"Uomini Si Nasce Poliziotti Si Muore" ("Live Like A Cop, Die Like a Man") of 1976 comes from two of the most brilliant minds in Italian Exploitation/Cult-Cinema. Written by Fernando Di Leo, whose brilliant Milieu-Trilogy ("Milano Calibro 9" of 1972, "La Mala Ordina" of 1972, and "Il Boss" of 1973) ranges among the greatest achievements crime-cinema has ever brought forth, and directed by Ruggero Deodato, whose gruesome 1980 masterpiece "Cannibal Holocaust" is one of the grittiest, most controversial and most brilliant Exploitation films of all-time, this film raises high expectation with Italian crime fans. These high expectations make it even more disappointing that this film is actually one of the least entertaining Poliziotteschi out there. In spite of a well-known cast - Ray Lovelock ("Almost Human", "Violent Rome", "Autopsy", "Living Dead at Manchester Morgue",...) and Marc Porel ("Don't Torture A Duckling", "Seven Notes in Black") in the leads, Adolfo Celi ("Diabolik", "Thunderball") and Marino Masé ("The Red Queen Kills 7 Times", "Il Boss") in supporting roles and the sexy sisters Silvia and Sofia Dionisio in the female support - this flick has little to offer.
Porel and Lovelock play Fred and Tony, two special forces policemen whose unorthodox methods include executing criminals on the spot and blowing up cars and illegal casinos... I am a huge fan of the 'unorthodox cop' premise and the politically incorrect messages of Italian 70s Poliziotteschi in general. Cops like those played by Henry Silva in Umberto Lenzi's masterpiece "Milano Odia: La Polizia Non Può Sparare" ("Almost Human", 1974), or Maurizio Merli (in any of his Police flicks) would relentlessly bend the law and treat criminals brutally, but at least the sadistic thugs in these films had it coming. Murdering wounded criminals for stealing handbags, as Fred and Tony do here, seems a little extreme, even for unorthodox Poliziotteschi standards. Generally, the two protagonists are total dirtbags whose deeds are actually a lot worse than those of the criminals they pursue. Besides that, they are cocky and annoying, and constantly crack painful jokes. Are we supposed to sympathize with these scumbags? The two sleazy and sadistic protagonists are actually what makes this worth watching, however, as it is astonishing how these guys can be portrayed as heroes. The film has several terrific action sequences, and is furthermore worth watching for several ultra-violent outbursts. However, the story is incoherent and uninteresting, and the lack of a truly evil villain makes the whole thing seem pointless. The score is very below par and unmemorable for genre-standards (usually, Italian 70s Crime flicks are known for their great scores). Overall, there's a lot better to watch in Italian Cime cinema, such as Di Leo's brilliant trilogy, any film by Umberto Lenzi (especially "Milano Odia..." and "Roma A Mano Armata"), any film by Damiano Damiani, or Enzo Castellari's "Il Grande Racket", just to mention a few highlights. "Uomini Si Nasce..." may be seen for its grit and violence, but can easily be skipped.
Porel and Lovelock play Fred and Tony, two special forces policemen whose unorthodox methods include executing criminals on the spot and blowing up cars and illegal casinos... I am a huge fan of the 'unorthodox cop' premise and the politically incorrect messages of Italian 70s Poliziotteschi in general. Cops like those played by Henry Silva in Umberto Lenzi's masterpiece "Milano Odia: La Polizia Non Può Sparare" ("Almost Human", 1974), or Maurizio Merli (in any of his Police flicks) would relentlessly bend the law and treat criminals brutally, but at least the sadistic thugs in these films had it coming. Murdering wounded criminals for stealing handbags, as Fred and Tony do here, seems a little extreme, even for unorthodox Poliziotteschi standards. Generally, the two protagonists are total dirtbags whose deeds are actually a lot worse than those of the criminals they pursue. Besides that, they are cocky and annoying, and constantly crack painful jokes. Are we supposed to sympathize with these scumbags? The two sleazy and sadistic protagonists are actually what makes this worth watching, however, as it is astonishing how these guys can be portrayed as heroes. The film has several terrific action sequences, and is furthermore worth watching for several ultra-violent outbursts. However, the story is incoherent and uninteresting, and the lack of a truly evil villain makes the whole thing seem pointless. The score is very below par and unmemorable for genre-standards (usually, Italian 70s Crime flicks are known for their great scores). Overall, there's a lot better to watch in Italian Cime cinema, such as Di Leo's brilliant trilogy, any film by Umberto Lenzi (especially "Milano Odia..." and "Roma A Mano Armata"), any film by Damiano Damiani, or Enzo Castellari's "Il Grande Racket", just to mention a few highlights. "Uomini Si Nasce..." may be seen for its grit and violence, but can easily be skipped.