Flatfoot (film)

Flatfoot
Flatfoot
Directed by	Steno
Screenplay by	Lucio de Caro
Story by	Luciano Vincenzoni; Nicola Badalucco;
Produced by	Sergio Bonotti
Starring	Bud Spencer; Adalberto Maria Merli; Raymond Pellegrin; Angelo Infanti;
Cinematography	Guido and Maurizio De Angelis
Production; companies	Mondial Te.Fi; C.A.P.A.C.;
Distributed by	Titanus
Release dates	25 October 1973 (Italy); 23 July 1975 (Paris);
Running time	110 minutes
Countries	Italy; France;
Box office	₤2.972 billion

Flatfoot (Italian: Piedone lo sbirro) is a 1973 poliziottesco-comedy film directed by Steno.^[3] The film starring Bud Spencer obtained a great commercial success, generated three sequels. It is followed by Flatfoot in Hong Kong, Flatfoot in Africa and Flatfoot in Egypt.^[4] The title song is performed by Santo & Johnny.

Plot summary

In Naples the Inspector Rizzo, nicknamed "Flatfoot", defeats a gang of drug traffickers. The criminals, from Marseille, were peddling drugs using frozen fish, but Flatfoot has managed to arrest them, with the help of a boss of the Neapolitan underworld, called Manomozza (snipped hand). After the arrest however, Flatfoot discovers that Manomozza did the double game and now intends to forge an alliance with the traffickers "Marseilles". Flatfoot, thanks to the tip from a friend, finds the place and time of the meeting between drug dealers, subdues them and sends everyone to jail.

Cast

Bud Spencer: Inspector "Flatfoot" Rizzo
Adalberto Maria Merli: Police Commissioner Tabassi
Raymond Pellegrin: Lawyer De Ribbis
Juliette Mayniel: Maria
Mario Pilar: Manomozza
Angelo Infanti: Ferdinando Scarano, "'O Barone"
Enzo Cannavale: Deputy Inspector Caputo
Nino Vingelli: Old Man of Camorra

Production

Steno stated that "For better or worse, Flatfoot was a crime flick, and I think that hadn't I directed Execution Squad, producers wouldn't have allowed me to do it."^[1]

Flatfoot was shot at Elios Film and Incir - De Paolis in Rome and on location in Naples.^[1]

Release

Flatfoot was released theatrically in Italy on 25 October 1973 where it was distributed by Titanus.^[1] The film grossed a total of 2.972 billion Italian lira on its release making Flatfoot the first and most commercially successful attempt at mixing the crime genre with comedy.^[1]

Footnotes

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Curti 2013, p. 82.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Curti 2013, p. 81.
^ Andrea Pergolari. Verso la commedia. Firenze libri, 2002. pp. 83–85.
^ Roberto Curti. Italia odia: il cinema poliziesco italiano. Lindau, 2006. pp. 176–177.