Dirty World (1978)

 

(Original Title: Porco Mundo) An Italian film about hypocritical politicians, blackmail, murder and drug abuse.  It's a dirty world indeed.

Manuela (Karin Well), René (Stefano Davanzati) and Lelo (Tony Fuentes) are three junkies who support their habit by robbing small stores.

They go back to their pad and shoot up.

Senator Alberici (William Berger) is running for re-election.  He portrays himself as a moral leader, cracking down on immorality.

But in reality the senator likes to party.  Manuela and her bros have decided that there's more money to be had in the blackmail business than petty robberies.  So, they plan to enjoy a night of debauchery with the senator and take incriminating photographs. 

Manuela's clothes come off.

Senator Alberici isn't interested in Manuela... he goes to the backroom with the guy.

The senator turns out to be quite a kinky motherfucker.

They spring into action, getting the camera ready...

Full frontal nudity from Karin Well.

They take the compromising photographs of the "moral majority" senator having gay sex.

But it turns ugly and the senator is killed.  Manuela is horrified - this wasn't part of the plan.

The three of them run when the senator's son, Massimo (Carlo De Mejo), shows up.  He shoots and manages hit Manuela in the back.

Massimo finds his father in a rather unbecoming state. Dead and dressed like Gay Caesar.

He goes to the yard and finds Manuela topless with a bullet in her back.

He carries her inside and plops her in a guest room.

He calls Nadia (Bárbara Rey), a medical doctor, for assistance.

They can't go to the police because it would scandalize the dead senator's name.  Even worse, Massimo will only inherit the money if his father dies of natural causes.  

So, Nadia mends Manuela and makes the senator's death seem like a heart attack.  Massimo desperately needs the money as he is a failed, broke filmmaker.

Teresina (Alida Valli) the maid is acting pretty suspicious.  She knows some funny business is going on, and she could leverage that to her own benefit.

At his father's funeral, Massimo speaks with Senator Merelli (Arthur Kennedy), his father's adversary.

Teresina, that conniving bitch, lets Manuela out of her room so she can stumble into the funeral, delirious from her withdrawals. 

As if the plotting, scheming and web of deceit couldn't get any more complicated, we find that the deceased senator was in possession of a dossier which implicates Senator Merelli.  Another opportunity for blackmail.

Speaking of blackmail, René and Lilo have photos of Massimo's father that could be rather incriminating and prevent him from getting his inheritance (as it would indicate an unnatural cause of death). 

Massimo's pool, oddly enough, has a switch which will electrocute anyone in it. 

Random boobs from Karin Well; no reason she should be topless for this conversation, but I'm not complaining.

Massimo meets with Senator Merelli

Meanwhile, Manuela and Nadia get intimate.  They were once lovers - so, yeah, somehow they knew each other before all this.  The connections between characters in this story is hard to keep track of.

Massimo storms in.

He's outraged. They promised their lesbian relationship was over. Liars!

He starts smacking the shit out of them.

Nadia throws something at Massimo.  It misses, and a light is busted...

In the darkness, all three catch their breath on the bed.

Violence turns to sex, as Massimo gets frisky in the dark.

Meanwhile downstairs, Teresina is getting her grubby hands on the loot and hiding it in the basement.

They catch Teresina and Manuela threatens her with a drill.

The blackmail exchange takes place at a gravel pit.  Things spiral further out of control.

And even further as Nadia flips the switch - electrocuting them in the pool.

Senator Merelli is the last man standing.  He thanks Nadia for electrocuting his blackmailers.  THE END

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Did not enjoy it.  There are so many movies like this, with a hundred people scrambling for an inheritance, a suitcase full of money, etc. where the treachery builds and builds.  But when you don't give a flying fuck about any of the characters, you thereby don't give two shits about who gets the money.  Worthwhile only for frequent nudity from Karin Well.

★★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆4/10