This is a really great Italian crime/revenge movie. Two kids are kidnapped: a rich man's child and a poor man's child. The rich man decides to try and haggle over the ransom, which causes the kidnappers to kill the poor man's child to make their point. From then on, I was rooting for the dad to go get those jerks!!! Great chases and action, totally entertaining.
11 Reviews
Another excellent Italian crime flick!
The_Void6 September 2007
Warning: Spoilers
Kidnap Syndicate may not be the all action thrill ride that describes many of the Polizi flicks, but this is still an excellent example of the genre, and one that delivers a little more than just car chases and shootouts. As the title suggests, the film focus on the profitable business of kidnapping, and director Fernando Di Leo does an excellent job of showing the horror of the effect that this can have on the victim's families, as well as delivering another excellent slice of Italian crime drama. The film stars Luc Merenda as a mechanic and poor father of a kidnapped boy. An Italian crime syndicate kidnap the child of a wealthy businessman; as well as the mechanic's son. They make their ransom demands, but the wealthy father refuses to pay and decides instead to negotiate with the kidnappers. This enrages them; so to prove they're serious, they decide to kill the mechanic's son. Distraught at his loss, the father then sets out on a mission of revenge, with the organisation behind the kidnappings firmly in his crosshairs...
Kidnap Syndicate is a film of two halves. The first half focuses on the kidnapping itself and the effect on the families involved, while the second half follows Merenda as he seeks out and takes revenge on the perpetrators. The structure of the film works well; the director allows us to get into the situation and characters in the first half of the film, before launching into a revenge thriller; and by then, every audience member is likely to want to see the kidnappers pay! You don't really expect to see much emotion in Polizi flicks, and indeed more could have been made of the situation that the lead finds himself in; but overall, I have to say that the film does a good job of making you feel for Merenda's character and his plight. The acting is good also, with Merenda providing an excellent performance that works well with both parts of the film. Seeing him tear around on his motorcycle is good fun to watch and the film provides all the car chases and shootouts that you would expect from this sort of film in the second half. Overall, Kidnap Syndicate is undoubtedly a highlight of the Polizi genre and comes highly recommended!
Kidnap Syndicate is a film of two halves. The first half focuses on the kidnapping itself and the effect on the families involved, while the second half follows Merenda as he seeks out and takes revenge on the perpetrators. The structure of the film works well; the director allows us to get into the situation and characters in the first half of the film, before launching into a revenge thriller; and by then, every audience member is likely to want to see the kidnappers pay! You don't really expect to see much emotion in Polizi flicks, and indeed more could have been made of the situation that the lead finds himself in; but overall, I have to say that the film does a good job of making you feel for Merenda's character and his plight. The acting is good also, with Merenda providing an excellent performance that works well with both parts of the film. Seeing him tear around on his motorcycle is good fun to watch and the film provides all the car chases and shootouts that you would expect from this sort of film in the second half. Overall, Kidnap Syndicate is undoubtedly a highlight of the Polizi genre and comes highly recommended!
Great Italian action/drama.
HumanoidOfFlesh28 March 2004
Warning: Spoilers
The son of wealthy business man and philanthropist(James Mason)is abducted.The kidnappers capture a second child,the son of a poor motorcycle mechanic,for their devious plan.Mason is a hard nosed business negotiator who refuses to pay the stiff ransom that is demanded by the kidnappers.He decides to try to 'haggle' over the price of the two children's lives.This attitude enrages the bandits and results in the brutal killing of the poor boy.Distraught and infuriated,the dead boy's father devises a plan to avenge his son's death,by exterminating the kidnappers one by one.This Fernando Di Leo's action flick is not as good as his earlier "Hit Men",but it offers some exciting car chases and plenty of violence.The acting is pretty good and the suspense almost never lets up.So if you're a fan of Italian action flicks give this one a look.7 out of 10.
