Umberto Lenzi is undoubtedly the king of Italian crime movies, but unfortunately; Syndicate Sadists is not the best examples of his work in this genre. Lenzi__APOS__s crime flicks tend to be a cut above the rest because he makes films based on stories with a point, and they don__APOS__t lack direction; but this film feels a bit too wayward to fully fit with the rest of his stuff. The film takes obvious influence from Sergio Leone__APOS__s landmark western __APOS__A Fistful of Dollars__APOS__ (which in turn, took influence from Akira Kurosawa__APOS__s landmark samurai flick Yojimbo), in that it features two warring families and a strong character at the centre. The crime that Lenzi focuses on is kidnapping, and we centre on a character called __APOS__Rambo__APOS__. Rambo is dragged into the war between the two families after his brother is killed because of it. Rambo uses his brains and brawn to pit the two families against one another, in the hope of gaining revenge for his brother__APOS__s death, rescuing a young boy that they__APOS__ve kidnapped, and ultimately letting the two sides destroy one another.
The film__APOS__s biggest asset is undoubtedly Tomas Milian. Milian was put to great use by Lenzi in almost all of his crime thrillers. The range of characters he has played for Lenzi is immense, and this one is easily one of the coolest. The character is called Rambo, which immediately sprang to mind the popular Sylvester Stallone character - but for once, the Italians actually haven__APOS__t stolen this name as Syndicate Sadists was released first! As usual, the film is wickedly entertaining, as we get to watch Milian get himself involved in the usual array of car chases, shootouts and brawls. Lenzi has got him riding a motorbike this time round, and every scene featuring it and Milian is a real standout! However, the film often feels like it doesn__APOS__t really have anywhere to go, and this means that the running time is stretched out more than it should be. Compared to the crime films of other Italian directors, Syndicate Sadists is more than above average; but in relation to Lenzi crime flicks such as Almost Human and The Cynic, The Rat and The Fist - it doesn__APOS__t stand tall as one of Lenzi__APOS__s best. Still, if you__APOS__re looking for ninety minutes of testosterone fuelled mayhem - Syndicate Sadists will suffice!
