Search - Emergency Squad on DVD

Nearer two-and-a-half stars than three

Trevor Willsmer | London, England | 03/09/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Emergency Squad aka Squadra Volante (the latter actually translating as `Flying Squad') is an okayish no-budget poliziotteschi that there's absolutely no reason to watch but which fills the time slightly better than expected if you do. The usual cop out to find his wife's killer plot suffers from having a lead who is barely present (the usually reliable Tomas Milian is a surprisingly dull turn in an almost non-existent role), but there are a few minor flourishes (such as Milian imagining crooks standing in front of the targets in a pistol range) and it fulfils every exploitation film's remit: always include an explosion for the trailer and book a helicopter for one day's shooting.

The best moment comes not in the film itself but on the DVD extras in a brief but rambling interview with the film's dying director, Stelvio Massi, when he tries to remember the name of some American director who wrote him a fan letter until his wife suddenly remembers: "Tarantino?" "Yes, I think that's it."

NoShame's DVD also includes a typically egocentric interview with Milian (not as good as his interview on the Companeros DVD, sadly), Italian trailer and English dubbed and subtitled Italian language options, with a good widescreen transfer that's surprisingly good quality."