Tagline: "The cop in blue jeans... is dressed to kill."
Plot: Remember Serpico? Remember the part where Italian undercover policeman Tomas Milian tails a purse-snatcher who throws flour in old ladies' faces at open-air markets? And then he organizes his team to bring down the purse-snatching ringleader "The Baron"? And the square uniformed cops and local citizenry hassle him because he looks like a hippie, but he stays on the chase anyway, for scene after scene of driving and running and punching? And he finally catches up with The Baron, who tips him off to an American crime lord (played by Jack Palance) who Milian goes after in a protracted motorcycle-versus-limo chase? And then he storms up to Palance and knees him in the nuts? You don't remember that? Oh, then you must have watched the real Serpico, not its Italian knockoff, The Cop In Blue Jeans.
Key scenes: The movie's best scenes cover the precision operations of the purse-snatching gang, which trains a German shepherd to grab handbags. They also steal Palance's briefcase by poking a cigarette in his eye and making him yowl like a zombie Frankenstein.
Can easily be distinguished by: The instrumental theme, which is like a '70s cop-show title sequence mixed with Mediterranean dance music. (Why don't more musicians combine sax and balalaika?) Also noteworthy are the self-conscious nods to its inspiration, including a Serpico poster on Milian's bedroom wall and a pet rat named "Serpico."
Sign that it was made in 1976: Aside from Milian's long hair, patchy beard, and ski cap? How about the scene where Japanese tourists get their luggage stolen because they're too busy snapping pictures? That gag went out with the Bicentennial Minute.
Timeless message: Every continent has its own version of "The Man."
Memorable quotes: The Cop In Blue Jeans has been translated from Italian and dubbed into English, with profanity excised, overwritten, and cleverly obscured by car horns. But there's still some choice dialogue, like "You happy now, crotch-chucker?" and, "This is a message for special agent Giraldi... 'Up yours!'"
Available on DVD from Westlake Entertainment.
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