Tomas Milian
Nico Giraldi
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A top undercover cop finds and arrests a series of purse snatchers until he discovers an American at the top of an evil ring of thieves.
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| Release Date | 1976-03-11 |
|---|---|
| Runtime | 1h 34m |
| Directors | Bruno Corbucci, Sebastiano Celeste |
| Producers | Galliano Juso, Pietro Innocenzi |
| Writers | Mario Amendola, Bruno Corbucci |
Roman Serpico, sort of
Released in 1976, “The Cop in Blue Jeans” is a loner-cop thriller in the mold of “Dirty Harry” (1971) and “Serpico” (1973). The titular protagonist even looks like Serpico. The difference is that this is an Italian production directed & co-written by Bruno Corbucci. The plot revolves around an undercover cop named Nico Giraldi (Tomas Milian) who arrests several thugs of the purse snatching variety and zeroes-in on the mastermind of the ring (Jack Palance).
The Italian title is “Squadra Antiscippo,” which means “Swindle Squad” and I assume refers to the theft ring. Anyway, the movie’s an interesting way to observe the more obscure parts of Rome in the mid-70s. The story’s relatively compelling and there’s a lot of undercover cop type of action (naturally). Maria Rosaria Omaggio is easy on the eyes, but not enough is done with her. Nico’s pet mouse, named Serpico, is a nice addition.
While this is a decent Euro flick and worth catching for the highlights noted, don’t expect the greatness of any of the Dirty Harry installments.
The film runs 1 hour, 31 minutes and was shot in Rome.
GRADE: B-/C+
— Wuchak