Umberto Lenzi is undoubtedly the king of Italian crime movies, but unfortunately; Syndicate Sadists is not the best examples of his work in this genre. Lenzi's crime flicks tend to be a cut above the rest because he makes films based on stories with a point, and they don't lack direction; but this film feels a bit too wayward to fully fit with the rest of his stuff. The film takes obvious influence from Sergio Leone's landmark western 'A Fistful of Dollars' (which in turn, took influence from Akira Kurosawa's landmark samurai flick Yojimbo), in that it features two warring families and a strong character at the centre. The crime that Lenzi focuses on is kidnapping, and we centre on a character called 'Rambo'. Rambo is dragged into the war between the two families after his brother is killed because of it. Rambo uses his brains and brawn to pit the two families against one another, in the hope of gaining revenge for his brother's death, rescuing a young boy that they've kidnapped, and ultimately letting the two sides destroy one another.
The film's biggest asset is undoubtedly Tomas Milian. Milian was put to great use by Lenzi in almost all of his crime thrillers. The range of characters he has played for Lenzi is immense, and this one is easily one of the coolest. The character is called Rambo, which immediately sprang to mind the popular Sylvester Stallone character - but for once, the Italians actually haven't stolen this name as Syndicate Sadists was released first! As usual, the film is wickedly entertaining, as we get to watch Milian get himself involved in the usual array of car chases, shootouts and brawls. Lenzi has got him riding a motorbike this time round, and every scene featuring it and Milian is a real standout! However, the film often feels like it doesn't really have anywhere to go, and this means that the running time is stretched out more than it should be. Compared to the crime films of other Italian directors, Syndicate Sadists is more than above average; but in relation to Lenzi crime flicks such as Almost Human and The Cynic, The Rat and The Fist - it doesn't stand tall as one of Lenzi's best. Still, if you're looking for ninety minutes of testosterone fuelled mayhem - Syndicate Sadists will suffice!
杜立德(艾迪·墨菲 Eddie Murphy 饰)因为拥有能够和动物交流的特殊能力而在当地名声大噪,拜访他的除了人类以外,前来寻求帮助的动物亦是络绎不绝,一时间,杜立德忙的焦头烂额,在无形之中忽略了家人们的感受。 一天,一群动物找到了杜立德,它们赖以生存的森林即将被砍伐,它们希望杜立德能够帮助它们保护唯一的家园。杜立德在森林里找到了珍稀物种太平洋熊艾娃(莉莎·库卓 Lisa Kudrow 配音),只要能给艾娃觅得一配偶,那么就可以要求政府保护这片森林。在马戏团里,杜立德找来了早已经被人类驯化的大熊阿奇(史蒂夫·茨恩 Steve Zahn 配音),但很显然,阿奇并没能够吸引到艾娃的注意。
杜立德医生(艾迪·墨菲 Eddie Murphy饰)拥有一个幸福的家庭,一个小有名气的诊所,没有人知道他曾经有着异常的经历,那就是能够听懂动物的说话。小时候,他就和猫狗马驴之类的动物交谈过,了解动物的需要,知道它们的心事。随着岁数增长,杜立德医生早已失去了这个“特异功能”。然而,他却因为一次开车差点撞上路边的小狗,似乎又能听到了小狗骂他笨蛋。这下子杜立德的生活可热闹起来了,因为他沉睡已久的动物语言天赋又被重新唤醒,阿猫阿狗不但成为了他的朋友,还主动找上门来找杜立德医生看病。诊所变成了熙熙攘攘的动物世界,而生意也因此陷入低迷。人人都以为杜立德疯了,家人对他的行为也非常的不理解,杜立德医生和他的诊所面临着不小的挑战。