SILENT ACTION is a solid Italian crime film from director Sergio Martino, a man best known for making a series of stylish gialli during the 1970s. In fact, Martino was a man of many talents, just as happy making action and horror pictures as he was thrillers, and this is another string to his bow. It's not one of the best Italian crime films out there, but it's a perfectly acceptable piece of entertainment with an interesting story.
The star of the piece is Luc Merenda playing a detective doggedly on the tail of a gang of conspirators responsible for murdering a string of high-level officials. Merenda played roles like this loads of times and was always an asset to a movie, although not perhaps as energetic as others like Fabio Testi or Maurizio Merli. The opening string of murders is graphically portrayed and a real eye-opener, particularly the staged train suicide.
The film's pacing is occasionally a little slow and there are extraneous elements, like Delia Boccardo's pointless love interest. However, for the most part this is well-directed and never less than interesting. Mel Ferrer pops up in a role as a district attorney while Italian film star Tomas Milian is unrecognisable as another police captain. The plot veers and twists all over the place, ending in a downbeat but unsurprising fashion, and there are a couple of neat action scenes and vehicle chases added to the mix.
The star of the piece is Luc Merenda playing a detective doggedly on the tail of a gang of conspirators responsible for murdering a string of high-level officials. Merenda played roles like this loads of times and was always an asset to a movie, although not perhaps as energetic as others like Fabio Testi or Maurizio Merli. The opening string of murders is graphically portrayed and a real eye-opener, particularly the staged train suicide.
The film's pacing is occasionally a little slow and there are extraneous elements, like Delia Boccardo's pointless love interest. However, for the most part this is well-directed and never less than interesting. Mel Ferrer pops up in a role as a district attorney while Italian film star Tomas Milian is unrecognisable as another police captain. The plot veers and twists all over the place, ending in a downbeat but unsurprising fashion, and there are a couple of neat action scenes and vehicle chases added to the mix.