Mini-Review: Almost Human (1974)

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Dir. Umberto Lenzi

Italy

Giulio Sacchi (Tomas Milian) is the lowest form of parasite – trigger happy, no qualms about killing anyone for the sake of it, manipulative, and only driven by money and sex. With a duo of petty hoods who have actual humanity helping him, he decides to kidnap the daughter of a business man for a ransom. Leaving a trial of dead bodies behind him, Inspector Grandi (Henry Silva) is the policeman who wants the perpetrator preferably dead. Another of the Italian poliziotteschi crime films I’ve seen after starting to delve into them within the last five months or more, Milan and Silva do create a presence when they are onscreen that has a power to it and makes the film watchable. Unfortunately, and it hasn’t helped that this film has been praised to high heavens by genre fans before viewing it, this will be a ridiculously short review even by the standards of a mini-review. Umberto Lenzi is all about the violence and sex, but for me is unwilling to make a film that actually stands out and pushes itself. I have not liked the horror films I’ve seen of his, and while I am willing to give him many more chances, especially since I want to watch as much Italian cinema as I can, I found this just as dull as those films but only marginally better. Even Ennio Morricone’s score, while solidly made, really doesn’t stand out on this first viewing. Almost Human is a very well regarded film in this sub-genre of Italian crime films, making this review controversial, but I am weary of films that are just about nudity, violence and car chases when I’ve seen others like this that are more creative, more intense or more amusing in even their failings. It cannot hold a candle to something like Enzo G. Castellari’s morally grey, prog rock drenched polizia film Street Law (1974) with Franco Nero and just comes off as a generic kidnap movie.

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