Caliber 9

Caliber 9

Italian poster for Milano calibro 9
Directed by Fernando Di Leo
Produced by Armando Novelli[1]
Written by Fernando Di Leo[1]
Based on Milano calibro 9 
by Giorgio Scerbanenco
Starring
Music by Luis Enríquez Bacalov[1]
Cinematography Franco Villa[1]
Edited by Amedeo Giomini[1]
Production
companies
Cineproduzioni Daunia '70[2]
Distributed by Lia Film
Release dates
  • 15 February 1972 (1972-02-15)
Country Italy[2]
Box office ₤754 million

Caliber 9 (Italian: Milano calibro 9) is a poliziottesco film written and directed by the Italian crime film specialist Fernando Di Leo in 1972. The film is based on a novel of the same name written by Giorgio Scerbanenco.[3]

The soundtrack for the film, Preludio Tema Variazioni e Canzona, is a collaboration album between Luis Enríquez Bacalov and the Italian progressive rock group Osanna.[4]

Milano calibro 9 is the first part in Di Leo's Milieu Trilogy. The film was followed by La mala ordina (Manhunt) in 1972 and by Il boss (The Boss) in 1973.[5]

Plot

Small-time gangster Ugo Piazza (Gastone Moschin) is released from prison. He tries to convince the police, the mafia, his psychotic ex-friend Rocco (Mario Adorf) and his girlfriend Nelly Bordon (Barbara Bouchet) that he wants to go straight, but everyone believes he has $300,000 of stolen money hidden somewhere.

Cast

Release

Caliber 9 was released in Italy on February 15, 1972 where it was distributed by Lia Film.[2] It grossed a total of 754,443,000 Italian lire on its theatrical run in Italy.[2]

The film was released on blu-ray by Raro Video on February 22, 2011.[6] It was released again on blu-ray and DVD by Arrow Video on June 16, 2015.[7]

Reception

From contemporary reviews, a 98 minute English-dub titled The Contract was reviewed by John Raisbeck of the Monthly Film Bulletin.[8] Raisbeck stated that "after a briskly edited pre-credits sequence, [...] The Contract degenerates into a patchy gangster thriller".[8] The review noted that the film "announces a number of themes-the crime syndicate's big business connections, the Melvillian respect shared by the two professionals Ugo and Chino-without developing any of them satisfactorily."[8]

The review critiqued Mario Adorf's acting stating it "often verges on caricature".[8]

In popular culture

The film was referenced in Kobe Bryant's Nike Italia advertisement campaign short entitled "Milano Kalibro Kobe", and featured Italy international footballers Giampaolo Pazzini, Gennaro Gattuso, Alberto Aquilani, Claudio Marchisio and Marco Materazzi, Dutch international footballer Wesley Sneijder and Italian NBA star Marco Belinelli in parodies of the original characters.[9][10][11]

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Credits (booklet). Arrow Video. 2015. p. 3. FCD929.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Curti 2013, p. 52.
  3. ↑ Curti, Roberto (2015). Film Noir, Itailan Style: Giorgio Scerbanenco, Fernando Di Leo and Milano Calibro 9 (booklet). Arrow Video. p. 10. FCD929.
  4. ↑ "Osanna". ItalianProg. Retrieved 7 January 2007.
  5. ↑ "Milano calibro 9 (Milan Calibre 9)". Tate Modern. Archived from the original on 24 December 2007. Retrieved 7 January 2007.
  6. ↑ "Caliber 9 Milano Calibro 9". Raro Video USA. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Milano Calibro 9". Arrow Films. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Raisbeck, John (1974). "Contract, The "(Milano Calibro 9)"". Monthly Film Bulletin (London) 41 (480): 11. ISSN 0027-0407.
  9. ↑ Youtube
  10. ↑ "Milano Kalibro Kobe". kobebryant.com. 29 February 2012.
  11. ↑ "Milano calibro Kobe. Bryant sbarca in tour in Italia". sport.sky.it. 23 September 2011.

References

  • Curti, Roberto (2013). Italian Crime Filmography, 1968-1980. McFarland. ISBN 0786469765. 

External links


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