Comparison between the US theatrical - and the uncut version. Both versions can be found on the US Blu-Ray published by Code Red.

When respectable citizen Carlo Antonelli wants to make a deposit to the bank he witnesses a bank robbery involving 3 ruthlessly acting perpetratros. The perpetrators take him hostage and are able to escape from the police after a pursuit across the city, Carlos is left behind injured. Without hope that the police will catch the bank robbers and hurt in his pride Carlos decides to put justice in his own hands. To get insight to the crime underworld he extorts the small time gangster Tommy to help him. Eventually Carlos is able to trace the three bank robbers. When the police arrives at the scene too late the gangsters are able to flee smoothly, ramping up Carlos' fury with the police force. Armed and with the help of Tommy, Carlos is certain to hunt them down.

Street Law, a classic street justice movie where a citizen looses faith in the government and starts to believe the only possibility to settle the incurred injustice is by arming himself against his enemies. Within the movie the police is represented as corrupt and incapable to handle the crime underworld, only after Carlos leaks his investigations to the press the police is willing declare war on crime. Franc Nero plays the role of the enraged citizen in depth, director Enzo G. Castellari proves his magic touch and an unerring eye for compelling action scenes. The beautiful Barbara Bach stars in a supporting role as Carlos' wife. She is acting as a sort of conscience who is trying to allure him from his actions. Castellari would revisit this topic 2 years later in a similar movie: The Big Raket. Also in The Big Raket, a group of citizens arms themselves to defend against a terrorizing criminal gang.

Three versions can be found on the US Blu-Ray by Code Red. The main version is uncut in 1.85:1 aspect ratio and was already released before by Blue Underground on DVD. The Blue Underground DVD version has a slightly longer runtime in comparision to the main version of the Code Red Blu-Ray, due to a black screen accentuated with music after the credits. In addition, the Code Red Blu-Ray features a 2017 version in 1.66:1 aspect ratio which is titeled Anonymous Avenger. It has the same runtime as the main version. The third version on the disc is the heavily cut US theatrical version, which was taken from a faded print. Approximately 25 minutes of the plot was cut out, presumably in order to be able to show the movie in a double feature. This version is in a surprising good condition without major soilings or faults, except a few film breaks at the reel changes.


Runtime:

US version: 76:20 Min.
Uncut: 101:46 Min.

[00:00:00][00:00:00]

The uncut version starts with a scene where three men break into, devastate and finally torch a flat.

UC: 1:36 Min.


[00:00:17][00:01:52]

Alternative titelscreen.

No time difference.


[00:11:48][00:13:23]

The camera cuts to Carlo after the car door has been opened. One of the police officers remarks to him to stay calm and that help is on the way.

UC: 13 Sek.


[00:12:02][00:13:50]

Carlo can be seen longer sitting in the car, he mutters that he will kill the kidnappers. The camera cuts to the photographers.

UC: 10 Sek.


[00:14:44][00:16:42]

Barbara drives Carlo back home. She reckons that it was risky to insult the police like that. Carlo says he had to fear for his life, since they insulted his honor. He wants to find the bank robbers and kill them. Barbara replies he needs to be sensible and that it is better to be a coward than an Idiot. Carlo accepts this but notes that nobody protects citizens from gangsters like these.

Back at home Carlo walks around in the flat furiously. He feels deserted, the police even alleged that he is in cahoots with the bank robbers. Carlo wants to take the law into his own hands. Barbara tries to allure him from his plans humorously, by suggesting to marry her first before performing further heroics.

UC: 1:20 Min.


[00:15:41][00:18:59]

Carlo is searching for the kidnappers by walking and driving across the city.

The US Version starts this sequence later.

UC: 1:04 Min.


[00:19:51][00:24:12]

Carlo can be seen longer inside the car. Carlo is talking to his lawyer in the next scene, the lawyer is calling him insane for intruding the criminal underworld. However, Carlo wants his lawyer, who thinks this would be much too dangerous, to help him unsuccesfully. Carlo replies he should be proud of him and that the lawyer has betrayed his former principles for fighting crime. He believes it is his duy to rebell from now on.

In the next scene Carlo can be seen to search an archive. The archivist is talking insistenly to Carlo.

UC: 2:23 Min.


[00:20:04][00:26:48]

The scene of Carlo searching the archives is extended. He finds several newspaper articles containing the same wanted persons. He cuts out the articles to take them with him. Barbara approaches him and asks if he found something.

UC: 40 Sek.


[00:21:27][00:28:51]

Barbara tells the caller that she is working on it, she can then be seen watching the picture with the dog.

Carlo walks across the lab to his desk. At the desk he assembles his camera. He then tells a colleague that he will be gone for a few days.

The newspaper artikel about the three gangsters is shown.

UC: 59 Sek.


[00:22:37][00:30:59]

Carlo can be seen longer in the car. He asks himself how the boy new that he was observed by him.

UC: 5 Sek.


[00:25:19][00:33:46]

Tommy is sneaking into a lecture at the university. He puts down an envelope with photos inside, taken by Carlo during the robbery, in front of his colleague Julio. Julio replies that trouble is coming ahead, both men consider who could be responsible for the photos. They joke around that the pictures are quite good.

