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 Italian films, so it seems, are rarely boring to look at. Even the most mundane and pedestrian plots provide ample opportunity for style. And why shouldn’t they? They are Italian products. Their cars are sexier, their coats look much nicer than yours and they have several thousand years of art history behind them, where as the Americas are just now creeping up on 230. Hollywood may have been the first to capitalize on film as an industry, but it didn’t take long for others to take the formula, make it their own, and inject their own style. This film, A Man Called Magnum, is a perfect example of one such film.
French actor Luc Marenda stars as Dario Mauri, a Milanese police officer who gets transferred to Naples to try and take down a crazed sociopath known as Dogheart (Adolfo Lastretti). Dogheart may indeed be crazed, but he is not stupid, and manages to evade Dario time and again, with Dario’s only source of leads coming from a little girl’s violent drawings. Along for the ride is Capece (Enzo Cannavale). Capece essentially plays the buddy role as the silly, smart-assed assistant to Mauri. He’s a relatively unattractive man that works perfectly as a side-kick to the Euro-gorgeous Mauri.
So yeah, the plot itself is as thin as the paper it was written on - but that doesn’t make it unmemorable at all.
The real fun comes from the delivery. There is some great over-the-top action. There is a car chase where Luc follows an elevated train with his Fiat. This is an amazing sequence which is tightly edited and fast paced,  rivaling similar sequences such as you would find in films like The French Connection. Even the violence is brilliantly off-the wall. There is an extremely high body count, and at one point a borderline-hilarious scene where a lawyer gets blown up by a tossed stick of dynamite. So the style and flair of director Tarantini really shows. There is a sense of humor, there is a great sense of pace, and Luc comes across as a much nicer, toned-down Dirty Harry. In short, he shines as an action hero. It is no wonder at all that that is what he will be forever known for.
Make no mistake, A Man Called Magnum is by no means fine cinema, but it is excellently shot, wonderfully cast, and has a completely funky 1970’s score that rivals any American counterpart. Add to that that the film is brief enough to never be invasive, boring, or pointless. All that’s left is absolutely perfect 1970’s cop-drama fun. I was more than surprised with that result, and I can’t imagine anyone else not having a good time.
Presentation
At times I almost wish NoShame would release a shoddy transfer instead of the stellar work they always put out. It gets boring offering nothing but praise, you know. Again, NoShame puts out a fantastic looking  anamorphic image. The sound is nothing to be uninspired by, either. This time they actually include a 5.1 mix, which sounds fantastic. I didn’t listen to the English dub this time. I can’t imagine it catching Merenda’s sarcasm and playful dialog at all. And a perfect match for the new mix is the score. NoShame really needs to get a record label started and release soundtracks. The score to A Man Called Magnum is the best non-giallo score of their films so far, and deserves a full CD release. English subtitles are available.
And The Extras Are?
Audio Commentary – (feature length) I believe this is a first for NoShame; a full-length director commentary. Since Italian is the first language of director Michele Massimo Tarantini it should not come as a surprise that the commentary is also in Italian, with English subtitles. Sadly, this is sure to prevent much of the audience from listening to it. Hell, it is hard enough to get many film fans to watch a film that has subtitles, let alone a commentary track in English. But I digress… The commentary is actually quite good, and was certainly recorded on-the-fly with little (if any) preparation. It is moderated by Giona A. Nazzaro, who wasn’t clearly identified, but seemed to hold the discussion quite well for most of the film. Definitely worth listening to if you are a fan. I hope NoShame does more commentary tracks.
 Milan Naples One Way Only – (16:13) This interview with Luc Merenda is a bit on the disappointing side, because he seems to not say as much as he does. There seems to be so much of his story left untold about his relationships with the director and his crew. But even more interesting is the story he starts telling about his fall from grace as a star. Note: starts to tell... this would have been interesting to hear, but unfortunately he is just a bit too reserved. One thing worth noting though is that Luc still looks fantastic, even though he is pushing past 60 years.
Poster and Still Gallery – (1:09) A series of 14 stills and posters pass by with the soundtrack playing in the background.
NoShame’s booklet, as usual, covers a great deal of information in its mere eight pages. The liner notes themselves are written by Chuck D., the commentator on two of the films in The Pinky Violence Collection. I previously mentioned that writing is where he excels, but this article, while it does have some new information, is really little more than a retelling of the film’s story. More interesting is the bio on star Luc Merenda and most impressive is the “See Italy and Die” essay by Video Watchdog writer Richard Harland Smith. This three-page essay is truly a guide book through the highlights of the Poliziotteschi film genre so popular in the 1970s. What’s great is it goes in depth as to why that scene was so popular, citing the politics of Italy at the time. Another excellent read from the folks at NoShame.
 Fine
Imagine a comic book cop film on crack cocaine with a blaring boom box playing nothing but remixes from Shaft. That is the most approximate summation of the experience of watching A Man Called Magnum. In NotoWorld, this is not a bad thing at all. There is nothing bad about Magnum. All the bullets, silliness, machismo and beautiful scenery are present and accounted for with only the slightest hint of sleaze. If you are a Dirty Harry fan, miss 1970’s cop dramas and still watch CHiPS, you are certain to love A Man Called Magnum. This comes with the highest of recommendations.
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