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THE LABYRINTH OF SEX, aka SEXUAL INADEQUACIES, is a mondo-style sex-themed documentary by Italian filmmaker Alfonso Brescia, a man perhaps known best these days for his work making cheap and cheerful sci-fi flicks both before and after STAR WARS. He rarely made mondo movies but this is a fair stab at the genre, although of course like most it's become heavily dated since first release. The documentary offers a narrated exploration of various sexual hangups and topics via filmed sequences involving actors like Franco Rossel playing fetishists and the like. It mostly seems to be an excuse to tackle previously taboo subjects (and show nudity) that wouldn't have been allowed earlier in the decade. The scene of a couple having sex while hooked up to analytic machines while bored technicians record every movement is unintentionally hilarious.

A strange little production from Sion Sono, ANTIPORNO is one of a number of films from the revamped Nikkatsu's 'roman porn' series and an attempt by the studio to go more upmarket. What we're left with is a freewheeling exploration of themes connected to the seedy Japanese industry, exploring exploitation, the male gaze, power relationships and more. There are touches of Sono's greatness as a director here but for a lot of the time it feels like it's trying to have its cake and eat it; the sex adds nothing to the moralising, and the stylised touches are fewer than you'd expect if you're a fan of Sono classics like LOVE/EXPOSURE. In the end, I felt like this had the potential of greatness but fell far short of it. Other films exploring material touched on here to better effect include THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY and ONE CUT OF THE DEAD.

VIOLENT CITY is a hardboiled slice of Italian crime directed by Sergio Sollima, perhaps better known for his westerns, but who segued neatly into contemporary thrills for his audiences. This one offers a starring role for Charles Bronson working at the outset of his solo career, and he's typically taciturn, playing a former gangster struggling to break the ties of old connections. The film opens with an excellent car chase sequence which is impossible to look away from and certainly up there with the likes of BULLITT. From there on in we go into a more psychological character study, interspersed with fine DAY OF THE JACKAL-style set-pieces; the bit at the race track is particularly good, as is the climax. The endless scenes with Ireland take up too much screen time, but mostly this works.