- Year
- 1977
- Country
- Italy
- Runtime
- 100 min
- Director
- Umberto Lenzi
- Updated
- 10 Aug 2026
- Obscurity
- obscure (59/100)
- Also known as
- The Cynic, the Rat & the Fist
The Cynic, the Rat and the Fist
Late-cycle Castellari. Everyone is exhausted and it shows productively.
Late-cycle Castellari, made when everyone involved was visibly exhausted, and the fatigue works for it. Three men, a cynical cop, a rat and a brutal enforcer, circle a Rome that has run out of energy for the whole game.
It is grimmer and more resigned than the mid-decade films, as if the genre itself knew it was ending. Maurizio Merli and John Saxon bring weight to the weariness.
A fitting near-end to the cycle: the poliziottesco with its adrenaline finally spent.
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Written about
- Poliziotteschi: the Italian cop film, 1973 to 1980
A moustache, a Magnum, and total contempt for the courts.
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