Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

Organnall Too much about the plot just didn't add up, the writing was bad, some of the scenes were cringey and awkward,

Ogosmith Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Bessie Smyth Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

JasparLamarCrabb A hard boiled thriller that shoots itself in the foot by being far too hyperactive to be either cohesive or very satisfying. For the film's first quarter or so, director Carlo Lizzani pulls together what is essentially a docudrama on the crime wave hitting Milan in the mid to late 1960s. By the time the bandits (led by Gian Maria Volonté) appear, the viewer has already been assaulted by a blitz of sordid images ranging from riots to shootings to prostitution stings. Edited in such a high pitched staccato way, the film leaves one exhausted and, frankly, bored BEFORE the film proper even begins. Nevertheless, the acting is very good with Volonté giving an excellent performance as a degenerate crook passing himself off as morally high and mighty (the type of role Volonté mastered during his career...see INVESTIGATION OF A CITIZEN ABOVE SUSPICION or SLAP THE MONSTER ON PAGE ONE). Tomas Milian is the police commissioner and Carla Gravina, María Rosa Sclauzero (as Volonté secretary) and Ray Lovelock are in it too.

cjfoulke This is an entertaining Italian crime drama from 1968 starring the excellent Gian Maria Volonte (bad guy in A Fistful Of Dollars and For A Few Dollars More) as the intelligent and increasingly hubristic leader of a gang of bank-robbers. The first ten minutes are pretty misleading, making it appear like this is going to be a light, even campy affair more in line with Mario Bava's Danger: Diabolik! than the serious crime drama it turns out to be. But once the gang's driver is rescued from an angry mob and interrogated by Tomas Milian we get down to business. This overlooked little Italian gem does a number of firsts from what I can tell and anyone who knows better is free to correct me. First, is the use of pop music throughout the film. It has instrumental tracks but the pop tunes are fairly ubiquitous in a way they were not in any other crime movie from that time or before. Secondly, there is the realistic planning and casing for one of the robberies, not the amusing fantasy plotting of the Italian Job, Topkapi, or Ocean's 11. Thirdly, there is a full speed, bullet flying car chase through the urban environment of Milan without any use of back screen, sped up film, or any other tricks still prevalent in Hollywood films from the period. It's all fast driving and editing. Last but definitely not least is the gritty cinema verite photography that is stamped all over later films like The French Connection and The Seven Ups. Having watched this, it's pretty obvious to me that the young film school turks like William Friedkin and Martin Scorcese (a self-admitted Italian film fanatic and preservationist) saw this movie when it was first released in the U.S. That makes Bandits In Milan a.k.a. The Violent Four a must see for film and 1970's crime drama buffs. I found it at Netflix but only for streaming which was unfortunate as I had to watch it on my laptop. Still glad I did.

R C Viewers expecting conventional gangster shenanigans may find themselves bewildered by this frenetic, postmodern, documentary-styled study of four bank robbers terrorizing Milan. Graced with wit, wild violence, flashes of pop art sensibility, and wonderful music from Riz Ortolani, Bandits in Milan is a unique experience within the crime genre.Scene-eating star Gian Maria Volonte puts in a high energy madman performance as the leader of the gang of bandits, grinning and simpering megalomaniacally throughout (and particularly evil-sounding in the German-dubbed version, Die Banditen von Mailand). A young and innocent-looking Ray Lovelock (billed as "Raymond") also appears to good effect, as does low-key Tomas Milian as the ironic police commissioner.Artful and briskly paced, Bandits in Milan is a lot to absorb (particularly if, like me, you're reading subtitles) and merits multiple viewings. Devotees of art films and action alike are advised to give it at least one shot.

django-1 First of all, my review is of the English-dubbed version of this film, released briefly in the US by Paramount. I have a feeling that some of the subtleties of the Italian original were lost, especially in some of the initial scenes where Tomas Milian's character is being interviewed by a journalist. This film is quite in demand, due to it being directed by the legendary Carlo "Crazy Joe" Lizzani, and the action scenes are handled well as one would expect (the scene where the robbers, under the leadership of Gian Maria Volonte, shoot at civilians to get Milian's police to stop chasing them was truly shocking), but I would not put this in the top tier of Italian crime films, although it should get some bonus points for predating the classic wave of 70s Italian crime films. Those expecting an over-the-top Milian performance will be let down, as he is given "guest star" billing, and he is basically in the handsome leading man mold here, puffing a cigarette through a cigarette holder and looking in charge, but Volonte is the real star here, as well as the young Ray Lovelock, who does a great job as a teen with a taste for "success" who allows himself to be sucked into the world of crime. Margaret Lee's role is not major, and those expecting a meaty role from this great seductress will also be let down. I see that this film received a number of awards upon its release--it must have lost something in the dubbing, as it's competent and has interesting elements, but is nowhere near the level of something like, say, CONFESSIONS OF A POLICE CAPTAIN or about two dozen others I could name. The completist should probably own this, but I wouldn't spend a lot of time or money tracking down a copy. Finally, the ending is quite odd--I rewound it three times to make sure I wasn't missing something. An American film would rarely end in such an ambiguous manner--thank goodness for Italians!!!