‘Vai gorilla’ (1975) - A review
Released in 1975, ‘Vai Gorilla’ is the first italocrime film from director Tonino Valerii (better known his westerns and the giallo ‘My dear killer’) and with that inexperience comes both a fresh take and poor genre execution. Although, perhaps that unique take is just a repackaging of his usual fare, but then again aren’t a lot of euro crime films updated westerns?
Inspired in part by the kidnapping industry that really boomed around that time, the story follows Marco Sartori (played by the always good Fabio Testi), a former stuntman who had to retire because of injury. Because of his former role, Marco is a top shooter and a member of a local gun range, and his fellow weapon enthusiasts set him up as a gorilla, slang for bodyguard..
They do this with a clever setup of local manufacturer, Gaetano Sampioni (the familiar face of Renzo Palmer), practically tricking him into hiring help. However, Sampioni is soon the victim of extortion, with mysterious criminals threatening both violence and kidnapping.
Despite their almost strained relationship, unlike that which develops between Sartori and Sampioni’s daughter, and some personal and family issues, Sartori is driven to identify the criminals and save Sampioni’s money and family - even after the manufacturer has fired him! Classic.
Beyond that, this film has a little more heart than your typical euro crime fare, but that’s not the reason most of us watch it. Away from the contemporary context, it’s all about the action.
Here Valerii proves a mixed bag as I found the opening hour perfunctory at best and weak at worst (for example the choice to exclude the intense sound of metal-on-metal and roaring engines during a car chase, opting to give us a soundtrack of ill-suited music instead, resulting in detachment from what looked to be a gripping scene). However, in the final half-hour, things really ramp up from a tense elevator scene, yes I know how that sounds, to a rampaging Testi taking part in a terrific gun fight and a chase that really puts an earlier one to shame. Poor cyclist on the track. Watch and find out.
Overall ‘Vai gorilla’ is well-written and well-acted. It offers something slightly different with its protagonist, but despite some solid scenes and a captivating finale, it’s not a classic.
