WAKE UP AND KILL is an early Italian crime film, charting the rise and fall of an international robber who begins by stealing from jewellery stores with the aid of an axe and soon works his way up the criminal ladder. It has plenty of the style to spare that you expect from Italian cinema, and it features dedicated performances from leads Robert Hoffmann and Lisa Gastoni as the always-fleeing duo whose life is a little reminiscent of that of Bonnie and Clyde. This kind of film sowed the scenes for the great Italian polizia movies that would proliferate in the 1970s, and it has strongly-directed action scenes. Unfortunately, after a strong start it loses track in the second half and slows down to a crawl, ending on a weak climax.
Review of Wake Up and Die
