Directed by: Mario Bava
Stars: Lea Lander, George Eastman, Riccardo Cucciolla, Don Backy, Maurice Poli, Erika Dario, Marisa Fabbri
Language: Italian | Subtitles: English
Country: Italy | Imdb Info
Also known as: Cani arrabbiati, Kidnapped
Description: A violent armed robbery leaves three ruthless criminals—Doc (Maurice Poli), Blade, and the unhinged Thirty-Two (George Eastman)—stranded and desperate for a getaway. Their escape spirals into a nightmare when they hijack a car carrying a father (Riccardo Cucciolla) and his sick child, along with a terrified hostage (Lea Lander). Trapped together under the sweltering summer sun, the group is forced into a tense, claustrophobic road trip filled with cruelty, fear, and escalating violence. Every stop brings new dangers, from attempted escapes to near-rapes and sudden bursts of bloodshed, as the captives cling to hope against their captors’ sadism.
But in true Mario Bava fashion, nothing is as it seems. As paranoia mounts and bodies fall, the shocking final twist reveals that the line between victim and villain was never clear, turning this gritty crime thriller into one of the most ruthless and surprising entries in 1970s Italian cinema.
Info:
Originally shot in 1974 under the title ‘L’uomo e il bambino’, this film was shelved when one of the film financial backers died and ownership of the picture became entangled in bankruptcy proceedings before post-production had been completed, which prevented its theatrical release.
The film sat on a shelf for almost 25 years until actress Lea Lander rescued it from oblivion by helping finance a DVD release: a new short prologue was shot, according to Bava’s original script, and editing and scoring were completed using existing available materials.
In 2002 producer Alfredo Leone and director Lamberto Bava (Mario’s son), allegedly dissatisfied with the DVD edit, produced a new restored version of the film. Lamberto Bava and his son Roy shot additional footage and original composer Stelvio Cipriani created a new complete musical score (though the DVD release employed some of Cipriani’s cues and themes, the film was never properly scored in 1974).
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