Maurizio Merli

Robert W · #1 08-15-2012, 11:02 PM

When I think Euro-Crime the first actor that always comes to mind is the late great Maurizio Merli.

Merli specialized is playing square-jawed cops pushed too far by crime and its attendant corruption and who invariable are forced to take the law into their own hands as result.

Some of my favorite roles of his were in Rome Armed To The Teeth, The Cynic, The Rat, and The Fist, Violent Naples, and A Special Cop In Action.

Sadly, Merli passed away at the far too young age of 49 from a massive heart attack. His death was truly a great loss for the Euro-crime genre.

Paul@Lovelockandload · #2 08-20-2012, 07:07 AM

Merlo was great. It's a she he died so young but he made a number of great films in his short-lived career.

My favourites are:

Violent Rome
Special Cop in Action
Violent Naples
Tough Ones (aka Rome Armed to the Teeth)

Pete · #3 08-20-2012, 08:34 AM

Ashamed to admit I haven't really seen that many of his films, which is quite surprising considering how much Italian stuff I watch.

I've only seen: FEAR IN THE CITY, VIOLENT NAPLES, MANNAJA: A MAN CALLED BLADE (he must have the whitest teeth in the west

), FROM CORLEONE TO BROOKLYN and THE CYNIC, THE RAT, AND THE FIST (My favourite by far).

I think there is one more which I can't remember at the minute.

Paul@Lovelockandload · #4 08-20-2012, 08:45 AM

Trust me, Pete, you need to see Tough Ones.

Splatterdragon73 · #5 08-22-2012, 11:39 AM

From Corleone To Brooklyn, Convoy Busters and Magnum Cop are the only Merli actioners i've seen so far. I also own the AWE and BU releases of Mannaja:A Man Called Blade but have yet to watch 'em.

There's also Violent Naples as part of Pop Flix's 'Mafia Kingpin' collection and this is another slice of Merli mayhem i'll have to check out in due course. The man was right up there with Franco Nero in the Italian cop thriller stakes imo.

Daemonia · #6 08-22-2012, 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul@Lovelockandload

It's a she he died so young

I never realised he'd had a sex change before he died.

Seriously though, great actor who made some class Italian films. Favourites would include Mannaja, Rome Armed to the Teeth and The Cynic, The Rat and The Fist. Apparently he got so involved in his roles that he would frequently go over-the-top in the fight scenes and end up hurting the stuntmen. He never got along with Tomas Milian though - wonder why that was?

Robert W · #7 08-22-2012, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daemonia

I never realised he'd had a sex change before he died.

Seriously though, great actor who made some class Italian films. Favourites would include Mannaja, Rome Armed to the Teeth and The Cynic, The Rat and The Fist. Apparently he got so involved in his roles that he would frequently go over-the-top in the fight scenes and end up hurting the stuntmen. He never got along with Tomas Milian though - wonder why that was?

I always thought that was a bit of ballyhoo myself.

Paul@Lovelockandload · #8 08-22-2012, 02:16 PM

I've not heard about that but I do know that Franco Nero was quite sniffy about him. Apparently he looked upon Merli as someone who was riding on his coat tails and given that his breakthrough VIOLENT ROME saw him star as a moustached copper directed by the father--Marino Girolami--of the director of Nero's most popular poliziotesschi (HIGH CRIME), you can understand why.

I love Merli though and never think of him as a poor man's Nero - the films he made with Lenzi in particular are worlds apart from Nero's forays into the crime genre.