The Law Enforcers

Italy in the 1970s suffered a significant rise in crime, with the Mafia in Sicily, kidnappings in Sardinia, and organised crime in the major capitals, especially Rome. That's why the genre of polizioteschi was so popular at that time, because it promptly reflected the era, sometimes in an exaggerated and colourful way, sometimes keeping its feet on the ground and describing reality more truthfully. This film belongs to the latter. It deals with the impotent laws, the tied hands of the police, the consideration of reinstating the death penalty, self-appointed judges from among the people who are not far from lynching, etc. There are also frequent exemplary executions at the hands of the so-called "anonymous police" and the struggle of a principled commissioner (the excellent Salerno) against these killings and law enforcement at the hands of someone other than the police themselves. No wonder the commies were so keen on showing this film in cinemas, because it "held up a mirror to the rotten capitalist society", as the Red ideologues of the time liked to say and the TV announcers repeated like a mantra before every similarly oriented film. (31/05/2016)