Caliber 9: this stylish crime film, by Fernando Di Leo, follows an ex-con who, as he leaves prison, is approached by everybody, since no one, despite all his protests, believes he didn’t hide a bag full of money after a heist: not his old boss, not the police, not his old girlfriend. The film, for its time, is unapologetically violent and walks effectively the tightrope of having a criminal (but an honorable one) as its hero. Interestingly, the film dedicates a significant portion of time to a debate between police officers on how to properly conduct law enforcement, even if it has little bearing on the very simple plot. Gastone Moschin effectively plays the brutish-looking, stone-faced protagonist, partly because of who he is; the stunning Barbara Bouchet plays his old girlfriend, but she doesn’t offer much more than her beauty to the role; Mario Adorf, as the sadistic gangster, is quite good; Frank Wolff and Luigi Pistilli, as the bickering, ideologically opposed cops, are also rather effective. Director of photography Franco Villa is dynamic with his camera placement, and editor Amedeo Giomini gives the film a nice, hectic pace. It is composer Luis Bacalov, however, who shines the most, with his memorable, twisting, thrilling musical score.