Leofwine_draca A convoluted but watchable polizia movie from Massimo Dallamano, the man most famous for the sleazy giallo gem WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO SOLANGE?. This is a plot-heavy film which seems to have been made before frequent fist-fights and car chases became a genre staple (c.f. the extraordinary films made by Umberto Lenzi in the genre), as the action is quite sparse here. Thankfully the sometimes-confusing plot is always twisting and turning to keep you watching and you don't really have time to notice the lack of excitement in the proceedings.There are a few good scenes like when Rassimov has his men take out the bad guys by gunning them down and burying them in a concrete grave, a well-filmed stunt car crash down a desert hill, or the finale in which the two gangs and the police have a massive shoot-out in a warehouse which perhaps inspired some of Tony Scott's movies, which have similar endings. Gotta love the shot of the gangster getting gassed in the oven in a matter-of-fact way too. Strip away the layers of crime and the contemporary setting and what you basically have is another remake of the YOJIMBO plot.Dallamano was always a director who made above-average films for the genres he worked in and this is no exception, with lots of stylish camera angles and crisp cinematography. The film has a nicely international scope which comes across as pretty convincing thanks to location filming in London and Lebanon. The cast are pretty good in their respective roles, good enough to keep you engaged at least. The only minor flaws in my mind are that the dialogue is occasionally clunky and unbelievable (as a result of the dubbing, no doubt) and the surprise twist ending isn't really that surprising after all, given the title. More of a "ah, I knew that was coming" type moment.Cast-wise, exploitation stalwart Ivan Rassimov takes the complicated leading role of Cliff, who underneath it all is a drug enforcement agent. On top he's a charming playboy who has a way with the ladies, but he's also a double-crossing and callous villain out to make himself a profit from all the chaos he creates. Another fine performance from Rassmov, whom I always think is something of an under-valued actor. Italian film veterans Ettore Manni and Giacomo Rossi-Stuart are on hand to lend gravitas to the proceedings and there's even a small role for Camille Keaton. Heaven knows what British comedy stalwart Patricia Hayes is doing in the movie but she's actually quite convincing as chief gangster "Momma Turk"! However, most of the film's attention is rightly focused on the quite captivating appearance of Stephanie Beacham, who has a fairly major role in the movie and spends half of her screen time getting kidnapped and the other half naked in the bedroom! Dallamano obviously had an eye for beauty so gets her to shed her clothing at every available opportunity. SUPER BITCH is a pretty enjoyable time-waster, nothing unique or new here but it does its job well. Once you've got over the initially confusing first half, where it's not really revealed who is who (at least to this viewer), you're able to settle back and enjoy what the film has to offer, which is basically lots of characters deceiving and betraying and battling each other over drug money. Stephanie Beacham (who isn't a bad actress at all) tops it all off and makes everything worthwhile.

BA_Harrison Director Massimo Dallamano's 1973 poliziotteschi Super Bitch stars Italian exploitation legend Ivan Rassimov as devious undercover narcotics agent Cliff, who is every bit as corrupt as the drug-runners he is supposed to bring to justice. Cliff manipulates everyone—criminals and cops—to suit his own needs, using whatever means necessary to put the bad-guys out of the picture AND make himself a fortune in the process.To be honest, I had trouble keeping up with all of the intricacies of Super Bitch's storyline: Cliff's Machiavellian scheming gets awfully complex, and with British hottie Stephanie Beacham (as lovely escort girl Joanne, who is worth every penny) shedding her clothes every few minutes, I found my mind wandering quite a bit (especially during that shower scene! Phew!).Thankfully, a thorough understanding of the plot isn't absolutely necessary to have a good time with this nifty little crime thriller. Dallamano's film delivers plenty of fast-paced action, lots of OTT violence (blood squibs-a-plenty), and colourful characters (including a diplomat who likes to dress up as a rabbit, and a family of singing hippie gangsters, led by Patricia Hayes' ruthless crime-boss Mamma), plus more welcome eye-candy in the form of Mamma's sexy daughter Eva (Verna Harvey).Super Bitch also benefits from great location work (Beirut, London, and New York), a wonderfully funky score from Riz Ortolani, and a cool ending in which Cliff's carefully laid plans finally go awry.

punishmentpark I'm not much at home in the poliziotteschi genre, but this was a fun, fast-paced film of international allure, playing in New York, Athens, Paris, Beirut and mostly London, though the filming locations here on IMDb indicate partly differently. Anyway, things start out with loads of action, but for the rest of it, there is only some in the middle and the end.In between there's a lot scheming, blackmail and intimidation to and fro, plus some murders, sexy time, fine female nudity and singing, all performed by a lot of colorful characters, with 'superbitch' taking the lead. The rather dramatic conclusion came as bit of a surprise; what preceded was much exploitation oriented. Add a very nice score by Riz Ortolani as the final icing on the cake, and what we have here is a more than enjoyable crime (/action) flick.Unfortunately I saw a mediocre VHS-rip with English dub, but what the hey; a good 7 out of 10.

Woodyanders Cunning undercover cop Inspector Cliff (an excellent performance by Ivan Rassimov) infiltrates a drug trafficking syndicate run by formidable old lady Mama the Turk (a fabulously feisty portrayal by Patricia Hayes). Cliff pits the members of two rival gangs against each other. Director Massimo Dallamano, who also co-wrote the intricate and tough-minded script with Sandy MacRae, relates the complex and compelling story at a snappy pace, maintains a hard, gritty, no-nonsense tone throughout, stages the lively car chases and fierce shoot-outs with considerable aplomb, and delivers plentiful jolting outbursts of sudden brutal violence. The fine acting from the tip-top cast keeps the movie buzzing, with especially stand-out contributions from the ravishing Stephanie Beacham as Cliff's spunky and charming girlfriend Joanne, Ettore Manni as the weak Morell, Luciano Catenacci as the fearsome Gamble, Giacomo Rossi-Stuart as the equally redoubtable Marco, and Verna Harvey as spitfire teenage trollop Eva. This film warrants extra points for the pathetic old geek with a bunny rabbit fetish and the guy who plays jaunty acoustic guitar during a savage back alley beating. Cliff makes for one supremely bad-ass anti-hero: He's cocky, corrupt, and completely amoral. As a tasty extra plus, both Beacham and Harvey bare their yummy wares (Beacham even goes full-frontal in a shower scene!). Great surprise bummer ending, too. Riz Ortolani's funky throbbing score hits the get-down groovy spot. Jack Hildyard's slick cinematography gives the picture an impressive polished look. A very cool flick.