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Shoot First, Die Later (1974) Fernando Di Leo

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Shoot First, Die Later (1974)
aka Il poliziotto è marcio
Genre: Poliziotteschi
Country: Italy| France| Director: Fernando Di Leo
Language: Italian or English (2 separate audio tracks)
 Subtitles: English (optional, embedded in mkv file)
Aspect ratio: Widescreen 1.85:1 | Length: 94mn
Bdrip H264 Mkv - 1280x690 - 23.976fps - 4.36gb

A corrupt detective finds himself in too deep with the criminal underworld that’s been paying him off.

Shoot First, Die Later was co-written and directed by Fernando di Leo, arguably the forerunner in the Italian crime thriller genre (Poliziotteschi) from the 1970′s.  Key collaborators include screenwriter Sergio Donati (The Big Gundown, Once Upon a Time in the West), cinematographer Franco Villa (Milano Calibro 9, Giallo in Venice) and composer Luis Bacalov (Django, The Grand Duel).

Content wise, Shoot First, Die Later echoes many themes explored in previous Fernando di Leo crime thrillers.  The more pronounced violence in Shoot First, Die Later presents an escalation of gruesome moments of carnage that would reach its fever pitch with To Be Twenty

When it comes to gritty action set pieces very few of Fernando di Leo’s contemporaries come close to capturing the ferocity that is evident in all of his crime thrillers. Right from the get go he establishes a brutal tone that lingers throughout with an opening sequence involving torture. And though this is just one of many violent moments in the film, Fernando di Leo also spends an ample amount of time establishing both character and motivation.

From top to bottom this production excels in every area. The visuals are rock solid, pacing is never an issue, and the aforementioned action set pieces are all top notch; especially the obligatory car chase sequence. Performance wise the entire cast are all very good in their respective roles with the most surprising performance coming from Luc Merenda (Torso) as the protagonist; a corrupt police detective named Domenico Malacarne. This performance is far and away the most memorable of his career. Ultimately Shoot First, Die Later is an exceptional Poliziotteschi that achieves a perfect balance between the more violent moments and an underlying subtext about abuse of power.
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Shoot First, Die Later (1974)
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