Antonio Macaluso (Balsam) is the boss of a well-known family affiliated to the "mafia" in S. Francisco, who looks over all illicit trade. Macaluso called Don Antonio by his "piccioti", looks for the early release of Tomas Accardo (Milian) a famous lawyer and a gold son of him. As agreed, the day of his release Macaluso waits for the young boy just outside the prison, but he is greatly astonished at hearing he does not want to be affiliated to the mafia anymore. Macaluso minds him that his resolution cannot be accepted since he is still upset because of the imprisonment. As Tomas hides himself for a long time Vincenzo Garofalo (Rabal), the second man of the family, fights his family. Garofalo should pretend to be at the head of "cosa nostra" and moreover complains about the way Don Antonio used regard to Tomas and his departure. Garofalo has got fellow enough to set himself against Don Antonio for this reason a great bloody fight takes up with more than one dead person. Tomas listened the piece of news on the radio, gets himself in touch with Don Antonio and just later (he) comes back home. Garofalo however is still alive since he gains the friendship of the police in San Francisco. Thus Macaluso, Tomas and few others to avoid some more bloodshed, decide to move to Polizzi, a village near Palermo, where Garofalo got in for a holy day and where he was shot by Tomas himself.

This interesting film, which belongs to the mafia kind is supervised by Alberto DeMartino, an Italian director who oddly signs the headings avoiding the trend of passing Italian films as American ones, with the use of false names for the actors as well as for the directors. The film which is really filmed in S. Francisco (in the famous Lombard street are some chasing scenes) boasts of international cast, in fact almost the actors are American except Milian and Rabal. Unfortunately the film is a bit weak in the rhythm but the acting and the locations fill up this lack. The dialogues are in English and just the dubbing is Italian but with a Sicilian accent. Probably the version in direct sound does not exist for the home video and this is really a pity, since all the actors, Milian included, speak a good English. All contemporary films of the same subject, directed by DeMartino, are certainly lower in quality than this one (for example "i familiari delle vittime non saranno avvertiti")

Albert De Martino's exciting, 'Il Consigliori' (1973) is a Bootstrap tough Italo-Iberian Mafioso actioner featuring, Martin Balsam as powerful San Francisco mob boss, Don Antonio Macaluso, and the feared Don's consigliori (lawyer), Thomas Accardo, is charismatically brought to the screen by the exalted Euro-crime alumni, Tomas Milian! After serving out his jail sentence, Accardo makes a seemingly optimistic choice to finally go straight, and happy to meet with his erstwhile employer, the stubborn lawyer wants out of the mob! While, Don Macaluso doesn't approve, he nonetheless reluctantly allows Accardo to go his own way. Unbeknownst to Don Antonio, the ambitious thug, Vincent Garafolo (Francisco Rabal), increasingly frustrated with the uneasy status quo, fatefully orchestrates his own crime family, thereby engendering a bloody conflict between the rival criminal factions.

Remaining loyal to the beleaguered Don, Thomas Accardo (Tomas Milian) girds his nattily dressed loins, and 'Armed to The Teeth, he courageously prepares to defend his Boss once again. This compelling crime-thriller is a stone groove from the get-go, boisterously replete with all the volatile elements of a gonzo poliziotteschi, plus the additionally entertaining tropes of a gritty mafia expose; dramatic sit-down meetings in restaurants, numerous sanguinary shoot-outs, two exhilarating car chases, and one especially righteous, bullet-blasted finale! The respectful relationship between the ageing Don and his loyal Consigliori is well realised, plus the sprawlingly urban San Francisco, and rural Sicily provides a visually striking contrast. Music maestro, Riz Ortolani provides yet another gorgeous soundtrack, and Albert De Martino ('Blazing Magnum') once again proves himself to be a very capable action director. 'Il Consigliori' comes highly recommended to Mob movie maniacs and Euro-crime enthusiasts alike!