Drug trafficking is not my favorite theme in Italian Crime flicks (I personally prefer Unorthodox Cops vs. Sadistic killers such as in Lenzi's "Almost Human", or hard-boiled Mafia stories such as in Fernando Di Leo's Milieu trilogy). Yet I must say that "La Via Della Droga" (aka. "The Heroin Busters" of 1977 is a more than worthwhile Poliziottesco that no genre-lover should consider missing. The multi-talented Exploitation mastermind Enzo G. Castellari in the director's chair, a cast including Fabio Testi and David Hemmings, loads of violent shootouts and a score by Goblin - what else could a fan of Italian genre cinema ask for?
Fabio Testi plays drug smuggler Fabio who is arrested when trying to get a considerable amount of heroin into Rome. After escaping from jail and obtaining the trust of a local drug-lord (Joshua Sinclair), Fabio turns out to be in fact an undercover cop, who works together with international drug squad officer Mike Hamilton (David Hemmings). Determined to rid Rome of Heroin, Fabio and Mike are also willing to use unorthodox methods... While "La Via Della Droga" is certainly no Poliziotteschi highlight en par with "Almost Human" or "Rome Armed To The Teeth", this is a film that should not be missed by a genre fan. Whereas the storyline is not the best ever, the film is full of violent shootouts, car-chases, occasional sleaze and stylish brutality. I've personally been a great fan of Enzo G. Castellari for years, sadly enough I still haven't seen his supposedly best Poliziotteschi, "La Polizia Incrimina La Legge Assolve" (aka. "High Crime", 1973), and "Il Cittadino Si Ribella" ("Street Law"/"The Citizen Rebels", 1974). "La Via Della Droga", however, is more than a bit entertaining, and if the two aforementioned films are even better I can't wait to see them. I am also a great fan of both leading men, both of whom have starred in personal Giallo-favorites of mine (David Hemmings in Dario Argento's "Profondo Rosso", Fabio Testi in Massimo Dallamano's "What Have You Done To Solange"), and both are once again excellent in their roles. Especially Testi does a great job as the hero here, while Hemmings' role could have been bigger. Joshua Sinclair ("Keoma") also makes a good villain. My only real complaint is that I would have wished for David Hemmings to have more screen time. The score by Progressive Rock band Goblin is great as always, even though it comes nowhere near the brilliance of the scores they did for Dario Argento's masterpieces. All in all, "La Via Della Droga" is a more than recommendable Poliziottesco that my fellow fans of Italian Crime cinema should enjoy.
Fabio Testi plays drug smuggler Fabio who is arrested when trying to get a considerable amount of heroin into Rome. After escaping from jail and obtaining the trust of a local drug-lord (Joshua Sinclair), Fabio turns out to be in fact an undercover cop, who works together with international drug squad officer Mike Hamilton (David Hemmings). Determined to rid Rome of Heroin, Fabio and Mike are also willing to use unorthodox methods... While "La Via Della Droga" is certainly no Poliziotteschi highlight en par with "Almost Human" or "Rome Armed To The Teeth", this is a film that should not be missed by a genre fan. Whereas the storyline is not the best ever, the film is full of violent shootouts, car-chases, occasional sleaze and stylish brutality. I've personally been a great fan of Enzo G. Castellari for years, sadly enough I still haven't seen his supposedly best Poliziotteschi, "La Polizia Incrimina La Legge Assolve" (aka. "High Crime", 1973), and "Il Cittadino Si Ribella" ("Street Law"/"The Citizen Rebels", 1974). "La Via Della Droga", however, is more than a bit entertaining, and if the two aforementioned films are even better I can't wait to see them. I am also a great fan of both leading men, both of whom have starred in personal Giallo-favorites of mine (David Hemmings in Dario Argento's "Profondo Rosso", Fabio Testi in Massimo Dallamano's "What Have You Done To Solange"), and both are once again excellent in their roles. Especially Testi does a great job as the hero here, while Hemmings' role could have been bigger. Joshua Sinclair ("Keoma") also makes a good villain. My only real complaint is that I would have wished for David Hemmings to have more screen time. The score by Progressive Rock band Goblin is great as always, even though it comes nowhere near the brilliance of the scores they did for Dario Argento's masterpieces. All in all, "La Via Della Droga" is a more than recommendable Poliziottesco that my fellow fans of Italian Crime cinema should enjoy.