Instead of going by the book, the death of his wife leads Vanni to give out unlicensed. One cop, Inspector Vanni (Marcel Bozzuffi, The French Connection, Contraband) has had enough. Il Marsigliese 'The Black Angel' has been killing people left and right in Turin. It goes without saying that the various action bits – shoot-outs, car chases, you name it – are second to none and miles ahead of most of what Hollywood churns out today. Although the way, the haunted Carole Andre gets caught between cops and bad guys, and Ivan Rassimov once again tackles the role of criminal mastermind. He sets up a special squad, all armed with powerful handguns and motorbikes, to track down and take out the criminals, but of course it doesn't go according to plan. The essential story involves Marcel Bozzuffi (THE FRENCH CONNECTION) playing a tough Inspector with a personal vendetta against a criminal gang. Massimo Dallamano's camera never sits still for a second in depicting a kinetic struggle between criminals and the police. There are robberies, kidnappings, assassinations, terrorism and even a bombing campaign, all delivered in a typically gutsy, as-it-is kind of way, free of sentimentality, the focus on the realism. That's because it tells a complex, action-packed story at speed, never slowing down for a second.

Although this film doesn't boast any roles for big Hollywood names or familiar genre fans, it proves to be distinctly above average.

It's a film which exemplifies the best of a genre that's still hidden from most film fans today, who are missing out on the delights of Maurizio Merli and his contemporaries beating the hell out of criminal scum. COLT 38 SPECIAL SQUAD is a typical example of the Italian polizia flick, so if you're wondering what a Dirty Harry-inspired police film from the '70s looks like, then look no further than this.

Halt right there criminal scum