Fernando Di Leo from another side but worth
searchanddestroy-15 April 2015
I won't add much more if you compare with what said the other users. Yes you have to deal here with a brilliant Italian crime flick, which shows us that cinema from the other side of the Alps may be terrific when it dares to. This story of a double abducting involving two children: a poor and a wealthy one, with then the confusion about their family, the poor and the rich one reminds me another little underrated gem named GRACELAND with almost the same scheme. This very one is not so usual among crime movies. GRACELAND was very narrowly released and made in the Philipines. That's all what I will say about it. Interesting films that are not so common these days. The feature from the Philipines are from 2013 although.
Italian Crime Movie with Luc MERENDA and James MASON
ZeddaZogenau24 February 2024
Luc Merenda and the revenge of a desperate father
The widowed motorcycle mechanic Mario Colella (Luc Merenda) lovingly looks after his son Fabrizio (Marco Liofredi). One day he and a classmate are kidnapped in front of school in broad daylight. The boss (Marino Mase) of the blackmailers demands 10 billion ITL ransom. Completely impossible for the penniless Mario, but the other boy is the child of the rich construction lion Filippini (James Mason) and his wife, Countessa Grazia (Valentina Cortese). The competent inspector Magrini (Vittorio Caprioli) intervenes, but the stubborn Filippini negotiates on his own and deliberately delays payment. The kidnappers lose their nerve and kill Fabrizio to reinforce their demands. Now there is no stopping the desperate Mario...
Cult director Fernando Di Leo shot a typical revenge thriller of the time (a man takes action where the police and the system fail) in the style of Charles Bronson in Rome and Milan. CINECITTA was simply great when it came to creatively copying successful formulas from Hollywood. The plot is not necessarily logical, but it is very exciting and entertaining. Luc Merenda can't shine with differentiated acting, but he can do action scenes. A more exquisite achievement was achieved by Hollywood star James Mason (1909-1984), who shortly before his death would become the father-in-law of pop singer Belinda Carlisle. And Valentina Cortese was nominated for an ACADEMY AWARD for Best Supporting Actress in 1975, when the film was released in Italian cinemas (in German-speaking countries it was not released on video until the 1980s) with "La nuit americaine" by Francois Truffaut.
Quite a quick contribution from the poliziottescho genre that is appealingly entertaining!
The widowed motorcycle mechanic Mario Colella (Luc Merenda) lovingly looks after his son Fabrizio (Marco Liofredi). One day he and a classmate are kidnapped in front of school in broad daylight. The boss (Marino Mase) of the blackmailers demands 10 billion ITL ransom. Completely impossible for the penniless Mario, but the other boy is the child of the rich construction lion Filippini (James Mason) and his wife, Countessa Grazia (Valentina Cortese). The competent inspector Magrini (Vittorio Caprioli) intervenes, but the stubborn Filippini negotiates on his own and deliberately delays payment. The kidnappers lose their nerve and kill Fabrizio to reinforce their demands. Now there is no stopping the desperate Mario...
Cult director Fernando Di Leo shot a typical revenge thriller of the time (a man takes action where the police and the system fail) in the style of Charles Bronson in Rome and Milan. CINECITTA was simply great when it came to creatively copying successful formulas from Hollywood. The plot is not necessarily logical, but it is very exciting and entertaining. Luc Merenda can't shine with differentiated acting, but he can do action scenes. A more exquisite achievement was achieved by Hollywood star James Mason (1909-1984), who shortly before his death would become the father-in-law of pop singer Belinda Carlisle. And Valentina Cortese was nominated for an ACADEMY AWARD for Best Supporting Actress in 1975, when the film was released in Italian cinemas (in German-speaking countries it was not released on video until the 1980s) with "La nuit americaine" by Francois Truffaut.
Quite a quick contribution from the poliziottescho genre that is appealingly entertaining!
Intense drama & raw revenge thriller in one!
