In the worldwide acclaimed school of Italian Poliziotesschi, "Meet Him and Die" is what we would evaluate as a student with great potential but also one who's in need of guidance and supervision. The expectations towards the essence of what this great genre is all about - hardcore violence and unorthodox stunt work - are definitely fulfilled, but many aspects of the plot will make frown with disbelief.
The set-up of this film instantly reminded me of Enzo G. Castellari's "The Heroin Busters", which stars Fabio Testi and was released in 1977; a year after this one. The two would form a neat double-bill. For both films, literally all information sources (reviews, articles, and even the plot synopsis on the back of the DVD-cover) blatantly reveal that the lead protagonists are tough cops working undercover, but in neither of the two films you're supposed to know this straight from the start! Admittedly, it's a lot less infuriating in "Meet Him and Die" than in "The Heroin Busters". In the latter, Castellari puts far more effort into making Testi come across as a credibly streetwise and arrogant smuggler/pusher, and his secret get-togethers with the Interpol officer in charge are ingeniously staged. In "Meet Him and Die", Ray Lovelock's cover as an inexperienced thug clumsily messing up the armed robbery of a jewelry store in a crowded city center is less misleading, but it was nevertheless meant to look authentic. I can only repeat the golden rule: read as many reviews as you want after the film but go into the viewing as uninformed as possible!
I hinted at the main weakness in the script already, namely the poor and implausible handling of the working undercover routine. In the real gangster world out there, hunky copper Massimo Torlani wouldn't have the slightest chance at survival. After being put in a cell with the henchman of his main target Giulianelli, he acts laughably reckless and far too eager to be included in the circle of trust. He meets with his "lawyer" in prison, the escape goes suspiciously fluent, and he disappears for private appointments without there any questions asked. Torlani doesn't even change his real name for the operation, which leads to narrowly getting unmasked when a random policeman banally recognizes him on the street. Torlani also breaks the number one rule of undercover operations: personal vengeance is not allowed as motivation to partake.
But enough with the criticism and pointing out flaws, because "Meet Him and Die" is also awesomely entertaining! The chases easily rank among the best I have witnessed in this genre, and that quite means something! The car chases in the city center leads to massive destruction and collateral damage, and the chase between a truck and a motorcycle is truly exhilarating. The guy on the bike (supposedly Lovelock, but for certain a stuntman) makes a nasty fall that easily could have ended in death. The fall simply couldn't have been the plan, but you the Italians: "let's put it in the movie!". There are also several mean-spirited and explicit shootings, like straight in the face! The climax is a letdown, and both Martin Balsam and Elke Sommer are underused. For Sommer it was her only venture into the world of Poliziotesschi, so she deserved a slightly more extended role. However, she does put her gorgeous body on display.
The set-up of this film instantly reminded me of Enzo G. Castellari's "The Heroin Busters", which stars Fabio Testi and was released in 1977; a year after this one. The two would form a neat double-bill. For both films, literally all information sources (reviews, articles, and even the plot synopsis on the back of the DVD-cover) blatantly reveal that the lead protagonists are tough cops working undercover, but in neither of the two films you're supposed to know this straight from the start! Admittedly, it's a lot less infuriating in "Meet Him and Die" than in "The Heroin Busters". In the latter, Castellari puts far more effort into making Testi come across as a credibly streetwise and arrogant smuggler/pusher, and his secret get-togethers with the Interpol officer in charge are ingeniously staged. In "Meet Him and Die", Ray Lovelock's cover as an inexperienced thug clumsily messing up the armed robbery of a jewelry store in a crowded city center is less misleading, but it was nevertheless meant to look authentic. I can only repeat the golden rule: read as many reviews as you want after the film but go into the viewing as uninformed as possible!
I hinted at the main weakness in the script already, namely the poor and implausible handling of the working undercover routine. In the real gangster world out there, hunky copper Massimo Torlani wouldn't have the slightest chance at survival. After being put in a cell with the henchman of his main target Giulianelli, he acts laughably reckless and far too eager to be included in the circle of trust. He meets with his "lawyer" in prison, the escape goes suspiciously fluent, and he disappears for private appointments without there any questions asked. Torlani doesn't even change his real name for the operation, which leads to narrowly getting unmasked when a random policeman banally recognizes him on the street. Torlani also breaks the number one rule of undercover operations: personal vengeance is not allowed as motivation to partake.
But enough with the criticism and pointing out flaws, because "Meet Him and Die" is also awesomely entertaining! The chases easily rank among the best I have witnessed in this genre, and that quite means something! The car chases in the city center leads to massive destruction and collateral damage, and the chase between a truck and a motorcycle is truly exhilarating. The guy on the bike (supposedly Lovelock, but for certain a stuntman) makes a nasty fall that easily could have ended in death. The fall simply couldn't have been the plan, but you the Italians: "let's put it in the movie!". There are also several mean-spirited and explicit shootings, like straight in the face! The climax is a letdown, and both Martin Balsam and Elke Sommer are underused. For Sommer it was her only venture into the world of Poliziotesschi, so she deserved a slightly more extended role. However, she does put her gorgeous body on display.