also never really surprised. Connection is solid but perhaps not that inspired. It amused me that Mario Adorf looks exactly the same in both Caliber and Connection,yet his characters couldn't be more different. Rocco is vicious and brutal, and Luca is friendly, affable and a doting father. He's also a complete badass, but that's a different story. What is also interesting is how several characters make really bad mistakes with severe consequences, which is something one usually don't see. It's actually nice to see some genuine screw-ups from time to time.

There isn't that much more I can talk about. The Italian Connection is not about the destination but the journey. Apparently the hitmen Catania and Webster were the inspiration for Vincent and Jules in Pulp Fiction. Tarantino is a complete cinephile and it's no surprise that he has seen this movie.

Do I recommend this movie? Like I said with Caliber 9, if you like older crime dramas, then yes, I do recommend it. I had a good time, but it is not in my opinion as good as Caliber 9. It is good, and it is worth watching, but I don't think most casual movie watchers are going find it to their taste.

That's that and all that. Join me again next time, and until then, have a great and safe week!