High Crime (1973)
Castellari is very reliable in delivering entertaining spectacle. It is not as bonkers as The Big Racket, but equally brutal and more personal. In many ways this feels like the poliziotteschi that most resembles a spaghetti western. That Franco Nero plays the lead is obviously a factor, but he also takes center stage for the personal focal point of the film. There is an overly complicated plot with gangsters in town who Nero is trying to take down, but the real story is with his internal conflict with duty over his family. What he has to sacrifice and what the ultimate price will be, leading to deadly revenge. I think Nero handles that part very well, though it will be a stretch to say this is a film with great dramatic depth. It is with the style and execution it shines. From the adrenaline inducing stunts, car chases and shootouts, the creative editing with flashbacks and fast cuts, the cool score and gritty locations.
Rating: 3.5