Independent label Fractured Visions have been doing a great job of shining a light on lesser-known corners of Italian filone cinema recently, so it was my pleasure to be a part of their latest release: Il trucido e lo sbirro / Free Hand for a Tough Cop (Umberto Lenzi, 1976). I wrote a new essay - "Uno specialista in tutti i generi: the Crime Films of Umberto Lenzi" - for the booklet.
From the notorious Umberto Lenzi (Nightmare City) comes Free Hand For A Tough Cop, the film that introduced Tomas Milian’s legendary ‘Monnezza’ (A.K.A Garbage Can) to audiences around the world. When the critically ill daughter of a prominent family is kidnapped by a ruthless band of thugs, Inspector Sarti (Claudio Cassinelli, Suspected Death Of A Minor) is forced to bend the rules and oversees the prison break of Sergio 'Monnezza' Marazzi (Tomas Milian, Brothers Till We Die), a lowlife criminal with deep roots in the criminal underworld. The unlikely duo team-up in hopes of retrieving the girl and catching the infamous Brescianelli (Henry Silva, Almost Human), the crime boss behind the kidnapping, before time runs out.
Finally making its UK debut, Fractured Visions is proud to present Free Hand For A Tough Cop, a much-loved Euro Crime classic that spawned other genre staples like Umberto Lenzi’s Brothers Till We Die and Stelvio Massi’s Destruction Force. It all started here!
LIMITED EDITION OF 3,000
Collector’s Edition Slipcase
6 Art Cards
Special Collector’s Booklet with new writing by Austin Fisher, Francesco Massaccesi & text interview with Umberto Lenzi by Eugenio Ercolani
SPECIAL FEATURES
2K Restoration from the Original Camera Negative
Original Italian Mono Audio with newly translated English subtitles
English Mono Audio
Cops and Robbers: An Interview with Nino Celeste
No Small Roles: An Interview with Corrado Solari
Producing Mayhem: An Interview with Ugo Tucci
Portrait of a Daughter: An Interview with Alessandra Lenzi
Audio Commentary with Eurocrime producer Mike Martinez
Audio Commentary with Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson
Trailer
