Street Law (1974)

- Il cittadino si ribella
The film's good, but Nero gives an uncharacteristically bad performance, 14 May 2006

What do you do when you've been beaten, robbed, and kidnapped and you don't feel the police are doing enough to find those responsible for the crime? If you're Carlo Antonelli (Franco Nero) you take matters into your own hands and go after the bad guys yourself. This is the basic premise of Enzo Castellari's Street Law. It's an action packed film with enough gun battles, car chases, and bloodshed to make the most ardent of fans happy. Some of the violence may seem a little far fetched, but that only adds to the fun. Castellari certainly has an eye for action sequences and films these scenes with some interesting camera work. The film does drag a bit during some of the more dialogue heavy scenes as Nero delivers another of his endless speeches railing against the police. The supporting cast is good with Giancarlo Prete giving a standout performance. The other name in the cast, Barbara Bach, is so underutilized that I forgot she was in the movie a couple of times.

As hard as this may be to believe, Franco Nero is actually the weak link in Street Law. Some of his reaction shots are ridiculous. Nero's character gets the stuffing beat out of him several times in the film. During these beatings, Nero has a look of complete astonishment on his face as if he didn't realize these baddies were going to beat him up if he kept interfering with them. This is just one example, but Nero needlessly overacts in several other scenes throughout the film. I don't know if it was Nero's fault or if Castellari is to blame, but it hurts the film.

7/10