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!。勤奋努力的地产经纪项少龙(张家辉 饰),求婚却因婚房太小而被拒。女友提出要在一年的时间里住上豪宅,对少龙来说简直就是个不可能的任务。每日都苦思赚钱大计的少龙突然遇到一个难得的好机会——一个名为“天下无双”的梦幻豪宅低价放盘。如果自己可以顺利买下再转手,便可一举实现目标。于是他找来四个人和他一起“炒楼”:金凤(郑秀文 饰)有一定资产正准备租房的女人;阿黑(Angelababy 饰)少龙前妻的女儿;Very(欧豪 饰)与少龙同一间地产公司的实习生、富二代。怎料刚刚买下豪宅就遇到政府打压炒楼,楼市惨淡。于是四人都搬进了单位,组成了一个临时家庭,各种矛盾也接踵而来……。