Blood, Sweat and Fear (1975)

Wonderful Movie

Excellent adaptation.

Absolutely the worst movie.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

This is the first 'Mark' film involving Franco Gasperri as the tall, cold narcotics detective out to bring down a drug smuggling operation in Milan. Mark is a kindly detective, I think, as he tries to dissuade a young rookie from joining the narcotics division and takes a poor young junky girl under his wing to help her recover.What Mark is really all about is the taking down of dodgy businessman Benzi (Lee Cobb, who thankfully provides a nice performance to contract with Gasperri's robotic acting style). Mark knows Benzi is pushing heroin in Milan but doesn't quite know how he's doing it, while Mark's stupid boss continues to insist that Benzi is as clean as a gay guy's flat. With his bumbling sidekick in tow, Mark sets off to get to the bottom of the case.Of course, the plot has to go round the houses a bit so there's some recently released German guy who is employed as muscle for Benzi, a sinister businessman-type who follows everyone around, and a getaway driver/drug courier that Mark keeps bumping into. On their third encounter Mark is giving this guy the beatdown when a priest beats Mark, causing Mark to shout "I'm a cop! You should have checked first you stupid prick! F**k off!"There's a few standout scenes before the film turns dark in the last third and we get to the usual warhouse shootout- You've got Mark jumping out of a car and chasing an ambulance on foot, and you've also got Mark casually stepping out of the way of a car travelling along the street on its roof. Stelvio Massi once again stands out with his cinematography, which just suits this stuff like a...suit.

For starters, this is probably the only Poliziotesschi/Euro-crime thriller of which the title in English sounds cooler than the original Italian one! Usually the lengthy and almost poetic sounding original titles are abruptly altered with catchy sounding English words or superlatives (one of the aka's here is actually "Blood, Sweat and Fear"), but the most commonly used title is "Mark the Narc" and that pretty much suits the film perfectly. Secondly, and speaking as a die-hard fan of the Euro-crime sub genre, I don't understand why "Mark the Narc" isn't more regarded as a modest classic or at least more frequently mentioned by fellow admirers of the genre! Perhaps it's because other master-directors like Umberto Lenzi and Fernando Di Leo were simultaneously unleashing numerous Poliziotesschi classics that were grittier and much more violent than this one, or perhaps it's simply because writer/director Stelvio Massi stubbornly opted to cast the unconventional Franco Gasparri rather than the familiar genre icon Maurizio Merli. Fact remains, however, that "Mark the Narc" is a more than solid, suspenseful and straightforward Poliziotesschi with memorable stunt work, competent acting performances and a fantastic soundtrack (courtesy of the almighty Stelvio Cipriani). The plot is formulaic, but we honestly don't expect or even desire it to be different in this genre! Mark Terzi is an honorable young police commissioner on a dedicated mission to cleanse the streets of his beloved Milan and get rid of all the filthy drug-related crimes and trafficking. Mark knows that the wealthy businessman Benzi is heading all the criminal networks in town but, as usual with this type of jerks, he is a well-respected citizen and enjoys the protection from all prominent politicians. In order to bring him down at last, Mark is forced to take out all of Benzi's henchmen and adjuncts, including relentless murderers and corrupt fellow police officers, and by doing so he doesn't only put his own life at risk but also that of important witnesses. As much as I also love Umberto Lenzi's outrageous Poliziotesschi-thrillers ("Violent Naples", "Almost Human"), the emphasis here clearly lies more on plot and character development rather than on cruel violence and randomly shooting as many innocent bystanders as possible. Several sequences in "Mark the Narc" are integer and stylish, like the relationship Mark develops with the heroine-addicted girl or the genuine grief he experiences after what happens to his partner. In Lenzi's films, aspects like these are merely footnotes and are preferably replaced by another virulent car chase. Don't be too alarmed, though, as "Mark the Narc" definitely does contain loads of blood-pumping action and nasty executions (the truck!). One supportive character in particular is responsible for a few notable moments of sadistic violence, namely the stone-cold and merciless killer named Grüber. It's a genuine mystery to me why the actor portraying him – Carlo Duran – never appeared in other Eurocrime thrillers, as his appearance is naturally intimidating and pure evil. Franco Gasparri is terrific in his protagonist role as well, and the mandatory American import-star Lee J. Cobb is very professional as the despicable lead villain. I urge all my fellow Poliziotesschi lovers to give "Mark the Narc" a proper chance. Even if you've seen all the classics and some of the more obscure hidden gems, this exemplary Eurocrime thriller is likely to still enchant and entertain you! As the ultimate proof of Italian craftsmanship, two sequels were released in a span of barely one and a half year. I'd really like to watch them as well, but so far I haven't been successful in tracking them down.

Bit of a disappointment this and its a shame because it looks so good and with such a good score by Stelvio Cipriani it sounds good too. Franco Gasparri is charismatic and effective in the lead role and the dialogue is good and snappy. Its just that there could have been a bit more going on, a bit more action or involving background. The bad guys led by Lee J Cobb are a mixed bunch and do not really convince and Sara Sperati as the non love interest is a waste of space. I think all the emphasis upon her drug addiction is because we are supposed to get involved here and feel sorry for the girl, unfortunately we don't. So all left to Gasparri and its asking far too much. With so many bad guys about the place we could have had a bit more action, rather than chat and visits to the race track.

The first in Stelvio Massi's gloriously rumbustious Mark Trilogy. The cool and svelte Franco Gasparri makes for an engaging lead; while he lacks the brutish machismo of the legendary Maurizio Merli, he still cuts a handsome dash as the crusading maverick copper with a penchant for wayfarer sunglasses and high caliber weaponry; which he uses most expertly against a multifarious gallery of hideous criminality. Lee J. Cobb does his mean ol' guy routine and Stelvio Cipriani unleashes one of his most funky scores. 'The Narc' (aka) 'Mark il Poliziotto is a euro crime classic, proving yet again that Stelvio Massi remains one of the finest practitioners of this most exhilarating of genres.