六百年前,龙虎山道士张宇明在勘察紫荆城风水时发现了端倪,一泉水处有妖即将化形而出,正要布下奇门遁甲阵的张宇明被仇家袭击,最后虽击退了仇家,却也身负重伤,为了不使妖魔化形,他不得不化为符箓封印妖魔。六百年后,张宇明已转世为普通青年于明章,虽没有前世的法力,却也能除魔驱鬼。一次帮助同事林玄搞定了一幢凶宅后,被厚脸皮的林玄缠上,非要学习道术。于明章只得教他不会耗费法力的请神术,谁知自以为是的林玄竟闯出大祸,教他道术的于明章不得不前去相救,却意外发现六百年前张宇明所布下的奇门遁甲阵已被人破坏,此人正是其仇家古欣的后人古荣,他不但破坏了阵法,还故意杀人养尸,制造出鬼王。为除妖魔,于明章只能与之战斗,却无意打开了前世今生的连接,用法力终于除掉鬼王,并将罪魁祸首绳之以法。。Umberto Lenzi is undoubtedly the king of Italian crime movies, but unfortunately| Syndicate Sadists is not the best examples of his work in this genre. Lenzi's crime flicks tend to be a cut above the rest because he makes films based on stories with a point, and they don't lack direction| but this film feels a bit too wayward to fully fit with the rest of his stuff. The film takes obvious influence from Sergio Leone's landmark western 'A Fistful of Dollars' (which in turn, took influence from Akira Kurosawa's landmark samurai flick Yojimbo), in that it features two warring families and a strong character at the centre. The crime that Lenzi focuses on is kidnapping, and we centre on a character called 'Rambo'. Rambo is dragged into the war between the two families after his brother is killed because of it. Rambo uses his brains and brawn to pit the two families against one another, in the hope of gaining revenge for his brother's death, rescuing a young boy that they've kidnapped, and ultimately letting the two sides destroy one another.
The film's biggest asset is undoubtedly Tomas Milian. Milian was put to great use by Lenzi in almost all of his crime thrillers. The range of characters he has played for Lenzi is immense, and this one is easily one of the coolest. The character is called Rambo, which immediately sprang to mind the popular Sylvester Stallone character - but for once, the Italians actually haven't stolen this name as Syndicate Sadists was released first! As usual, the film is wickedly entertaining, as we get to watch Milian get himself involved in the usual array of car chases, shootouts and brawls. Lenzi has got him riding a motorbike this time round, and every scene featuring it and Milian is a real standout! However, the film often feels like it doesn't really have anywhere to go, and this means that the running time is stretched out more than it should be. Compared to the crime films of other Italian directors, Syndicate Sadists is more than above average| but in relation to Lenzi crime flicks such as Almost Human and The Cynic, The Rat and The Fist - it doesn't stand tall as one of Lenzi's best. Still, if you're looking for ninety minutes of testosterone fuelled mayhem - Syndicate Sadists will suffice!。Find out about the spine-chilling, horrible crimes of the sadistic killer Raja Kolander. Mark your calendars because, Indian Predator: The Diary of a Serial Killer is releasing on 7th September, only on Netflix.。