Umberto Lenzi is undoubtedly the king of Italian crime movies, but unfortunately| Syndicate Sadists is not the best examples of his work in this genre. Lenzi's crime flicks tend to be a cut above the rest because he makes films based on stories with a point, and they don't lack direction| but this film feels a bit too wayward to fully fit with the rest of his stuff. The film takes obvious influence from Sergio Leone's landmark western 'A Fistful of Dollars' (which in turn, took influence from Akira Kurosawa's landmark samurai flick Yojimbo), in that it features two warring families and a strong character at the centre. The crime that Lenzi focuses on is kidnapping, and we centre on a character called 'Rambo'. Rambo is dragged into the war between the two families after his brother is killed because of it. Rambo uses his brains and brawn to pit the two families against one another, in the hope of gaining revenge for his brother's death, rescuing a young boy that they've kidnapped, and ultimately letting the two sides destroy one another.
The film's biggest asset is undoubtedly Tomas Milian. Milian was put to great use by Lenzi in almost all of his crime thrillers. The range of characters he has played for Lenzi is immense, and this one is easily one of the coolest. The character is called Rambo, which immediately sprang to mind the popular Sylvester Stallone character - but for once, the Italians actually haven't stolen this name as Syndicate Sadists was released first! As usual, the film is wickedly entertaining, as we get to watch Milian get himself involved in the usual array of car chases, shootouts and brawls. Lenzi has got him riding a motorbike this time round, and every scene featuring it and Milian is a real standout! However, the film often feels like it doesn't really have anywhere to go, and this means that the running time is stretched out more than it should be. Compared to the crime films of other Italian directors, Syndicate Sadists is more than above average| but in relation to Lenzi crime flicks such as Almost Human and The Cynic, The Rat and The Fist - it doesn't stand tall as one of Lenzi's best. Still, if you're looking for ninety minutes of testosterone fuelled mayhem - Syndicate Sadists will suffice!。科纳·伯恩斯(Nick Renaud 饰)和查克(Gemmenne de la Peña 饰)、乔丹(Henry Monfries 饰)是美国高中内三个其貌不扬、普普通通的学生,他们绝对不属于全校瞩目的一群,反而时不时受到明星任务的欺负和嘲讽。科纳原打算为心爱的女孩拍一部庆生视频,可是倒霉事情一连串,先是摄像机出了故障,接着在电器商店遭到霸道的男孩戴克斯(Alastair James 饰)的殴打。科纳恼羞成怒,发誓要对这个小霸王进行报复。查克和乔丹原以为他只是说笑,谁知科纳竟然真的有模有样地开展起他的复仇大业。 一台家用摄像机,记录下男孩们反抗强权的全过程。直到某天,他们的欺负和反欺负完全失控……。