Franco Nero and Oscar-winner Martin Balsam cut the red tape and leave it full of bullet holes in this anti-buddy cop Poliziotteschi classic.

A district attorney discovers that a local police captain has been busy taking the law into his own hands. The rules are not sufficient to deal with criminals who have kept their noses clean with the help of corrupt politicians, and so the captain has done what’s necessary to keep the streets safe. As witnesses disappear, will the straight-laced DA and the rule-breaking cop team up, or take one another down?

Director Damiano Damiani had a hit of box office successes behind him when he made Confessions, which won the Golden Prize at the 1971 Moscow International Film Festival, as well as an Italian Golden Goblet for Nero. Gritty and operatic, the film is an intricate analysis of obsession, corruption and the fine line between law and disorder.

"Remarkable … a sustained work of formal expression, with a visceral power all the more effective because of the control behind the energy emanating from every image." – Village Voice