The Battle of the Godfathers – Jürgen Roland, 1973
Zinksärge für die Goldjungen, a.k.a. The Battle of the Godfathers
Germany, 1973
Director: Jürgen Roland
Script: Werner Jörg Lüddecke
Main actors:
Herbert Fleischmann (Otto Westermann), Henry Silva (Luca Messina), Horst Janson (Erik Westermann), Patricia Gori (Sylvia)
Plot
Italian-American gangster Luca Messina (Henry Silva) arrives by ship from the USA to Hamburg, accompanied by his elderly Sicilian mother, his teenage daughter Silvia, and several of his bodyguards and underlings, including a black boxer named Tiger. Their intention is to seize control of the illicit business in the German city, and displace the native underworld boss Otto Westermann as king of Hamburg organized crime. Westermann and his group run the criminal affairs from their “Black Poodle Bowling Club”. Shortly after Messina’s arrival, Westermann’s men begin to be intimidated into paying a “protection” fee to the “new boss”. The German is unwilling to consent to such an outrage, and an escalation of violence between the local gang and the newcomer will escalate.
Westermann has two sons: One of them is a boxer, and in a pugilistic match he defeats Tiger, the black man from Messina. On that occasion, Luca’s daughter Silvia meets Westermann’s other son, Erik, while he is cheering on his brother in the ring. Erik and Silvia quickly fall in love and it doesn’t take the young German ten minutes to get her into bed. Thus begins between the two a kind of romance of “romeoyjulietesque” characteristics, behind the backs of their respective (and opposing) parents.
To teach his rival a lesson, Messina orders the kidnapping of his boxer son (had he known that the other was courting his daughter, he probably would have preferred to kidnap him), who is lured by a bandit disguised as a motorcycle cop under a false pretext to an abandoned junkyard or car graveyard. There they try to shoot him dead, but the young man manages to evade the bullets. He is then confronted by two Asian martial arts experts… After a fierce fight, the boxer is stripped naked and dies.
Meanwhile, at Messina’s residence, his mother is feeling ill. At that very moment, they receive a visit from Westermann himself and two of his men, who try to get the Italian and his gang to leave town. At the mother’s discomfort, Westermann strangely sympathizes and, at Luca’s request, agrees to send for a doctor. After the doctor’s visit, the lady feels better, recovered from her heart attack, and Westermann and his men also leave, reminding Messina of the “recommendation” to leave town as soon as possible. Luca replies that he will “think about it.” He then calls his men to the scrapyard with instructions to free Westermann’s son… but it is too late.
When Westermann discovers that his son has died at the hands of Messina’s thugs, he decides that he is going to take revenge: “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth”, and that since Messina has taken his son from him, he will eliminate his daughter… But he does not yet know that his other son, Erik, is in love with the young woman.
Comment
Curious, colorful and lighthearted Italian-German co-production, with the great Henry Silva in the leading role. As always, the hieratic interpreter of “Milano caliber 9” stands out for his icy stare and lapidary phrases. (When Messina/Silva catches his treacherous mistress stealing money from the safe, “red-handed”, and plotting an escape attempt with his right arm Sergio, Messina shoots the latter dead without batting an eye, and calmly puts the wads of bills back in the safe… The mistress asks him “Aren’t you angry? “to which he replies: “You know I only get angry for important things… you are not important” and slaps the unfaithful whore…).
It is rare to see “German gangsters”, who, in the image and likeness of Italian-American mafiosi or other exponents of organized crime, run their business from their social clubs or their lavish villas.
“Zinc Coffins for Golden Boys” (such is the literal title of the film in German) can be considered a kind of kraut-polizziotesque. It is not exactly a masterpiece, but it is recommendable to spend a pleasant time; very funny.