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's crime flicks tend to be a cut above the rest because he makes films based on stories with a point, and they don'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's landmark western 'A Fistful of Dollars' (which in turn, took influence from Akira Kurosawa'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 'Rambo'. 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's death, rescuing a young boy that they've kidnapped, and ultimately letting the two sides destroy one another.
The film'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'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'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't stand tall as one of Lenzi's best. Still, if you're looking for ninety minutes of testosterone fuelled mayhem - Syndicate Sadists will suffice!。五脉传人许愿替爷爷洗刷了汉奸之耻后,秉遗训,追查古董造假集团老朝奉,而情同手足的药不然却投靠老朝奉,许愿孤身调查,幸有女友黄烟烟帮助。追查中他得知故宫收藏的清明上河图为假,这是意图垄断国内古董真假市场的香港拍卖公司百瑞莲所设圈套。许愿险些中计,不得已和老朝奉联手,与药不然一起,几经曲折终于证明了故宫所藏为真品,然而,老朝奉老奸巨猾,并没有如约露面。许愿和黄烟烟历尽艰险,与老朝奉争夺青花瓷五罐,在卧底老朝奉集团的药不然帮助下揭开五罐之谜,借公海打捞沉船之机,揭露老朝奉正是潜伏在五脉中的沈云琛。至此,这个和五脉一并传承了千年的造假集团覆灭。许愿报了自家世仇,更为古董业铲除了毒瘤。。