Coventry5 March 2012
Of all the multi-talented Italian cult directors of the 60's and 70's, Fernando Di Leo was the one who pleased us with the best and most adrenalin-rushing crime thrillers. His most famous "Italian organized crime" trilogy (existing of "Caliber 9", "Manhunt" and "The Boss") is downright brilliant, but Di Leo also made a number of flicks that are a lot less acclaimed but at least equally terrific and revolutionary. This "Kidnap Syndicate" is arguably his biggest hidden gem and I'm enormously grateful to the good people over at the Nocturno label for releasing the film in a splendid DVD-format. Cult collectors all around the world: if you come across ANY movie released by this label, never hesitate for one second to pick up a copy!!
"Kidnap Syndicate" is a lot less turbulent and 'in-your-face' explosive than the average Italian crime flick (usually revolving on rough unorthodox coppers chasing relentless criminals), but there's a strong focus on character drawing and story elaboration. Colella is a hard working but struggling mechanic who solely raises his son Fabrizio ever since the wife passed away. The boy is friends with Antonio, son of the extremely rich but incredibly repugnant businessman Filippini. When criminals kidnap Antonio in front of school, the brave Fabrizio tries to prevent this and the nervous kidnappers pull him into the car as well. They demand a huge ransom for the boys, but the pigheaded Filippini refuses to give in to criminals and put the lives of the boys at stake, whilst Colella and even the police commissioner can't do anything. The kidnappers eventually prove their seriousness, and the statement is obviously made via the "poor" child. Colella goes after them, but soon stumbles upon a very complex and well-protected network. The first half is, as to be expected, very talkative and with a vast emphasis on melodrama. There are some truly powerful sequences, most notably when practically the entire cast of characters literally begs Filippini (magnificent, though extremely ungrateful role of the brilliant James Mason) to stop playing with the lives of innocent children and just pay the damn ransom. The second half offers some bona fide Italian hard- boiled action, with wild car chases and grim, graphically shown executions. It's terrific how Colella purchases his targets, but also simultaneously humiliates and provokes them. His character is probably the vigilante/avenger that you sympathize with the most. The climax could have been a bit better and more imaginative, according to me at least, and I'm missing a more memorable soundtrack. Other than those minor remarks, "Kidnap Syndicate" is a truly exhilarating Italian cult film that I'm glad and proud to have seen.
"Kidnap Syndicate" is a lot less turbulent and 'in-your-face' explosive than the average Italian crime flick (usually revolving on rough unorthodox coppers chasing relentless criminals), but there's a strong focus on character drawing and story elaboration. Colella is a hard working but struggling mechanic who solely raises his son Fabrizio ever since the wife passed away. The boy is friends with Antonio, son of the extremely rich but incredibly repugnant businessman Filippini. When criminals kidnap Antonio in front of school, the brave Fabrizio tries to prevent this and the nervous kidnappers pull him into the car as well. They demand a huge ransom for the boys, but the pigheaded Filippini refuses to give in to criminals and put the lives of the boys at stake, whilst Colella and even the police commissioner can't do anything. The kidnappers eventually prove their seriousness, and the statement is obviously made via the "poor" child. Colella goes after them, but soon stumbles upon a very complex and well-protected network. The first half is, as to be expected, very talkative and with a vast emphasis on melodrama. There are some truly powerful sequences, most notably when practically the entire cast of characters literally begs Filippini (magnificent, though extremely ungrateful role of the brilliant James Mason) to stop playing with the lives of innocent children and just pay the damn ransom. The second half offers some bona fide Italian hard- boiled action, with wild car chases and grim, graphically shown executions. It's terrific how Colella purchases his targets, but also simultaneously humiliates and provokes them. His character is probably the vigilante/avenger that you sympathize with the most. The climax could have been a bit better and more imaginative, according to me at least, and I'm missing a more memorable soundtrack. Other than those minor remarks, "Kidnap Syndicate" is a truly exhilarating Italian cult film that I'm glad and proud to have seen.
