Young Italian magistrate Schiavi (Massimo Girotti) finds the going rough when he assumes his new post in a small Sicilian town. The villagers are held in thrall by the local Mafia branch. Far from being outraged, the populace welcomes the intrusion of organized crime, believing that the Mafia's swift and terrible brand of justice is a lot more effective than the legal kind. It comes down to a war of wills between Schiavi and Mafia-don Passalaqua (Charles Vanel). The only false note struck by this intensely atmospheric film is an inane romantic subplot. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi