A Policewoman on the Porno Squad

When you sit down to watch an Edwige Fenech film, you can be pretty sure about one thing: she will get naked at least once or twice. And although it's always a pleasure to see Edwige naked (or dressed, for that matter), what really makes one of her films worth watching or not is the context in which she gets naked. Her "Policewoman" films can be a nice break from her terrified-potential-victim (in her gialli) and her mindless-sex-object (in her other sex comedies) roles; she can be in charge for once. But this particular film is largely dominated by painfully buffoonish slapstick. Of course, if you consider a lot of stuttering, mugging, cross-dressing and falling-down to be the apex of hilarity, you'll have a field day. Others will be better off tracking down the next chapter in the series, "A Policewoman In New York": the gags there are funnier, the fights are better (Edwige actually gets the chance to defend herself and throw punches), and the locations (N.Y seen through Italian eyes) are more interesting. (*)

For this second sequel starring Edwige Fenech as La Poliziotta, the writers took what worked in the last installment and stretched it out beyond the point of no return. In the very first scene Gianna D'Amico meets little Armandino, who asks her to find his mother for him, who has apparently fallen in with a bad crowd. So, almost immediately Gianna gets out her skimpy streetwalker outfit and arrests Lino Banfi, who turns out to be her new police chief, Commisario Louis Scappavia. Once Lino takes up his position, he gets into the same shtick with his little assistant Alvaro Vitale as the previous commander (Mario Carotenuto) did, only more long winded, more exaggerated and more yawn inducing.

While in the previous movie Gianna got her silly assignments from Il Commisario, this time she goes on one after another hair-brained scheme by herself, each time someone asks her help (this way Lino and Alvaro have more time to muck about with dysfunctional props). Leaving Armandino with her boyfriend Arturo (Marzio Honorato, swapping mustaches with Michele Gammino), Gianna teaches an adulterer a lesion for no better reason than to add some extra nudity in the proceedings. By sheer luck (as opposed to police work) she learns about Joe Maccaroni's Crazy Night Club where, surprise surprise, Armandino's mom is being forced to work. Gianna takes the stage name Lilly Joy, who's act consists of performing a song called 'Pornography' while showing of her incredible legs.

Meanwhile Lino and Alvaro, having pulled every possible face while mugging and milking every joke to such an extend that even Jerry Lewis and Danny Kaye would be ashamed, dress up in drag and go to the club. Believe me, this is not a pretty sight. Soon everybody's cover is blown, and once again the great chase is on (as if the preceding slap stick fight was not enough). The production spend every last Lire they had left in their meager budget on this finale, racing through a harbor, annoying fishermen and picking up a rowboat along the way (though the close ups inside the cars all share the same bland unmoving backdrop). All's well that ends with a medal for our heroes and a final present from Joe Maccaroni.

6 out of 10