LIVE LIKE A COP, DIE LIKE A MAN DVD Review

RaroVideo:

Referenced in Tarantino's Kill Bill Vol. 2, Uomini si Nasce Poliziotti si Muore (Live Like A Cop, Die Like A Man, 1976) opens with an insane motorcycle chase that was filmed in rush hour in downtown Rome with no permission from the local authorities. To top it off, this is one of the most violent and unconventional Italian style action films of its time. The credit goes to the director, Ruggero Doedato, best known for his infamous and censored film Cannibal Holocaust, and the scriptwriter Fernando Di Leo, author and director of some of the best Italian gangster films from the 70s such as Caliber 9, The Boss and The Italian Connection. Never before in film history have we seen such nihilistic and pathological behavior from protagonists, who in this film happen to be two policeman: Alfredo (Marc Porel) and Antonio (Ray Lovelock), members of an anti-crime squad who shoot down their assailants even before they have committed a crime.

I'm not going to pretend to be any kind of expert on Italian crime films.  I am, however, a fan of films that kick ass, and in that regard Ruggero Deodato's (Cannibal Holocaust) Live Like a Cop, Die Like a Man succeeds in spades. The film is fast paced, violent, and action packed.  I cannot recommend this highly enough!

Live Like a Cop, Die Like a Man has relatively little story, but I think that works in its favor.  The film begins with a fifteen minute motorcycle chase in which the two surly, ultra violent cops are chasing down a criminal completely without regard to what is going on in their periphery.  These days we're used to seeing cops abandon chases because there are threats to public safety, but that is not these cops concern.  They want to catch the bad guy and fuck him up, no matter what.  That is what is great about this film, it is like a shotgun blast of violence.

There are tons of movies about renegade cops, but this is nothing like those films.  These cops aren't turning to violence as a last resort after exhausting their legal options, they are using violence as their first and only tactic.  They enjoy the killing.  Shit, if they weren't cops, they'd be killing people for fun, at least this way only the bad guys are dying, right?  Every few minutes in the film they find themselves in front of their captain who gives them what for right before giving them tacit approval of their actions.  It is a beautiful cycle, and one that results in a lot of blood on the streets, and arguably just as much violence as there would have been without these two cops doing what they do.  They don't reduce violence on the streets, they merely redirect it.

Ruggero Deodato's direction is breathtaking.  The film never stops moving, and ninety-five minutes feels like a breeze in Live Like a Cop, Die Like a Man (yes, I love the title).  The film is well shot, the characters are appropriately nasty (on both sides of the badge), and you never get bored.  Isn't that what entertainment is all about? 

The Disc:

RaroVideo's presentation of Live Like a Cop, Die Like a Man is excellent.  The film is 35 years old and looks it's age, but the image is still vibrant, sharp, and striking.  The promotional material says that the image comes from a new HD transfer of the original negative, and I believe it.  The audio is pretty decent as well; audio almost never fares as well in older films as the video, if only because there were fewer audio whiz-bang tools back then. 

The main extra is Poliziotti Violenti, a forty minute documentary on Italian crime films and this one in particular.  I found it very entertaining, and even a little bit informative.  It is a welcome addition to this package.  Also included is a booklet with critical analysis of the film, which is nice for adding context, but I think this type of film is really critic proof.

I loved it and recommend it highly!