Dead witnesses don't sing
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Dead witnesses don't sing |
| Original title | La polizia incrimina la legge assolve |
| Country of production | Italy , Spain |
| original language | Italian |
| Publishing year | 1973 |
| length | 93 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 16 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Enzo G. Castellari |
| script |
Tito Carpi Massimo De Rita Enzo G. Castellari |
| music |
Guido De Angelis Maurizio De Angelis |
| camera | Alejandro Ulloa junior |
| cut | Vincenzo Tomassi |
| occupation | |
| |
Dead Witnesses Don't Sing is a Poliziottesco published in 1973 with Franco Nero in the lead roles by the director Enzo G. Castellari . The film is considered one of the best police films and influenced numerous other films significantly.
action
Comissario Belli has learned that the Lebanese drug mafia is spreading in Genoa. After a long chase through Genoa, he manages to arrest a courier. However, the vehicle with the courier is blown up in front of the police headquarters. Belli barely survived this attack. The police are stunned that even in front of their headquarters the mafia does not shrink from bloodbaths. Belli looks for solutions and decides to meet with the aging mafia godfather Cafiero. Cafiero has retired from active crime and warns Belli that new actors would run the local scene. The new gangsters would ruthlessly fight for supremacy.
Belli's superior Scavino has created extensive files on the actors. He is just missing a few details to reveal everything. When he decides to take the files to the prosecutor anyway, he is murdered and the files stolen. Belli manages to find the murderer. The murders were commissioned by Umberto Griva. In order to silence Griva, the Mafia has his brother killed and Belli's daughter murdered. Through a tip from Cafiero, Belli learns that a large drug smuggling is going to take place near Marseille. When the police arrive there, heavy firefights develop. Belli survived the battle with difficulty. The criminals and many police officers perished.
useful information
- The chase in Genoa was filmed on an elevated road.
- Enzo G. Castellari has a cameo as a presenter on a yacht.
criticism
“Excellent: Following the example of Damiano Damiani's ' The clan that walled up its enemies alive ', it is once again about the entanglement of politics, business and organized crime in Italy. The fanatical police superintendent (Franco Nero) blows up a drug ring, but cannot believe the people behind it because they are among the most powerful men in town. Castellari never reaches the directorial quality of Damiani or Francesco Rosi, but his film has an aura of intense desperation that makes some weaknesses forgotten. Especially since the performance of the Bunuel star Fernando Rey remains in the memory, who as a sick Mafia chief comments on the decline of Italy with abysmal serenity. "
“His first masterpiece, the 1972“ Dead Witnesses Don't Sing ”, unfortunately not available in this country, was the first of eleven works with Franco Nero, whom he still calls his best friend. Like many action directors, Castellari was always looking for the perfect leading man: a tough dog with a soft core. During this search he had called in vain at Charles Bronson, who at least allowed himself to be challenged to arm wrestling by Castellari, who was always cheerful for men - a competition from which Castellari emerged victorious. […] At first Nero couldn't do much with the friendly muscle pack Castellari and got rid of him, the jolly Roman seemed a bit ordinary to him. But while working on "Dead Witnesses ...", which was to really kick off the wave of rabid Italian police films, the two gentle machos discovered a kindred spirit. "
“This film shows Enzo G. Castellari at the height of his work. Commissioner Belli's one-man campaign against the Genoese underworld was brilliant. The film impresses with its excellent flashback and slow-motion technology, brilliant music, tough stunts and action as well as the excellent cast list. "
“'Dead Witnesses Don't Sing' lacks the irony of countless later police films 'Cinecittàs' and affords the luxury of a completely serious and dramatic narrative style that combines outstanding craftsmanship with excellent acting. Castellari's brilliant film became an overwhelming success with the public and is rightly considered one of the main founders of the genre. Influences like William Friedkin's 'French Connection' or the Mafia dramas by Francesco Rosi and Damiano Damiani became a rapid sequence of exciting situations and exciting action scenes at Castellari. (...) 'Dead Witnesses Don't Sing' - whose budget was ridiculously low compared to lavish Hollywood productions - also contains one of the greatest car hunts in film history! "
“An exciting, but very tough crime film, which is particularly noticeable due to the precise camera work. The socially critical concept is of course overgrown by sensational effects. "
Web links
- Dead witnesses do not sing in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- The film at Pollanet Squad (Italian)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Film tips. In: Die Zeit , No. 34/1974
- ↑ faz.net Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , October 23, 2008
- ↑ Michael Cholewa, Karsten Thurau: The Terror directs - The Italian gangster and police film . 2nd Edition. 2008, ISBN 978-3-931608-91-0 , p. 200
- ↑ Dead witnesses do not sing. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .