Almost Human (1974, Umberto Lenzi)

As you could probably tell from my last few reviews, Tomas Milian is one of the greats from the Italian Crime genre. Whether he is portraying a cop or a ruthless villain, Milian's acting ability definitely stands out and more often than not, steals the show. Almost Human is a perfect example of this.

Almost Human features Milian as a small time crook Giulio Sacchi who decides that his current means of income are not making him as much money as he wants. He decides to take things a step further and kidnap a rich man's daughter. Along the way his violent streak gets a little out of control and he starts killing everyone he meets. Cop Walter Grandi (Henry Silva) takes the case and will stop at nothing to get Sacchi, even if it means killing in cold blood.

Umberto Lenzi hits another home run with this wildly violent and exciting film. Milian again steals the show as Sacchi, the demented man-child rapist who goes toes over tits crazy at the drop of a hat. This movie had some of the most depraved scenes I have seen in a poliziotteschi, especially the "human roulette wheel" and the "teddy bear falling down the stairs" scenes. Henry Silva does a great job as an enraged cop sick of criminals being let off easy. The whole cast and stunts are all excellent and every time it seems the action is about to let up, the audience gets a swift cockpunch. If you're looking for a sick, violent crime film with non-stop action and blood, then this is for you.

RATING: 5/5