Just ended his great trilogy, the good Fernando Di Leo does not seem to have lost the best artistic talent and gives us a strange film and especially difficult to label. It is not a crime, is not a poliziottesco, could be a noir, but simply is a film of a very inspired Fernando Di Leo.
"Il poliziotto è marcio" hides behind a more than short title a different story, with a very strong meaning. We have already seen several corrupt cops but balanced by positive characters, but here there is a certain Malacarne which is the anti-hero main character and especially never repented of his choices.
A story all in black that Di Leo narrates well with a good dramatic crescendo. A though story stained by some narrative lightness and some absurd scenes. The character played by Vittorio Caprioli, a Neapolitan who immigrated to Milan who lives in a state of semi destitution and witnessed some strange things is a poor credible comic caricature. And more than that the mob kill him, and his cat, in a murder among the most useless of the history of cinema and made worse (thankfully we can see that the cat is a peluche).
The murder of the protagonist's girlfriend, played by Delia Boccardo is an unnecessary moment of violence that does not bring anything to the story.
But apart from these defects, Di Leo builds a compact and dense film with a surprising history, managing to bring out the best from actors, underline with a good direction.
The main protagonist is the beautiful Luc Merenda in the shoes of the aforementioned Commissioner Domenico Malacarne. A commissioner very different than his iron colleagues. Because Malacarne is estimated by the police, thanks to some intuitions, but at the same time it is useful to the underworld who he help in exchange for a reasonable salary. One day, however, he is in the midst of an arms trafficking run by two "nice" (as defined) Portuguese, that speak in Spanish (mah ...). He destroys their plans gain the front page of the newspapers, but starting also a quarrel with the underworld. He tries to deflect the subsequent investigation, also fueled by the unintentional confession of Serafino Esposito (Vittorio Caprioli) but it is too late, the "bad guys" have already planned a terrible revenge. Besides Esposito (and his cat), die Malacarne's father and his girlfriend too.
The father, Marshal Malacarne, played by an excellent Salvo Randone, is head of a Commissariat of Carabinieri who receives the testimony of Serafino Esposito. Unlike his son he is a modest man, good, that when discovers the truth about the son gives life to an argument that is the most intense part of the film. A series of accusations between the two, on the meaning of corruption and opportunism.
The dramatic crescendos well compose by Di Leo leads to a surprising but logical end.
A good example of genre cinema for a Di Leo who works with excellent actors. In addition to the aforementioned actors are Richard Conte, Raymond Pellegrin, Elio Zamuto and Gianni Santucci.