Da Corleone a Brooklyn

Umberto Lenzi made some of the best Italian crime thrillers of the seventies. Unfortunately, however, this late entry doesn't rank up alongside his best efforts; but even so, From Corleone to Brooklyn is a breezy and entertaining little thriller that is sure to be appreciated by fans of this genre. The film that had the biggest influence on the Eurocrime genre is most definitely Don Siegal's masterpiece Dirty Harry; but the genre went on to take in elements from many different films; and it would seem that the main influence for this film is the 1977 Clint Eastwood thriller 'The Gauntlet'. As usual, the plot focuses on organised crime in Italy. Maurizio Merli takes up a familiar role as Commissioner Berni (no relation to the better known Commissioner Betti, I think); a cop who puts his life on the line to transport a witness from Corleone to New York City in order to testify against a mob boss on trial for murder. Along the way, Berni and his prisoner face a series of traps set up by the Mafia.

Maurizio Merli may be more than a little bit one-note; but he plays that one note so well that it's difficult to complain. He really does sleepwalk through the film; but it doesn't matter too much because this is still a very entertaining performance from the Eurocrime veteran. Merli is joined by the distinctive Biagio Pelligra and the pair has good chemistry together as they make the perilous journey from Italy to the USA. At just under ninety minutes; the film does feel rather short, however, and I have to say that it's the pacing that really lets it down. The build up to the central plot takes rather a long time and becomes a little tedious. Once we get into the main plot, things start to become a bit more exciting; but most of the film focuses on Italy, and by the time we get to the USA; there's not a great deal of time left. Still, the film is populated with gun fights and car chases and it never gets boring long enough to become really dull. The ending is rather good and there's a nice little sting in the tail. Overall, I wouldn't quite class this film as a 'must see', but it's certainly worth a look and Eurocrime fans will want to track it down.