Franco Nero was one of the biggest Italian movie stars of the 1970s. Though he made a number of international and American movies I’m not sure if he was ever all that well known over here. Maybe he was. I really don’t know. These days he’s well loved by genre fans. His breakthrough role was Django a terrific Spaghetti Western that beget untold sequels. He made lots of other Westerns, Gialli, Poliziotteschi, and every other Italian genre film you can think of. He’s still working, too, having recently been in films like John Wick 2, and The Pope’s Exorcist.
Not all of his films were masterpieces (dude has starred in over 200 films so you gotta give him some slack) but I always enjoy seeing his face appear in anything.
High Crimes is a pretty good little crime thriller from the 1970s. Nero plays a no-nonsense cop who feels all the rules and regulations are keeping him from nailing the bad guys. The plot gets a little convoluted but the action sequences are pretty great. You can read my full review here.
themidnightcafe.org 