简介：WhilesomeItaliancrimefilms(particularlypost-1977ones)arejustmindlessviolence(particularlyviolenceagainstwomen),manypre-1977onesareseriouscommentaryoncorruptionandthejusticesysteminItaly...andbyextensiontootherWesterncountries.THEBIGFAMILYissuchafilm.TheMobisinchargeatthefilm'sbeginning,theMobisinchargeatthefilm'send.Anyonewhochallengesitiskilledorsomehowtakenoutofthepicture.Apoliceinspectororprosecutorwhoismakingprogressmaysuddenlygettheofferofasignificantpromotion...toanotherpartofthecountry.Everybranchofthegovernment...andthechurch...iscompromised.AmericanbusinessmanRichardContecancometoSicilyhopingtodosomeconstructionprojectsandthinkingthathisfriendshipwiththeDonbackinNewYorkwillhelphimhereandthathedoesn'thavetoplaybythelocalrules.Anhonestcopworkshardandmakescountlesssacrifices,andmanygoodpeoplediebecausehekeepsonhisquest.Eventually,henabsthetopman...anditturnsouthehasachievednothingandheisbackatsquareone.Eventhetopmanisexpendabletotheoverallsurvivalofthebigfamily.IwasimpressedbythisfilmwhenIsawitfifteenyearsago,andI'mstillimpressedwithittoday.Ithasenoughactiontosatisfyanyfanof1970'sItaliancrimefilms,oneofthemostexcitinggenresinfilmhistory,butitalsohasasoberingmessage,onethatisrelevanttoanyonewatchingthefilmanywhere.AlthoughbothCROSSCURRENTandGREATTREASUREHUNThavetheirmoments,THEBIGFAMILYisprobablyToninoRicci'smostsuccessfulfilmasadirector(Ihaven'tseenhisrecentfamilyfilms,althoughIespeciallywanttoseetheBuckfilmwithJohnSavage,norhaveIseenthesharkfilmwithTreatWilliams).Highlyrecommendedtofansofthegenreandthosewillingtoseethevalueinadubbedgenrefilm.…