COLT 38 SPECIAL SQUAD is a typical example of the Italian polizia flick, so if you're wondering what a Dirty Harry-inspired police film from the '70s looks like, then look no further than this. It's a film which exemplifies the best of a genre that's still hidden from most film fans today, who are missing out on the delights of Maurizio Merli and his contemporaries beating the hell out of criminal scum.

Although this film doesn't boast any roles for big Hollywood names or familiar genre fans, it proves to be distinctly above average. That's because it tells a complex, action-packed story at speed, never slowing down for a second. There are robberies, kidnappings, assassinations, terrorism and even a bombing campaign, all delivered in a typically gutsy, as-it-is kind of way, free of sentimentality, the focus on the realism. Massimo Dallamano's camera never sits still for a second in depicting a kinetic struggle between criminals and the police.

The essential story involves Marcel Bozzuffi (THE FRENCH CONNECTION) playing a tough Inspector with a personal vendetta against a criminal gang. He sets up a special squad, all armed with powerful handguns and motorbikes, to track down and take out the criminals, but of course it doesn't go according to plan. Although the way, the haunted Carole Andre gets caught between cops and bad guys, and Ivan Rassimov once again tackles the role of criminal mastermind. It goes without saying that the various action bits – shoot-outs, car chases, you name it – are second to none and miles ahead of most of what Hollywood churns out today.

Il Marsigliese "The Black Angel" has been killing people left and right in Turin. One cop, Inspector Vanni (Marcel Bozzuffi, The French Connection, Contraband) has had enough. Instead of going by the book, the death of his wife leads Vanni to give out unlicensed .38 Colt Diamondback revolvers to a select group of officers that he trusts, making them the Colt 38 Special Squad.

What makes it even better is that "The Black Angel" is one of the best Italian movie villains of all time, the dashing and yet oh so reprehensible Ivan Rassimov. Vanni killed his brother, so he hunted down Vanni's wife and killed her in front of their son. Making this villain even more insidious is the fact that his gang goes beyond simple murder to becoming near supervillains, planting bombs all over the city.

This is a movie filled with stunts that look beyond dangerous, probably because they were filmed with no permits and one shot at glory. Vanni and "The Black Angel" are two sides of the same rage-filled soul and only one of them will escape this film alive. Vanni's gun jammed the last time they met and he blames himself for everything that follows; that .38 Colt Diamondback is the only thing left he can rely on.

Perhaps most importantly, your eyes are not deceiving you. That's Grace Jones singing in the nightclub scenes. Her being in this movie is alone worth the price of owning it.

Sadly, this would be the last film of Massimo Dallamano, who was the cinematographer on Leone's A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More before making one of the best giallo ever, What Have You Done to Solange? (and the cinematographer on that was Aristide Massaccesi, of course),as well as A Black Veil for Lisa, What Have They Done to Your Daughters? And The Night Child. He died in a car accident soon after this movie finished production.

Italian cult cinema can be so deliciously rudimentary and effective from time to time. The whole basic concept of "Colt .38 Special Squad", for instance, is simply to exploit the immense success of the Hollywood classic "Dirty Harry" and expand it by throwing in an entire squadron of ruthless & trigger-happy coppers! Add to that an evil villainous character, a staggering soundtrack by Stelvio Cipriani and a handful of extremely violent sequences and we've got ourselves a bona fide Italian Poliziotteschi cult hit! Chief inspector of police Vanni is on the hunt for über-criminal Marsigliese and shoots his brother during a confrontation. Purely to make a statement, Marsigliese savagely executes Vanni's wife right before the eyes of his 6-year-old son. After this tragic incident, Vanni receives permission from his superiors to put together a special squad that doesn't have to follow the book of instructions and with the liberty of using heavier gun power. The squad immediately has its hand full, as Marsigliese's accomplices just stole a cargo-load of explosives and terrify the city with a number of bloody bomb attacks. "Colt .38 Special Squad" is a highly entertaining and action-packed Italian cop thriller, but personally I don't rank it alongside my absolute favorites of the genre. The reason for this is merely the lack of a monumental heroic character. Even though he starred in the popular blockbuster "The French Connection", lead actor Marcel Bozzuffi plainly doesn't have the tough and invincible charisma of other Italian cop characters such as Maurizio Merli, Luc Merenda or Franco Nero. He himself is a rather inconspicuous guy, and none of his squad team members are anything special either. In fact, they are so bleak and random that I often forgot their faces or mistook them for secondary petty thieves. Ivan Rassimov, on the other hand, is very memorable as Marsigliese and literally everything you expect from a devilish gangster boss! The film also contains multiple moments of uncompromising and shocking violence, like the aforementioned execution, a nasty hit-and-run accident and packages blowing up in people's faces. You can always count on Poliziotteschi movies for gratuitous bloodshed! This was – sadly - the last accomplishment of writer/director Massimo Dallamano before he died in a car accident. To me, Dallamano will always remain the genius creator of the greatest Italian giallo ever made ("What have you done to Solange?),but he also made the excellent psychedelic horror flicks "Devil in the Flesh" and Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray".