The Cynic, the Rat and the Fist
The Cynic, the Rat and the Fist is a 1977 film from Italy, directed by Umberto Lenzi, running 100 minutes. reelscum files it under poliziotteschi.
- Year
- 1977 · 1970s films
- 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
Defined in the glossary: Poliziotteschi
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.
On these lists
- Poliziotteschi starter pack
Italian cops who close cases by ignoring the courts and the paperwork. Start at the top, before the moustaches blur together.
Filed alongside
Cops vs. Thugs
Fukasaku again, arguing the two categories in the title are the same.
Free Hand for a Tough Cop
Tomas Milian debuts Er Monnezza, the filthiest man in Italian crime cinema, and steals his own movie.
The Violent Professionals
Martino sends Luc Merenda undercover and off the leash. Prime cop-on-a-rampage stuff.
Violent Naples
Merli takes his no-mercy cop routine to Naples. Fast, brutal, and politically incoherent as ever.
Rome Armed to the Teeth
Maurizio Merli punches Rome for 100 minutes. Politics: incoherent.
Live Like a Cop, Die Like a Man
Two cops who are clearly the villains. Ruggero Deodato, before the jungle.
Shoot First, Die Later
Di Leo's dirty-cop picture, and the rot goes all the way home.
The Big Racket
Castellari's best. The car-rolling-down-the-hill shot is famous for a reason.
Almost Human
Tomas Milian as a repellent psychopath. Deeply unpleasant, very good.
Street Law
Castellari's Death Wish. An ordinary engineer, brutalised and ignored, arms himself.
High Crime
Castellari's breakout in the genre, and Franco Nero furious for ninety minutes.
The Italian Connection
Mario Adorf on foot versus a car. Best chase in Italian cinema.