Luciano Leggio was an Italian criminal and leading figure of the Sicilian Mafia. He was the head of the Corleonesi, the Mafia faction that originated in the town of Corleone. He is universally known with the surname Liggio, a result of a misspelling in court documents in the 1960s.
Vito Corleone is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's 1969 novel The Godfather and in the first two of Francis Ford Coppola's film trilogy. Vito is originally portrayed by Marlon Brando in the 1972 film The Godfather, and later by Oreste Baldini as a boy and by Robert De Niro as a young man in The Godfather Part II (1974). He is an orphaned Sicilian immigrant who builds a Mafia empire.
Poliziotteschi constitute a subgenre of crime and action films that emerged in Italy in the late 1960s and reached the height of their popularity in the 1970s. They are also known as polizieschi all'italiana, Euro-crime, Italo-crime, spaghetti crime films, or simply Italian crime films. Influenced by both 1970s French crime films and gritty 1960s and 1970s American cop films and vigilante films, poliziotteschi films were made amidst an atmosphere of socio-political turmoil in Italy and increasing Italian crime rates. The films generally featured graphic and brutal violence, organized crime, car chases, vigilantism, heists, gunfights, and corruption up to the highest levels. The protagonists were generally tough working class loners, willing to act outside a corrupt or overly bureaucratic system.
Maurizio Merli was an Italian film actor and a star of many Italian police thrillers.
High Crime is a 1973 Italian-Spanish poliziottesco film directed by Enzo G. Castellari. The film stars Franco Nero, James Whitmore, Delia Boccardo and Fernando Rey. High Crime was a big success at the time of its release, and helped popularize the Italian cop thriller genre.
The Tough Ones is a 1976 Italian poliziottesco film directed by Umberto Lenzi.
Il Capo dei Capi is a six-part Italian miniseries which debuted on Canale 5 between October and November 2007. It tells the story of Salvatore Riina, alias Totò u Curtu, a mafioso boss from Corleone, Sicily. Riina is played by Palermo-born actor, Claudio Gioè, and the series was directed by Alexis Sweet and Enzo Monteleone. The series is inspired from the eponymous book-inquiry of Giuseppe D'Avanzo and Attilio Bolzoni. It was broadcast in the UK in the spring of 2013 on the Sky Arts channel, retitled Corleone and split into 12 one-hour episodes.
Against the Law is a 1950 Italian crime film directed by Flavio Calzavara and starring Marcello Mastroianni, Fulvia Mammi and Renato Malavasi.
Father of the Godfathers is a 1978 Italian crime film directed by Pasquale Squitieri. It stars Claudia Cardinale, Giuliano Gemma and Tony Kendall and is set in Sicily in the 1950s. Gemma was awarded 1979 Best Actor at the Montréal World Film Festival for his role.
The Cynic, the Rat and the Fist is an Italian poliziotteschi film directed in 1977 by Umberto Lenzi. The film was described by Italian film critic and historian Roberto Curti as "a sequel of sorts" to Lenzi's 1976 The Tough Ones, with Maurizio Merli reprising the role of Inspector Leonardo Tanzi.
Silent Action is a 1975 Italian poliziottesco film directed by Sergio Martino.
Highway Racer is a 1977 Italian poliziottesco film directed by Stelvio Massi. It was the first collaboration between Massi and Maurizio Merli, who worked together in six titles between 1977 and 1980.
Il commissario di ferro (transl. The Iron Commissioner is a 1978 Italian poliziottesco film directed by Stelvio Massi.
Weapons of Death is a poliziottesco film directed by Mario Caiano in 1977. It is an unofficial sequel of Napoli violenta, of which reprises the character of Gennarino.
Execution Squad is a 1972 crime film directed by Steno and starring Enrico Maria Salerno. Set during Italy's tumultuous anni di piombo, the film obtained a great commercial success.
Hunted City is a 1979 Italian poliziottesco film directed by Stelvio Massi. It represents one of the few negative roles for Merola.
The New Godfathers is a 1979 Italian poliziottesco film directed by Alfonso Brescia.
City Under Siege is a 1974 Italian poliziottesco film directed by Romolo Guerrieri. The film is loosely based on Il commissario di Torino by Riccardo Marcato and Ugo Novelli.
The Mafia Triangle is a 1981 Italian "poliziottesco" film written and directed by Alfonso Brescia and starring Mario Merola. It is an unofficial remake of Brescia's 1978 film Napoli … serenata calibro 9.
