The Tough Ones

"Roma a mano armata" aka "Assault with a Deadly Weapon" might have been done for two reasons : 1. Pure shock value, the producers hoping to bring in more cash.

Recently I had the pleasure of watching both the Italian "Roma a Mano Armata" and the US cut "Assault with a Deadly Weapon." Lenzi's reputation as a filmmaker rests mainly on his Crime films from the mid-to-late '70s for good reason and this is an addictive and fast-paced brilliant piece of that work.

This classic entry in the Italian crime thriller (or "polizia") genre is highlighted by the unforgettable pairing of director Umberto Lenzi and star Maurizio Merli, who combine to make this one of the very best Italo crime films you'll see. This is a perfectly-made movie, well-shot at all times and incredibly fast paced.

If you are not a Finn, you might not fully understand this great movie at first. But don't be alarmed, you will get it eventually!

Well The Though ones or Häjyt as we call it in Finland,is the probably the best Finnish movie that I've seen(maybe because I live in the same town where the movie was shot so there is lot of familiar places,my old school for example!)Well actually there is nothing but drinking booze and fighting in the movie,but that is what Häjyt is all about!!!

Two men out of jail, whose way of life leads them back there again. There is something so sad that we get to observe in the character of these two, they are just your typical high-school bullies, a little older, probably the bullies that they normally grow into.

If you ask me, Umberto Lenzi is the king of Italian crime flicks; the director worked in a lot of different genres, and while he has certainly had a lot of success with Giallo and zombie flicks, it's clear after seeing films such as Free Hand for a Tough Cop and the pinnacle of the genre, Almost Human, that crime flicks are where he is at his best. And when you add the fabulous Tomas Milian into the mix, you're never likely to hit upon a bad example of the genre!

"Rome Armed to the Teeth" actually just confirmed something I already knew, but it was a more than welcome reminder. Umberto Lenzi was a genius (or better, IS a genius as he's still alive only no longer active for obvious reasons) and with this film he delivered another high-speed, adrenalin-rushing, mega-violent, hyper-brutal and ultra-demented Poliziottesco masterpiece!

Sometimes I think that what really takes you into this movies is... the tune.