KIDNAP SYNDICATE (Fernando Di Leo, 1975) **1/2
Bunuel197615 May 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Following Di Leo's fine erotic drama LA SEDUZIONE (1973), I decided to check out the other as-yet-unwatched film of his I owned on VHS. It's another of the many action flicks he made and, in retrospect, it emerges as second-tier material. There's little that's new here in terms of plot, the action sequences aren't among the most memorable Di Leo directed and Luis Bacalov's pulsating score, while effective on its own, is awfully reminiscent of the one he composed for CALIBRE 9 (1972)!
The plot is actually just as topical, in view of the recent kidnapping - and death - of a toddler which shook Italy. The film's first half, involving the kidnapping itself and the negotiations about the ransom, is pretty routine (certainly light years away from Kurosawa's riveting treatment of a similar situation in his masterly HIGH AND LOW [1963]) - though aided by the presence of James Mason (who's not really at home in these surroundings!), Valentina Cortese (delivering a rather hysterical performance) and Vittorio Caprioli (whose gestures and language Di Leo always manages to render hilarious and irresistible). Likewise, Luc Merenda is too ordinary-looking to pass muster in comparison with the unconventional heroes of other Di Leo poliziotteschi like Gastone Moschin in CALIBRE 9, Mario Adorf in THE Italian CONNECTION (1972) and Henry Silva in WIPEOUT! (1973). The element of sentimentality over the killing of Merenda's son because industrialist Mason (whose son was also kidnapped) refuses to pay up is heavy-handed, while Merenda's long-winded pursuit of the kidnappers (by pretending to get in on the dealings) doesn't convince. In the end, it's passable as entertainment but it's nowhere near as engrossing as Di Leo could be at his best!
The plot is actually just as topical, in view of the recent kidnapping - and death - of a toddler which shook Italy. The film's first half, involving the kidnapping itself and the negotiations about the ransom, is pretty routine (certainly light years away from Kurosawa's riveting treatment of a similar situation in his masterly HIGH AND LOW [1963]) - though aided by the presence of James Mason (who's not really at home in these surroundings!), Valentina Cortese (delivering a rather hysterical performance) and Vittorio Caprioli (whose gestures and language Di Leo always manages to render hilarious and irresistible). Likewise, Luc Merenda is too ordinary-looking to pass muster in comparison with the unconventional heroes of other Di Leo poliziotteschi like Gastone Moschin in CALIBRE 9, Mario Adorf in THE Italian CONNECTION (1972) and Henry Silva in WIPEOUT! (1973). The element of sentimentality over the killing of Merenda's son because industrialist Mason (whose son was also kidnapped) refuses to pay up is heavy-handed, while Merenda's long-winded pursuit of the kidnappers (by pretending to get in on the dealings) doesn't convince. In the end, it's passable as entertainment but it's nowhere near as engrossing as Di Leo could be at his best!
Merenda on a revenge bender
Bezenby14 June 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Luc Merenda gets a chance to actually act instead of running around shooting people before getting the chance to run around shooting people in yet another Eurocrime film from Fernando Di Leo.
This time round he's a poor mechanic widower whose only reason for being is his son Dave or whatever he's called. Dave is friends with Bert, the son of rich property magnate James Mason, and when both kids end up getting kidnapped, Luc goes mental and James Mason bizarrely treats the whole thing like it's some sort of business deal and tries to give the kidnappers the run-around.
There's also the added complication of who is behind the kidnapping and the not so great efforts of the police to get the two boys back. When James Mason drags his heels far too much, enraging his own wife, the kidnappers select one of the kids, put a pillowcase over their heads, and execute them. Guess who's kid that is? After quite a convincing scene of being confronted with the corpse of his son, Luc vows vengeance, packs a sandwich, and goes off hunting the kidnappers.
