A top undercover cop finds and arrests a series of purse snatchers until he discovers an American at the top of an evil ring of thieves.
| Tagline | The Cop in Blue Jeans...is dressed to kill. |
| Release Date: | Mar 11, 1976 |
| Genres: | Action, Crime, Drama |
| Production Company: | Cinemaster |
| Production Countries: | Italy |
| Casts: | Tomas Milian, Jack Palance, Maria Rosaria Omaggio, Guido Mannari, Jack La Cayenne, Raf Luca, Benito Stefanelli, Toni Ucci, Marcello Martana, Vincenzo Crocitti, Roberto Chiappa |
| Status: | Released |
| Budget: | $0 |
| Revenue: | 0 |
***Roman Serpico, sort of*** Released in 1976, “The Cop in Blue Jeans” is a loner-cop thriller in the mold of “Dirty Harry” (1971) and “Serpico” (1973). The titular protagonist even looks like Serpico. The difference is that this is an Italian production directed & co-written by Bruno Corbucci. The plot revolves around an undercover cop named Nico Giraldi (Tomas Milian) who arrests several thugs of the purse snatching variety and zeroes-in on the mastermind of the ring (Jack Palance). The Italian title is “Squadra Antiscippo,” which means “Swindle Squad” and I assume refers to the theft ring. Anyway, the movie’s an interesting way to observe the more obscure parts of Rome in the mid-70s. The story’s relatively compelling and there’s a lot of undercover cop type of action (naturally). Maria Rosaria Omaggio is easy on the eyes, but not enough is done with her. Nico’s pet mouse, named Serpico, is a nice addition. While this is a decent Euro flick and worth catching for the highlights noted, don’t expect the greatness of any of the Dirty Harry installments. The film runs 1 hour, 31 minutes and was shot in Rome. GRADE: B-/C+
