Milano: il clan dei Calabresi

Here's a premise not often witnessed in a Eurocrime film: Antonio Sabato is a mobster trying in vain to fend off a rival gang from moving in on his territory, but during an attempt on his life, he tries to escape by breaking into an experimental laboratory. Inside, he is bitten by a diseased rat and has only a few hours to get revenge before he dies of some terrible disease!

The cops get wind that someone has been bitten but they have no idea who, but Antonio learns he's infected via a radio appeal made by the cops, and also finds out who is real friends are as he has to deal with his gang double crossing him, as well as just about everyone else turning on him as he's a walking dead man. Cue Antonio getting some good old revenge on everyone while getting increasingly sick.

I've been hard on Antonio Sabato in the past for his slightly dodgy acting* but here he gives it his all. He's not playing a put upon good guy, he's playing a bad guy who would rather kill traitors than give himself up to be treated. The pace is fast as we get car chases, gunfights, and even a bit of gore thrown in for good measure. I couldn't have made up the ending if I tried either. Not much to say storywise, except there's a bit of drama in there between Antonio and his long-suffering wife, but this one keeps on going until the strange ending.

*Compared to his son, Antonio Sabato Jnr, however, he's like Lawrence Olivier. Junior appears in SyFy channel films so dire even I won't watch them.