What's different about this one is there's not much action for the first half of the film, which concentrates more on the contrasting parenting skills of Merenda and Mason while providing an insight into a crime which was really becoming a problem in Italy at the time. The various reactions of the actors when Merenda's sons corpse is revealed is the highlight of the film, from the frustration of the up-to-then-humorous cop to Mason's barely contained guilt. Merenda gets to cut loose here as well and display more emotion that he's usually allowed to show (e.g. punching, glaring, smoking - manly emotions for man films).
The two kids are quite close and Merenda's son is a bit more robust is in attitude to the kidnappers, which gives his death a bit more impact. So there you go - a Eurocrime film that focuses on current affairs, with a bit more characterization than usual. Don't worry though - although the gun play and car chases are still there, near the end.
This time round he's a poor mechanic widower whose only reason for being is his son Dave or whatever he's called. Dave is friends with Bert, the son of rich property magnate James Mason, and when both kids end up getting kidnapped, Luc goes mental and James Mason bizarrely treats the whole thing like it's some sort of business deal and tries to give the kidnappers the run-around.
There's also the added complication of who is behind the kidnapping and the not so great efforts of the police to get the two boys back. When James Mason drags his heels far too much, enraging his own wife, the kidnappers select one of the kids, put a pillowcase over their heads, and execute them. Guess who's kid that is? After quite a convincing scene of being confronted with the corpse of his son, Luc vows vengeance, packs a sandwich, and goes off hunting the kidnappers.
What's different about this one is there's not much action for the first half of the film, which concentrates more on the contrasting parenting skills of Merenda and Mason while providing an insight into a crime which was really becoming a problem in Italy at the time. The various reactions of the actors when Merenda's sons corpse is revealed is the highlight of the film, from the frustration of the up-to-then-humorous cop to Mason's barely contained guilt. Merenda gets to cut loose here as well and display more emotion that he's usually allowed to show (e.g. punching, glaring, smoking - manly emotions for man films).
The two kids are quite close and Merenda's son is a bit more robust is in attitude to the kidnappers, which gives his death a bit more impact. So there you go - a Eurocrime film that focuses on current affairs, with a bit more characterization than usual. Don't worry though - although the gun play and car chases are still there, near the end.
Great Italian Crime Flick
rey_tutiver18 February 2022
De Leo on overdrive...
JasparLamarCrabb29 March 2014
Warning: Spoilers
Fernando Di Leo's thriller hits the ground running and does not let up. The son of a wealthy construction magnate (along with one his playmates) is kidnapped and his father opts to negotiate on the ransom amount. Tragedy ensues, leading the father of the other boy to take matters into his own hands. An unusually strong film from the great Di Leo with an outstanding performance by Luc Merenda and a supporting cast that includes James Mason and Irina Maleeva. Mason is great and Valentina Cortese, as his wife, gives one of her classic over-the-top performances. The excellent music score is by Luis Bacalov. Erico Menczer did the cinematography. The movie is sun-drenched and so stunningly beautiful it belies the horrible goings on that are taking place.
Okay Italian crime flick
Wizard-81 September 2017
Warning: Spoilers
If you are a fan of Italian crime films from the 1970s, particularly the ones made by director Fernando Di Leo, you'll probably find "Kidnap Syndicate" to be fairly enjoyable. More casual fans of the genre may have some nitpicks with the movie. The first half of the movie is quite leisurely paced, taking much longer to set up the situation that drives the protagonist into revenge mode. Don't get me wrong, this first half is never boring, but all the same it seems to be taking longer to play out than it should. The second half of the movie does have some spark, with some good action and a nasty attitude at times, though there are also some significantly long sections where the movie seems to be taking it just as easy as it did in the first half. I didn't find this second half boring as well, though less patient viewers might disagree. This movie is a matter of taste, in my opinion. If you haven't sampled 1970s Italian crime movies before, you might want to check out some more famous (and more critically acclaimed) offerings before deciding whether or not to see this example.
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