The Heroin Busters

A montage of images opens the scene. Fabio Testi moves through Hong Kong, a person prepares a dose of heroin, then Cartagena in Colombia, Amsterdam, New York, and finally Rome. The first 7 minutes of La Via della Droga practically encapsulate the entire film and, above all, the brilliant idea of expanding the criminal heroin trade, in this case, stepping beyond national borders and turning it into a complex international case.

Then there’s Goblin handling the soundtrack and the aforementioned Fabio Testi, a bit in an “Er Monnezza” style, under the orders of Enzo G. Castellari. With such a premise, one would expect, at the very least, a genre masterpiece, an epic work. However, for some reason, La Via della Droga squanders part of what it promises on paper and in its opening minutes. Not a bad movie, to be clear, but a work that could have reached much higher.

Luckily, there's Castellari, as always, exceptional in action scenes, and there's Fabio Testi, also as always, an excellent performer. The Roman director, besides the action, shows without filters the human miseries of drug addicts, blending action with drama.

That said, La Via della Droga brings a lot of things with it. Too many. And at a certain point, the viewer feels overwhelmed and risks losing track, but remains glued to the protagonist’s adventures, which ultimately save the day.

Ups and downs, then, in a story featuring David Hemmings, famous for his role in Profondo Rosso, as Mike Hamilton, a big shot at the International Narcotic Bureau. He’s convinced that Rome is the hub of the world drug trade, and to break this network, he sends in Fabio, played by a Fabio Testi who shines as much for his athletic abilities as for his charisma. Our hero deliberately gets himself arrested to infiltrate the organization, headed by the menacing Le Roy, leader of an international drug trafficking ring.