'' The Payoff'' ( it, La mazzetta) is an Italian

crime comedy Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...

film directed in 1978 by

Sergio Corbucci Sergio Corbucci (; 6 December 1926 – 1 December 1990) was an Italian film director, screenwriter and producer. He directed both very violent Spaghetti Westerns and bloodless Bud Spencer and Terence Hill action comedies. He is the older bro ...

. It is based on the 1976 crime novel of the same name by the writer

Attilio Veraldi Attilio Veraldi (1925–1999) was an Italian novelist and translator. Biography Born in Naples, Veraldi started his career as a translator of hardboiled American novels. He made his writing debut in 1976, with the giallo In Italian cinema, ...

Cast

Nino Manfredi Saturnino "Nino" Manfredi (22 March 1921 – 4 June 2004) was an Italian actor, voice actor, director, screenwriter, playwright, comedian, singer, author, radio personality and television presenter. He was one of the most prominent Italian a ...

: Sasà Jovine *

Ugo Tognazzi Ugo Tognazzi (23 March 1922 – 27 October 1990) was an Italian actor, director, and screenwriter. Early life Tognazzi was born in Cremona, in northern Italy but spent his youth in various localities as his father was a travelling clerk fo ...

: Commissioner Assenza *

Paolo Stoppa Paolo Stoppa Knight Grand Cross (6 June 1906 – 1 May 1988) was an Italian actor. Biography Born in Rome, he began as a stage actor in 1927 in the theater in Rome and began acting in films in 1932. As a stage actor, his most celebrated ...

: Don Michele Miletti *

Marisa Laurito Marisa Laurito (born 19 April 1951) is an Italian actress, singer and television personality. Life and career Born in Naples, Laurito debuted at a very young age entering the stage company of Eduardo De Filippo.Aldo Grasso, Massimo Scaglioni, ''En ...

: Luisella *

Imma Piro ''Imma'' is a large genus of moths in the obtectomeran "micromoth" family Immidae. This is the type genus of its family. They are widespread in the tropics, with most species occurring between the Himalayas and the Oceanian region; the genus is ...

: Giulia Miletti *

Gennaro Di Napoli Gennaro Di Napoli (born 5 March 1968) is an Italian former middle distance runner. He won 13 medals at the International athletics competitions, 10 of these at senior level. Biography Di Napoli was born in Naples but moved early in his life t ...

: Nicola Casali *

Marisa Merlini Marisa Merlini (6 August 1923 – 27 July 2008) was an Italian character actress active in Italy's post-World War II cinema. Merlini appeared in over fifty films during her career, which spanned from World War II to 2005. In Luigi Comencini's 1953 ...

: Elena, Michele's first wife *

Sal Borgese Sal Borgese (born 5 March 1937, in Rome) is an Italian film actor. He is sometimes credited as Salvatore Borghese or Mark Trevor. He is noted for extensive work in the Italian film industry from the 1960s to present day, and for his work as a st ...

: Tonino * Giovanni Borgese: Pasquale *

Benito Stefanelli Benito Stefanelli (2 September 1928 – 18 December 1999) was an Italian film actor, stuntman and weapons master who made over 60 appearances in film between 1955 and 1991. Biography and career Stefanelli is best known in world cinema for his ...

: Improta *

Giacomo Furia Giacomo Matteo Furia (2 January 1925 – 5 June 2015) was an Italian film, television and stage actor. He appeared in more than 130 films between 1948 and 1998. Life and career Born in Arienzo, near Caserta, Furia started his acting career ...

: Antonio *

Nino Vingelli Nino Vingelli (4 June 1912 – 26 March 2003) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in more than 200 films between 1941 and 2000. Selected filmography * ''I mariti (Tempesta d'anime)'' (1941) * '' The Betrothed'' (1941) - (uncredited) * '' ...

: Catelli *

Lilly Furia Lilly may refer to: * an archaic spelling of lily, a flowering plant Arts and entertainment * ''Lilly'' (film), a 1958 Malayalam film * ''Lilly'' (album), by Antonello Venditti, 1975 * "Lilly", a song by Pink Martini from the 2004 album ''Han ...

: Miss Catelli *

Pietro De Vico Pietro De Vico (1 February 1911 – 10 December 1999) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in 70 films between 1948 and 1991. He was born in Naples, and died in Rome. He was married, from 1937 until his death in 1999, to actress Anna Campo ...

: Car parking-Caretaker

Sequel

Following the commercial success of the movie it was planned a movie-adaptation from the Veraldi's second novel based on the character of Sasà Jovine, ''L'uomo di conseguenza'' (1978), still directed by Sergio Corbucci and starred by

Marcello Mastroianni Marcello Vincenzo Domenico Mastroianni (28 September 1924 – 19 December 1996) was an Italian film actor, regarded as one of his country's most iconic male performers of the 20th century. He played leading roles for many of Italy's top di ...

in the role of Jovine. After a series of meetings Mastroianni declined: he was not enthusiast to resume a character already successfully performed by

and the plot of the sequel involved incest, a scabrous subject he had treated the same year in the movie ''

Stay As You Are ''Stay as You Are'' ( it, Così come sei), also known as ''Stay the Way You Are'', is a 1978 erotic drama film, directed by Alberto Lattuada, starring Nastassja Kinski, Marcello Mastroianni, Barbara De Rossi, and Ania Pieroni. An Italian–Spani ...

''. The production then decided to make him play a story with a tone more similar to ''La mazzetta'' but not based on any novel, ''

Neapolitan Mystery ''Neapolitan Mystery'' ( it, Giallo napoletano) is a 1979 Italian mystery film directed by Sergio Corbucci. The film is also known as ''Atrocious Tales of Love and Death''.Luther-Smith, Adrian (1999). Blood and Black Lace: The Definitive Guide t ...

''.

References

External links

* 1978 films Films based on Italian novels Films directed by Sergio Corbucci Commedia all'italiana Films set in Naples Films about the Camorra Italian crime comedy films 1970s crime comedy films 1970s Italian-language films 1970s Italian films {{comedy-crime-film-stub

Cast

Sequel

References

Further reading

External links