It is a kind of remake of Milan 9-mm, Set in Rome. The original title of screenplay was no accident Rome caliber 9 (Which was then in production Red blood diamonds and finally Dirty blood diamonds).
In addition to the similarity of plot the film proposes Barbara Bouchet in a role very similar to that interpreted Milan 9-mm. But the film reverses the assumptions of the previous year, and revises the original film. A robber, after five years in prison, comes into conflict with his former gang leader, due to traffic diamonds.
Just released ex-convict Guido watches his girlfriend get killed on the way home from prison. He thinks the killing is connected with the events that led to him going to jail five years back. Guido starts to investigate...
In many ways a typical late DiLeo- crime film: unimaginative lightning, boring sets, unimpressive action sequences. Yet I think just because of the grittiness of the script, this one easily rises above the other DiLeo- turkeys I've seen.
Decent acting in the form of especially Barbara Bouchet and Guido's main adversary Martin Balsam, who stand out positively. Most importantly, the plot really thickens towards the end climaxing in a truly memorable final scene between Guido and Martin Balsam's Rizzo.
Released on video in Finland in the eighties.
Not Fernando Di Leo's best Polizi flick, 29 May 2008
Fernando Di Leo gets a lot of harsh criticism, but in my opinion; he's been behind some of the very burst Polizi flicks to come out of Italy, in particular The Italian Connection and Milano Calibre 9. On the strength of this film, however, you would be forgiven for thinking he's more than just a little bit sub-par as despite some truly excellent action scenes; Blood and Diamonds is not a completely successful film, and a lot of that is down to the fact that the plot doesn't flow too well and the film constantly fluctuates between exciting and boring. The plot focuses on a man named Guido who goes down for robbery. He is released several years later and gets picked up by his girlfriend. They decide to take the bus, and it turns out to be a bad decision as the bus comes under attack by a gang of thugs and despite the heroic ex-convict jumping the rescue of his fellow passengers; it doesn't stop the thugs from murdering his girlfriend. Guido begins to suspect that the murder may have some connection from his time inside and resolves to get to the bottom of it.
 | ANNO: 1972 |
| REGIA: Fernando Di Leo |
| CON: Gastone Moschin, Barbara Bouchet, Mario Adorf, Frank Wolff, Luigi Pistilli, Ivo Garrani, Philippe Leroy, Lionel Stander |
| MUSICHE: Luis Enriquez Bacalov / Osanna |
| DVD: Raro Video |
 |  |  |
| Torre Branca | Viale Cervantes | Metro Piazza Duomo |
 |  |  |
| Darsena | Naviglio Grande | Naviglio Pavese |
 |  |  |
| Duomo | Stazione Centrale | Carcere San Vittore |
 |  |  |
| Ponte Naviglio Grande | Ripa di Porta Ticinese 5 | Ripa di Porta Ticinese 5 |
 |  |  |
| Ripa di Porta Ticinese 5 | Torre Velasca | Via Paolo da Cannobio |
The opening is actually pretty good and makes you think you might be in for another excellent thrill ride, but unfortunately the bus sequence is never matched until the very end and by then it's too little too late. Prolific Italian actor Claudio Cassinelli takes the lead role and does a fairly good job with it, although he's not charismatic enough to lead the film on his own. His two main co-stars stand out more than he does, and the beautiful Barbara Bouchet as well as American actor Martin Balsam deliver great supporting performances. There's not a great deal of thrills during the middle of the film, which is a shame as this type of film is famed for shootouts and car chases; only an indoor fist fight is really memorable. Thankfully the plot does start to thicken as the film moves into the final third, although we are never really given a good reason to care for the lead character and so his plight is not all that interesting - that being said, the ending itself is better than the vast majority of what came before it. Overall, Blood and Diamonds is not a must see Polizi flick and I would only recommend it to hardened fans of the genre.
hardened fans of the genre.
