"Almost Human" is the best known of the "poliziotesschi", or Italian crime films, made by the highly respected Umberto Lenzi. It's a crackling story that travels far on the unholy magnetism of its unbalanced villain, and it's also a story with its fair share of dark twists and turns. The action scenes are first-rate, and the script (by the prolific Ernesto Gastaldi) keeps one absorbed, wondering when, or if, our antagonist will ever receive his comeuppance.

Tomas Milian stars as Giulio Sacchi, a low life criminal who never passes up an opportunity to make some money - or spread some blood around. He actually has a girlfriend (Anita Strindberg),and while sitting with her one day he gets the bright idea: kidnap his girls' boss' daughter for a hefty ransom. He seems to be one step ahead of the law the entire time, although a determined police inspector (Henry Silva) does soon pick up his trail.

Mean-spiritedness prevails in this interesting, effectively violent film, and it's never more interesting than when it follows the activities of the piece of scum at the story's centre. Milian is a force of nature to behold here, having no regard at all for human life and fixated on that "big score" that will make him an insanely rich man. It's something of a treat to see Silva as the good guy who will ultimately work outside the law to see justice done, although truth be told, he's often been at his best when playing roles similar to Milians'.

Punctuated by the typically grandiose talents of composer Ennio Morricone, "Almost Human" is very, very good of its kind. You won't believe what depravities Giulio will be capable of from scene to scene; in particular, that moment in the country manor will definitely drive that point home.

You may not like Giulio Sacchi, but you may find him fascinating as he sometimes just can't control himself from his most vile intentions.

Seven out of 10.

Director Umberto Lenzi is perhaps best known for his infamous video nasty Cannibal Ferox, "banned in 31 countries" for its graphic violent content. It's no great surprise, then, to find that he displays a similar lack of restraint in some of his earlier Poliziotteschis (Italian police/crime dramas): Almost Human might not be as explicitly gory as Ferox, but its tone is still downright rotten, with Tomas Milian playing an utterly reprehensible character - sadistic, psychotic and willing to kill anyone who gets in his way.

Milian plays Giulio Sacchi, a petty criminal with big plans: to kidnap the daughter of a wealthy businessman and hold her for ransom. Together with two of his low-life pals, he carries out the crime, leaving a trail of bodies in his wake. Giulio's asking price for the return of Mary Lou (Laura Belli) is a cool 500 million lira, but the cold-blooded killer has no intention of letting the girl live. While the kidnappers wait for their payment, Commissario Walter Grandi (Henry Silva) investigates, hoping to track down the ruthless men before anything bad happens to the girl.

An innocent traffic cop is the first to be killed by Giulio in this brutal thriller, followed by a nightwatchman, an arms dealer and his wife, and the boyfriend of kidnap victim Mary Lou. But it is a home invasion during a dinner party that is the film's most shocking scene: Guilio guns down one man as he tries to offer them money. The remaining three adults - two women and a man - are then forced to perform oral sex on the thugs (yes, even the man),before being hung from a chandelier (the women stripped from the waist up). Giulio machine-guns the unfortunate trio, but not before shooting the young daughter of one of the women. It's nasty stuff indeed.

Guilio further illustrates his callousness by killing his girlfriend Iona (Anita Strindberg),who threatens to go to the police, following through on his promise to kill Mary Lou, and blowing away his two partners in crime. Guilio escapes capture with half his cash (dropping the other half during a fire-fight with Grandi and his men) and gets himself an alibi courtesy of crime boss Ugo Majone (Luciano Catenacci),one that sees him walking free, even though Grandi is convinced of his guilt.

With the violence as ugly as it is in real life, Almost Human is quite the shocker. It's a shame that Lenzi blows it right at the end with a highly unbelievable scene of retribution, Grandi taking the law into his own hands by gunning down Guilio in broad daylight. It's a downbeat ending in keeping with the overall nihilistic tone, but it just doesn't ring true (if you're gonna turn vigilante, at least do it when there aren't witnesses around).

My summary line obviously referring to the international title of the movie (Almost Human). Now there is some crazy things going on and this is quite the understatement. The main bad guys are really mean. One maybe the meanest of them all. Depending on your mood and how you feel about moral codes and if you can see the humor in this (although it is mostly vicious),you may like what you get served here or not.

The movie is mean lean and ready to give it all. It also is crazy, which comes from the characters and how they operate. Kidnapping is not a fun game ... terrorising the victim is giving it a whole new note. But again, remember this is a movie and it is supposed to shock. So in that regard the movie succeeds quite well ...