When it comes to nasty violence in movies, you can't beat the 1970s, and if you're looking for that '70s brand of brutal action, you won't find anything better than "The Big Racket". There is certainly a lack of morality evident in the voyeur mentality of the makers, but on the other hand, there is also no attempt to shy away or hide from the very real consequences of both violent criminal and vigilante actions. The story moves up through the gears, showing each stage in the escalation of violence, as the frustrated police protagonist tries everything legal, semi legal and illegal to stop the villains, before finally going rogue. When the "diddly" finally hits the fan, Fabio Testi and his crew of vengeful victims show the "baskets" whose boss, but everyone pays a heavy price along the road to perdition. To quote Harrison Ford's character in the movie Presumed innocent, "there may not be justice but there is punishment". Clint Eastwood and Charles Bronson can't touch this.
Review of The Big Racket
