Diagonaldi Very well executed

ChanFamous I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Lidia Draper Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Bezenby Luc Merenda gets a chance to actually act instead of running around shooting people before getting the chance to run around shooting people in yet another Eurocrime film from Fernando Di Leo.This time round he's a poor mechanic widower whose only reason for being is his son Dave or whatever he's called. Dave is friends with Bert, the son of rich property magnate James Mason, and when both kids end up getting kidnapped, Luc goes mental and James Mason bizarrely treats the whole thing like it's some sort of business deal and tries to give the kidnappers the run-around. There's also the added complication of who is behind the kidnapping and the not so great efforts of the police to get the two boys back. When James Mason drags his heels far too much, enraging his own wife, the kidnappers select one of the kids, put a pillowcase over their heads, and execute them. Guess who's kid that is? After quite a convincing scene of being confronted with the corpse of his son, Luc vows vengeance, packs a sandwich, and goes off hunting the kidnappers. What's different about this one is there's not much action for the first half of the film, which concentrates more on the contrasting parenting skills of Merenda and Mason while providing an insight into a crime which was really becoming a problem in Italy at the time. The various reactions of the actors when Merenda's sons corpse is revealed is the highlight of the film, from the frustration of the up-to-then-humorous cop to Mason's barely contained guilt. Merenda gets to cut loose here as well and display more emotion that he's usually allowed to show (e.g. punching, glaring, smoking - manly emotions for man films). The two kids are quite close and Merenda's son is a bit more robust is in attitude to the kidnappers, which gives his death a bit more impact. So there you go - a Eurocrime film that focuses on current affairs, with a bit more characterization than usual. Don't worry though - although the gun play and car chases are still there, near the end.

JasparLamarCrabb Fernando Di Leo's thriller hits the ground running and does not let up. The son of a wealthy construction magnate (along with one his playmates) is kidnapped and his father opts to negotiate on the ransom amount. Tragedy ensues, leading the father of the other boy to take matters into his own hands. An unusually strong film from the great Di Leo with an outstanding performance by Luc Merenda and a supporting cast that includes James Mason and Irina Maleeva. Mason is great and Valentina Cortese, as his wife, gives one of her classic over-the-top performances. The excellent music score is by Luis Bacalov. Erico Menczer did the cinematography. The movie is sun-drenched and so stunningly beautiful it belies the horrible goings on that are taking place.

The_Void Kidnap Syndicate may not be the all action thrill ride that describes many of the Polizi flicks, but this is still an excellent example of the genre, and one that delivers a little more than just car chases and shootouts. As the title suggests, the film focus on the profitable business of kidnapping, and director Fernando Di Leo does an excellent job of showing the horror of the effect that this can have on the victim's families, as well as delivering another excellent slice of Italian crime drama. The film stars Luc Merenda as a mechanic and poor father of a kidnapped boy. An Italian crime syndicate kidnap the child of a wealthy businessman; as well as the mechanic's son. They make their ransom demands, but the wealthy father refuses to pay and decides instead to negotiate with the kidnappers. This enrages them; so to prove they're serious, they decide to kill the mechanic's son. Distraught at his loss, the father then sets out on a mission of revenge, with the organisation behind the kidnappings firmly in his crosshairs...Kidnap Syndicate is a film of two halves. The first half focuses on the kidnapping itself and the effect on the families involved, while the second half follows Merenda as he seeks out and takes revenge on the perpetrators. The structure of the film works well; the director allows us to get into the situation and characters in the first half of the film, before launching into a revenge thriller; and by then, every audience member is likely to want to see the kidnappers pay! You don't really expect to see much emotion in Polizi flicks, and indeed more could have been made of the situation that the lead finds himself in; but overall, I have to say that the film does a good job of making you feel for Merenda's character and his plight. The acting is good also, with Merenda providing an excellent performance that works well with both parts of the film. Seeing him tear around on his motorcycle is good fun to watch and the film provides all the car chases and shootouts that you would expect from this sort of film in the second half. Overall, Kidnap Syndicate is undoubtedly a highlight of the Polizi genre and comes highly recommended!

Paul Petroskey This is a really great Italian crime/revenge movie. Two kids are kidnapped: a rich man's child and a poor man's child. The rich man decides to try and haggle over the ransom, which causes the kidnappers to kill the poor man's child to make their point. From then on, I was rooting for the dad to go get those jerks!!! Great chases and action, totally entertaining.