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!
四好青年亚当（约瑟夫·高登-莱维特 Joseph Gordon-Levitt 饰）的生活很圆满，工作顺利，家庭和睦，没想到，只是偶尔令他困扰的背痛居然被确诊为治愈率50/50的癌症。疾病的打击，女友瑞秋（布莱丝·达拉斯·霍华德 Bryce Dallas Howard 饰 ）的 离去，母亲的悲伤让原本自信面对病魔的亚当逐渐的感到沮丧和绝望，只有死党凯尔（塞斯·罗根 Seth Rogen 饰）一直用他特有的方式不离不弃的陪伴在他的身边。凯瑟琳（安娜·肯德里克 Anna Kendrick 饰）是一名缺乏经验的心理医生，负责亚当的情绪疏导，表面上专业镇定为人排忧解难的她，生活和感情上却是一团糟。两个失意的人，在疾病这个特殊的环境下相遇，从最初的误会到和解，他们逐渐的感觉到，也许这个世界上最重要的东西就在自己的身边。 影片由编剧威尔·里瑟尔的真实经历改编而成，而当时站在他身后一直支持他的朋友正是饰演凯尔的塞斯·罗根本人。
李元霸（千叶真一 饰）辛辛苦苦经营着飞刀镖局，四十年来未曾失过一镖，靠着过硬的技术和完美的口碑享誉整个武林。李元霸对待儿子李寻欢（王杰 饰）十分严苛，从未袒露过温柔和关怀的一面，这让李寻欢内心十分痛苦，只能整日沉迷于酒精之中。一次偶然中，李寻欢遇见了风尘女子雪儿（黎姿 饰），一晌贪欢后，雪儿腹中怀上了李寻欢的孩子，李寻欢不得不将她娶回了家。 然而，婚后的李寻欢对待妻子和儿子依旧不管不顾，只是每日饮酒。随着时间的推移，孤独寂寞的雪儿开始和一个名叫金雾寒的朝鲜商人越走越近。李元霸将一个非常重要的护镖任务交给了李寻欢，只要后者能够顺利抵达目的地，便能够成为飞刀镖局的继承人。
