In the Name of the Law. Italian Crime Films from 1945 to 1969

During the 1970s Italian cinema discovered crime. Inspired by the likes of Dirty Harry and The French Connection, numerous producers and directors rushed their own cop and gangster movies (or poliziotteschi, as they became known) into production. But it wasn’t a phenomenon that emerged out of nowhere and it wasn’t solely a case of Italian filmmakers ripping off American product. Indeed, crime (or criminality) had already been an important feature of hundreds of Italian films, from the neo-realist classics of the 1940s to psychedelic noirs made two decades later.

This book is an exploration of this fascinating but murky area; featuring in depth reviews and artwork from numerous productions either respected or forgotten which can authentically claim to be antecedents of the poliziotteschi. Titles range from Bitter Rice and Big Deal of Madonna Street to the more obscure Passport for A Corpse and Night Train to Milan, from Bandits of Orgosolo to Sardinia Kidnapped.

In examining these films it charts the progress of the Italian crime film while it was still in the process of discovering its ideal form. So buckle up your seat-belts, pour yourself a J&B and get ready to meet the assorted delinquents, bandits and Mafiosi who were to be found in Italian films between 1945 and 1969.