Sergio Sollima was an Italian film director and script writer.
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 known as Years of Lead 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.
Fabio Testi is an Italian actor. After growing up witnessing film work done around Lake Garda, Testi entered the sets of the film and began work as a stuntman and a double on set, where he worked as a stuntman on The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Testi continued stunt work and getting roles in low budget genre films until he was cast in Vittorio De Sica's film The Garden of the Finzi-Continis. Following this film, Testi became a star in Italy, appearing in some artistic films by Giuseppe Patroni Griffi and Claude Chabrol. Testi also continued to work in poliziotteschi genre films in the 1970s as well as a few gialli, and gained infamy for his publicised relationships with actresses Ursula Andress and Charlotte Rampling.
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.
Contraband is a 1980 poliziotteschi film directed by Lucio Fulci.
Death Knocks Twice, German: Blonde Köder für den Mörder), is a 1969 Italian-German detective film directed by Harald Philipp and starring Dean Reed, Fabio Testi and Adolfo Celi. It also starred Anita Ekberg, Helene Chanel and Femi Benussi. It was also released as Blonde Bait for the Murderer and The Blonde Connection.
Violent City is a 1970 crime thriller film directed by Sergio Sollima from a screenplay co-written with Lina Wertmüller, starring Charles Bronson, Jill Ireland, and Telly Savalas. Bronson plays a former hitman framed by a former boss and left for dead. He seeks revenge, but realizes his real enemy may be closer than he thinks. The Italian-French co-production was filmed in New Orleans, the U.S Virgin Islands, and Cinecittà Studios in Rome.
What Have You Done to Solange? is a 1972 giallo film directed by Massimo Dallamano and starring Fabio Testi, Karin Baal, Joachim Fuchsberger, Cristina Galbó, and Camille Keaton. The plot follows a series of violent murders occurring at a Catholic girls' school in London, where a young student has gone missing.
Dirty Weekend is a 1973 Italian comedy film directed by Dino Risi. Described by Roberto Curti as a road movie and crime film, Dirty Weekend adresses the topic of terrorism and violence.
The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave is a 1971 Italian gothic film directed by Emilio Miraglia.
Nada, also titled The Nada Gang in the US, is a 1974 Franco-Italian political thriller film directed by Claude Chabrol, based on the novel of the same name by Jean-Patrick Manchette. It follows an anarchist group which, after kidnapping the United States Ambassador to France, is hunted down by the police, with both sides making use of uninhibited violence.
The Big Racket is a 1976 Italian poliziottesco film directed by Enzo G. Castellari. Fabio Testi stars as a police inspector who takes on a gang of hoodlums who terrorise an Italian city by extorting cash from local shop and bar owners.
Tony Arzenta is a 1973 Italian gangster-action film directed by Duccio Tessari. The film was commercially successful.
Rabid Dogs is an Italian thriller-noir film directed by Mario Bava, starring Riccardo Cucciolla, Don Backy, Lea Lander, Maurice Poli, George Eastman and Erika Dario. Taking place largely in real time, the film follows a trio of payroll robbers who kidnap a young woman and force a man with a sick child to be their getaway driver, all while trying to avoid being caught by the police.
Giubbe rosse / Red Coats is a 1975 Italian adventure film co-written and directed by Joe D'Amato. It is part of a brief series of films that tried to market the commercial success of Lucio Fulci's White Fang presenting very similar plots and settings. D'Amato co-wrote the film with writer/actor George Eastman, who went on to star in a dozen or more D'Amato films.
Gang War in Naples is a 1972 crime film written and directed by Pasquale Squitieri.
Death on the Run, also known as Moving Target, is a 1967 Italian Eurospy film directed by Sergio Corbucci. Filmed in Athens, it was referred as a film directed with "whip-along style and dubious sense of humour".
Go Gorilla Go is a 1975 Italian poliziottesco film directed by Tonino Valerii.
My Dear Killer is a 1972 Italian-Spanish giallo film directed by Tonino Valerii and starring George Hilton, Marilù Tolo, Patty Shepard, Helga Line, Salvo Randone and William Berger. Some critics considered it "one of the best films in the thriller genre" and as "one of the best, most vibrant and well designed products of Italian giallo."
Steffen Zacharias was a German-born Greek American character actor known for his roles in films and television in America and Italy.
