Death Rage (1976)

Original title: Con la rabbia agli occhi (With Anger in His Eyes)

A poliziottesco starring Yul Brynner, Barbara Bouchet, and Massimo Ranieri. Brynner plays Peter Marciani, a former hitman for the New York Mafia now living in retirement. Fellow gangster Sal Leonardi, visiting Naples on business, is murdered at a racetrack by rival family boss Gennaro Gallo (Giancarlo Sbragia) and his men. The boss back in New York, determined to settle the score, reaches out to Marciani because he is the best at what he does. Marciani initially refuses, but when he learns that Gallo was also responsible for killing his brother years earlier, he accepts the job to seek revenge.

After arriving in Naples, Marciani meets small-time crook Angelo (Massimo Ranieri), who works at the racetrack and witnessed the hit on Leonardi. Angelo has aspirations of becoming connected, and seeing an opportunity, he befriends Marciani – feeding him bits of information that might lead to Gallo and introducing him to exotic dancer Anny (Barbara Bouchet). Meanwhile, the Commissario (Martin Balsam), who has been investigating the case, discovers that Marciani has arrived from New York and begins tracking his movements.

While Death Rage fits within the poliziottesco tradition, it stands apart from the more hard-edged classics of the era such as Caliber 9 (1972) and The Violent Professionals (1973). Those films are driven by relentless pacing, gritty urban realism, and a sense of moral decay that defines the genre at its peak. Margheriti’s film, by contrast, leans more heavily on star power and international appeal, toning down some of the rougher textures. The action is present but less ferocious, and the narrative is more straightforward, lacking the elaborate plotting and explosive brutality that made the earlier poliziotteschi so iconic. Even so, Death Rage retains enough of the genre’s flavor – corruption, vendettas, and criminal rivalries – to sit comfortably alongside its better-known contemporaries.

Brynner is one of those actors whose face was just made for the camera. The pairing with giallo/poliziottesco beauty Barbara Bouchet was an excellent choice. Rumor has it that they didn’t get along on set, but you couldn’t tell from watching the movie. As it was, this turned out to be Brynner’s final film role. After this, he returned to the stage (where he began his career).