Ah, M. M. Tarantini ... This man, who's not to be confused with the obviously much less talented American director whose name ends with an "o", perhaps wasn't the greatest or most prolific director of his Italian generation, but I have yet to see a film of his that disappoints me! "Massacre in Dinosaur Valley" and "Women in Fury" are tremendously entertaining exploitation schlock-movies from the 80s, and with "Poliziotti Violenti" from 1976 he also proved himself more than capable of making solid & action-packed euro-crime thrillers. "Napoli Si Ribella" is also a very worthwhile "Poliziotesschi" for the fans of this wondrous sub-genre to seek out, although admittedly it's less spectacular and extreme than the contemporary efforts by fellow directors like Umberto Lenzi or Stelvio Massi (and usually starring Maurizio Merli)
For starters, I refuse to use the commercially promoted title "A Man Called Magnum". Luc Merenda's protagonist character is named Mauri, and everyone in the film also addresses him as Mauri. Nobody calls him Magnum. Mauri is a highly respected police commissioner from Milan who travels to Napoli with the mission to rid the city of drug cartels, gang wars, and the brutal mafia executions that put innocent civilians at risk. Mauri takes his job very seriously and finds an unexpected ally in the big Don's 10-year-old daughter who sends drawings to the police station, revealing details of the clan's upcoming crimes.
"Napoli Si Rebella" features several strongpoints, including the ingenious plot detail of the little girl's drawings, a few exciting car chases and shoutouts, and a terrifically loathsome and utmost evil henchman character who goes by the street name "Dogheart". You know the type, he's the guy who does all the dirty work for the distinguished gangsters that never leave their lair, and who has zero moral values or job restrictions. As depicted by the stoic Adolfo Lastretti, "Dogheart" is as relentless as Italian gangsters come.
The movie has its weaknesses too, obviously. Although an excellent and charismatic actor - and a true icon of Poliziotesschi to boot - Luc Merenda's role is somewhat disappointing. He's a good cop, but not the borderline obsessive or wildly unorthodox cop that we have grown to expect. He doesn't drink, upset his superiors, sleep with female informants, shoot criminals on sight, or wrecks half the city when chasing the bad guys. How boring. All the other Poliziotesschi trademarks (soundtrack, nudity, comic relief, rough editing, explosions, ...) are there as well, but not as prominent as in other titles.
