Italy was an extremely dangerous place in the ’70s. Terrorists, kidnappers and robbers turned the street of the major cities into death traps. People who used to go out to eat at sidewalk seating stayed home for fear of getting hit by a stray bullet. Italians feared nothing was being done to keep them safe. The Italian cinema did its best to inspire a wave of police that weren’t afraid of the underworld. Mad Dog Killer captured the criminal insanity and the good cop who wanted to stop them when it was released in 1977.
Nani Vitali (The Garden of the Finzi-Continis‘ Helmut Berger) and a few fellow prisoners make a brazen daylight escape from prison. They are not keeping a low profile. When they pull their getaway car into the gas station, they beat up the attendant. They “swap” their car and leave a gift for their victims in the backseat. Nani has an immediate revenge planned instead of splitting Italy. He tracks down and abducts Barbareschi, the person that ratted him out to the cops. Barbareschi’s girlfriend Giuliana (Danger: Diabolik‘s Marisa Mell) gets dragged along. Barbeschi is beaten by the thugs while Nani has his way with her. She ultimately watches her man get murdered. Her nightmare isn’t over as Nani has plans to involve her including a major robbery. He also hooks up with her again as if he’s her new boyfriend. Her only hope is Commissioner Giulio Santini (His Name Was King‘s Richard Harrison). The cop suspects she knows more when visiting her apartment to ask questions about Barbareschi. She’s reluctant since Nani is lurking. Can Santini be enough protection to make her give up Nani?
Mad Dog Killer (Italian title: La belva col mitra) has what you’d want from a cop versus killer flick. Harrison has a first-class cop mustache. He looks authoritative even when his plan doesn’t proceed as expected. Helmut Berger keeps this film going at a high-octane pace. He plays Nani as a dangerous guy with a sadistic streak. When he’s not killing or torturing his victims, you’re expecting him to do it. He’s relentless on the screen. Marisa Mell has a right to be afraid even when the Santini swears she’s being protected. There is no protection from Nani as long as he’s on the loose.
The movie was the final directorial effort by Sergio Grieco. He’d been making films from the ’50s in Italy. His over three dozen titles went from pirate swashbucklers to nunsploitation. His final screen crediting was co-writing the script for Enzo G. Castellari’s Inglorious Bastards. Tarantino used the title. Grieco had crossed into a Taratino’s film earlier. Robert De Niro and Bridget Fonda are watching Mad Dog Killer on TV in Jackie Brown. Now you can watch it at home, too.
The Video is 2.35:1 anamorphic. The transfer isn’t too great with a low resolution and washed-out color. The DVD is inexpensively priced so it’s good if you’re in the mood to enjoy some sleezy Italian cinema. The Audio is Dolby Digital 2.0. There’s only the English dub track on the disc. No subtitles.
Trailer (1:38) for Spider Baby.
Cheezy Flicks presents Mad Dog Killer. Directed by Sergio Grieco. Screenplay by Sergio Grieco. Starring Helmut Berger, Richard Harrison, Marisa Mell, Marina Giordana, Luigi Bonos & Ezio Marano. Rating: Unated. Running Time: 95 minutes. Release Date: January 16, 2024.