UC: 1:14 Min.


[00:28:13][00:37:54]

Tommy glues additional metal pieces together, A nude woman approaches the doorframe and asks what he is doing. Tommy replies he is preparing a put-on for a friend.

UC: 18 Sek.


[00:33:02][00:43:01]

Gambino complemented that ammunition costs extra.

Tommy drives to the warehouse to collect the guns. Carlo followed him with his own car and is hiding in the bushes. Carlo is making pictures while Tommy is storing the weapons in his car.

Tommy is having a phone call with Carlo. He is demanding the negstives, Carlo tells him that he wantds to hire the best thiefs and Tommy should act as fixer.

Tommy waits in front of a nightclub.

UC: 2:17 Min.


[00:35:57][00:48:13]

Carlo can be seen in the bushes. He is sure that he got them. The camera cuts to the warehouse.

UC: 7 Sek.


[00:36:42][00:49:05]

The gangsters are fleeing in their cars. Carlo can be seen in the police department in the next scene, he is making heavy accusations since the police let the gangsters escape. He is sure that the gangsters were tipped by the police. Carlo assumes that the gangsters are protected by police due to the fact that they are conducing as informants. The police officer urges Carlo that he is talking to a public servant and that he could arrest him. The police officer advises that the underworld is well connected. The owner of the warehouse can not be arrested due to a lack of evidence. Carlo get's mad since he saw with his own eyes that weapons had been shipped at the warehouse and he made pictures too.

Barbara warns her husband against taking the law into his own hands in the next scene.

UC: 1:48 Min.


[00:38:50][00:53:00]

Tommy is asking where to drive. Carlo replies to Tommy that he should know best himself. They come to a stop infront of stairs. To be on the safe side Carlo takes the car key. Tommy advises that they will visit the wife of the famous safe-cracker Cavallo. Mrs. Cavallo let's both men into her flat. Tommy tells her that his friend Carlo is looking for something special, Mrs. Cavallo advises him to follow her. They go the the next room. Carlo says he is looking for somebody, but Mrs. Cavallo is looking for sex. Carlo gets furious, there is no time, suddenly he realizes that he got screwed by Tommy. He runs back to the car. Tommy tries to flee with the car, but the driving wheel is blocked and he crashes against a wall. Carlo approaches him and hands him the car key.

UC: 3:31 Min.


[00:39:57][00:57:38]

Tommy is waiting in front of the car and is asking Carlo why he wants to wait, Carlo is asking Tommy why he became a gangster. Tommy replies destitute forced him into gangsterhood. He had to commit crimes in order to survive already in his youth age. Carlo gives him a cigarette.

UC: 1:12 Min.


[00:42:14][01:01:07]

Carlo can be seen threatned with a weapon longer.

UC: 1 Sek.


[00:46:21][01:05:15]

Tommy tells Carlo to get up, or else he will leave him behinf. Carlo asks Tommy why he helps him. Tommy replies that he has never killed somebody and that he is also not willing to do it.

UC: 32 Sek.


[00:49:51][01:09:17]

The camera cuts to the dead goon again. Tommy approaches Carlo and tells him that he is crook like himself and asks how Carlo will explain this to the police. Carlo advises that Tommy is also in on it, Tommy replies that it can not be proved that he was involved and Carlo will end up in jail.

Tommmy leaves the hospital and advises that the gangster is still alive.

The US Version shows scenes from the beginning of the moview where Carlos flat was trashed.

UC: 1:40 Min.
US: 1:07 Min.


[00:52:36][01:12:34]

Tommy advises that a fire was started in Carlo's flat. Carlo wants to know who these gangsters are, however Tommy has never seen them before they hjad beaten him up.

UC: 24 Sek.


[00:53:20][01:13:42]

Tommy and Carlo are recording tapes with information about the criminal underworld and the connections to the police. Tommy proclaims that they will start a war with this.

UC: 50 Sek.


[00:53:49][01:15:01]

The shot of Tommy and Carlo messing up the office is longer.

UC: 9 Sek.


[00:55:07][01:16:27]

The police officer advises that the tapes have to be examined in the lab. He tells another police officer that the office has to be owned by an important man.

UC: 20 Sek.


[00:55:17][01:16:57]

The worker tells the police officer that he called the police after he saw the chaos. He could not reach Antonelli, who was also not in the office since 2 days. The police officer tries to establish a connection between Antonelli and the robbery.

UC: 42 Sek.


[00:55:52][01:18:14]

Tommy turns the car around as soon as he sees the police roadblock. He stops at a parking area and walks over to a house. After a secret knock Carlo opens the door. Carlo asks if Tommy was seen approaching the house and takes the newspaper Tommy had with him. He takes pleasure in the article he observes.

UC: 1:43 Min.


[00:56:45][01:20:50]

The arresting scene is longer. Tommy tells Carlo that there had been many arrests.

UC: 26 Sek.


[01:14:48][01:39:19]

The police officer tells Carlo that he can not risks more citizens to take justice in their own hands. He wants Carlo to sign the statement.

UC: 54 Sek.