Bicycle Thieves (1948)

Ever since the writer character Vincent D’Onofrio played in The Player went to a screening of Bicycle Thieves (1948; Ladri di biciclette aka The Bicycle Thief), championing it as true cinema, I always felt guilty for never having seen it. After copping a DVD copy, and letting it sit on a shelf for a long […]

Day Of The Cobra (1980)

Wading further into the genre of poliziottesco/Eurocrime, Day of the Cobra (1980; Il giorno del Cobra) stars Italian superstar Franco Nero (the original Django himself) as the “Cobra”, a name which is never explained but has a catchy theme song (with the bluesy lyric, “Don’t give a damn – I am the Cobra!”). The movie […]

Milano Calibro 9 (1972)

A highly regarded example of the Poliziotteschi genre (or Eurocrime movies), Milano Calibro 9 (1972; aka Caliber 9) is directed by Fernando Di Leo and focuses on a thief released from prison after a few years. His name is Ugo Piazza and he’s played by Gastone Moschin (better known as Don Fanucci in The Godfather […]