Highway Racer
Poliziotteschi • Action, Crime, Drama
1977 • Italy • Directed by Stelvio Massi
Devil-may-care driving ace Marco Palma (Maurizio Merli, Violent City) of the Rome police’s Mobile Squad has a reputation for risk-taking – making him the perfect candidate for an undercover op to take down “Il Nizzardo” (Angelo Infanti, The Godfather), a fellow hotrodder and the ringleader of a band of bank robbers. Posing as a crook himself, Palma soon inveigles his way into Il Nizzardo’s group. But with only his wits and a souped-up Ferrari 250 GTE sports car to rely on, can Palma fly under the radar long enough to take down his nemesis, or will the ruthless gangster sniff him out and put paid to his daredevil antics once and for all? Loosely inspired by the exploits of real-life police driving ace Armando Spatafora, this action-packed thriller kickstarted a highly successful partnership between star Merli and veteran poliziotteschi director Stelvio Massi (Magnum Cop). Featuring a catchy score by maestro Stelvio Cipriani (Colt 38 Special Squad) and daring, high-octane driving stunts by regular Bond stunt coordinator Rémy Julienne, Highway Racer is one of the most adrenaline-pumping entries in the genre.
Up Next in Poliziotteschi
-
Colt 38 Special Squad
1976 • Italy • Directed by Massimo Dallamano
The city of Turin is in the grip of a brutal crime boss known as “the Marseillaise” (Ivan Rassimov, Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key), and plenty of cops have good reason to want him dead – none more than Inspector Vanni (Marcel Boz...
-
The Heroin Busters
1977 • Italy • Directed by Enzo G. Castellari
Over a long and wide-ranging career, director Enzo G. Castellari (Keoma, The Inglorious Bastards) helmed some of the most infamous of all the poliziotteschi - the gritty, action-packed crime films that proliferated in Italy throughout the 70s. In 19...
-
Like Rabid Dogs
1976 • Italy • Directed by Mario Imperoli
Three wealthy youths – ringleader Tony (Cesare Barro, Violence for Kicks) and his friends Rico (Luis La Torre, Evil Eye) and Silvia (Annarita Grapputo, Magnum Cop) – get their kicks from committing a series of random thefts and murders. Commissario Muzi ...