Tough Guys (1974)

Tough Guys (1974) is another of those films I watched on a whim, going into it with no knowledge of the movie nor any expectations for it, yet ended up being pleasantly surprised. It tsolurned out to be an Italian made blaxploitation film, with its exteriors shot on location in Chicago and boasting a strong cast.  It also has one of those set-ups that sound like a parody - two-fisted ex con priest teams up with disgraced ex-cop to investigate a series of murders apparently connected to a bank robbery - but which actually works pretty well.  It helps that the two-fisted priest is played by Lino Ventura, (an Italian actor who starred in a lot of French films - Tough Guys was co-financed with French money), while the cop is portrayed by none other than Isaac Hayes, making his acting debut.  Their main antagonist throughout the film is Joe 'Snake', played by Fred Williamson, fresh off of the two 'Black Ceasar' films.  In truth, despite Williamson's top billing, his is actually a supporting role and he he enjoys minimal screen time.  

The centre of the film is the odd ball buddy pairing of Ventura and Hayes, which proves surprisingly effective, with the characterisations going against the usual stereotypes - here it's the priest who is the rule-breaker, quick with his fists, while Haye's ex-cop is more methodical and thoughtful in his approach to the case.  It helps that both leads have considerable screen presence: Ventura, who was usually cast as a tough cop or a gangster, cuts an imposing and convincingly physical figure, while Haye's softly spoken former cop, while no less physically imposing, brings real charisma to his down on his luck, but resourceful, character.  The role reversal of priest and cop - the former being headstrong and unconventional, toting a Tommy gun at one point, the latter more of a restraining influence - even extends to the priest having a superior continually calling him up on his conduct.  But instead of the usual irascible Irish police captain admonishing a maverick cop, we have an Irish bishop regularly reminding the rogue minister of his priestly duties and obligations. 

As directed by Spaghetti western veteran Duccio Tessari, Tough Guys flies by in a flurry of fist fights, gun fights and car chases, played out against a backdrop of run-down neighbourhoods, grimy back alleys and deserted industrial facilities.   It's all nicely photographed, has great production values, the action set pieces are well staged and it moves fast enough to gloss over the various absurdities of the plot and confusing story developments and delivers an enjoyable exploitation experience, helped greatly by Hayes' musical score.  In addition to the three leads, the film also features a strong supporting cast, including William Berger as a police captain antagonistic to Hayes' character, while Paula Kelly is the girlfriend of Williamson's former second in command, who was mixed up in the robbery.  Noted Italian comedian Luciano Salce plays the Bishop, (suitably dubbed with an Irish accent).  While Tough Guys might, superficially, be a blaxploitation film, it only plays lip service to that genre's usual conventions.  There is none of the social commentary or racial politics that would frequently be included in US made blaxploitation crime and gangster pictures.  Which is hardly surprising as, as far as the Italians were concerned, Blaxploitation was simply a another popular English language genre they could rip off, like westerns or war films.  So Tough Guys is essentially an action orientated crime movie in which various of the main cast happen to be black.