Fernando Di Leo's Milano Calibro 9 is an out-and-out masterpiece of Italian Crime cinema and, in my opinion, one of the most astonishing crime stories ever told. The first film in Di Leo's excellent 'Milieu' trilogy, Milano Calibro 9 was followed by La Mala Ordina (aka. Manhunt, also 1972) and the brilliant Il Boss (1973). The three films are not connected story-wise, but all three are excellent, and highly realistic portrayals of organized crime. As far as I am concerned Manhunt is (allthough excellent) slightly inferior to this one and Il Boss which both stand out as absolute all-time highlights of crime cinema. Milano Calibro 9 is the best of them all, a film that is astonishing in all aspects, be it the ingenious plot that, apart from a compelling story and clever twists, includes social criticism, the performances, the gritty atmosphere and suspense or the brilliant score. I can hardly find the right words to express my admiration for this masterpiece which easily ranks among the greatest Gangster flicks ever brought to screen.　　Gastone Moschin stars as Ugo Piazza, a tough and elliptical ex-convict who has just been released from prison. Immediately after his release, Ugo is approached by members of the Milan mob lead by the irascible gangster Rocco (Mario Adorf), as they suspect him to be responsible for the disappearance of a large sum of money belonging to their boss, an American (Lionel Stander) who controls the organized crime in Milan...　　Milano Calibro 9 is a film that delivers an astonishingly realistic mood of the underworld like hardly another. The intriguing storyline goes in hand with interesting characters, raw atmosphere, suspense and breathtaking action, social criticism and brutal violence. The film is simply stunning from the beginning to the end, which is even intensified by the brilliant score, a collaboration of the famous composer Luis Enríquez Bacalov and the Italian Progressive Rock band Osanna. Ugo Piazza must be one of the most charismatic gangster characters ever in cinema, and Gastone Moschin was the prefect choice for the role. Moschin delivers a brilliant performance, and the rest of the cast is also great. Mario Adorf is irascible like a rabid dog as the ferocious gangster Rocco, a role that fits him like a glove. The great Lionel Stander fits perfectly in his role of the American Mafia Don.　　The two cop characters in the film are played by two of the greatest regulars of Italian genre-cinema, Luigi Pistilli and Frank Wolff (who committed suicide before the film was released). The ravishing Barbara Bouchet is astonishing and incredibly sexy in the role of Ugo Piazza's stripper girlfriend. Bouchet is both a stunning beauty and an excellent actress and this is doubtlessly one of her most memorable roles. This is also a political film and director Di Leo embedded a lot of social criticism about topics like corruption. This film simply has everything one can possibly desire in cinema. Films like Milano Calibro 9 are the reason why I love cinema. This is an absolute masterpiece in all regards and, without exaggeration, one of the greatest Crime flicks ever made! The ingenious opening scene alone is more memorable than most films get in two hours.

米兰九口径：欲望的迷宫，罪恶的炼狱

《米兰九口径》是一部2005年的意大利犯罪惊悚电影，由吉赛贝·托纳多雷执导，讲述了意大利米兰黑手党势力之间勾心斗角、血腥杀戮的故事。影片以其复杂的人物关系、阴暗的氛围和残酷的暴力场景著称，揭示了权力、欲望和死亡交织下的社会现实。

故事发生在米兰，一个名为“九口径”的黑帮组织正处于权力更迭的关键时期。老首领安东尼奥·法兰西斯科·“唐·安东尼奥”·阿玛托即将退休，他需要选定一位继承人接管势力。然而，他的两个儿子，马可和阿尔贝托，以及其他几位实力雄厚的人物都虎视眈眈，为了争夺权力不惜一切代价。

马可，作为安东尼奥的次子，性格冷静沉着，头脑精明，他渴望获得父亲的认可和信任，并最终成为家族的掌权者。然而，他对家族传统的敬畏让他犹豫不决，也让他在权力斗争中显得优柔寡断。

阿尔贝托，安东尼奥的大儿子，则是一个野心勃勃、手段狠辣的暴徒。他对权力的渴望让他失去了理智，他不断挑起事端，企图用暴力来威慑对手，最终却落入了一个精心设计的陷阱。

与此同时，安东尼奥的另一个儿子，保罗，则对家族生意毫无兴趣，他只想远离黑帮的暴力和黑暗。然而，命运的齿轮开始转动，他被卷入了这场血腥的权力斗争，不得不做出选择。

除了家族成员之间的明争暗斗，黑帮内部还隐藏着其他势力。安东尼奥的妻子，玛丽亚，拥有着惊人的智慧和强大的影响力。她利用自己的魅力和手腕，在幕后操控着家族的命运。

另一方面，米兰警方也对“九口径”的行动进行着密切的调查，警探马特奥·贝尔蒂是一位经验丰富的警察，他深知黑帮内部的复杂关系，也对安东尼奥家族的阴谋有着自己的判断。他与黑帮之间展开了一场生死博弈，试图将他们绳之以法。

随着故事的展开，各个角色的命运交织在一起，他们之间的关系也变得更加复杂。马可逐渐认识到，为了保护自己和家人，他必须抛弃过去的犹豫，做出自己的选择。阿尔贝托的野心让他步步走向深渊，最终被自己的欲望吞噬。保罗则在家族的命运和个人理想之间挣扎，最终选择了放弃一切，寻求自由。

电影以一场血腥的决战作为结尾，最终获得胜利的是马可，他接手了家族的领导权，但他深知自己只是站在了权力顶峰，未来充满了未知和挑战。

《米兰九口径》不仅仅是一部黑帮电影，它还反映了意大利社会在权力、金钱和暴力之间的挣扎。影片的叙事手法简洁有力，人物形象鲜明立体，暴力场面真实震撼，展现了黑帮世界中的残酷现实。电影中的人物都身陷欲望的迷宫，无法逃脱罪恶的炼狱，他们的命运预示着每个人都在追逐权力和财富的过程中，可能失去自我，走向毁灭。