The Morricone Collection: “The Blue-Eyed Bandit” (1982) ► reececrothers.com

Although Cam Sugar pressed a new LP in 2021, as the third in their “Morricone Segretto” collection, I sourced the original 1982 vinyl from Discogs, primarily for the excellent cover art.

The Maestro in 1980, the year he composed the score for “**The Blue-Eyed Bandit.**“

Released in 1980, The Blue-Eyed Bandit (aka Il Bandito Dagli Occhi Azzurri) is an amusing Italian poliziottesco picture. Written and directed by Alfredo Giannetti, it stars Franco Nero and Dalila Di Lazzaro, and features Morricone’s jazziest score.

The Album:

Cover-art for “**The Blue-Eyed Bandit**“

Side 1.

Side 2.

Other Editions:

The Film:

From MUBI.com:

Franco Nero stars as a mild mannered, elderly bank clerk, who shuffles in and out of the bank everyday, unnoticed by his co-workers, or anyone else for that matter.

Franco Nero disguised as an old, balding, dark-eyed bank clerk.

But this is quickly revealed to be a facade. The balding hairline is a wig. The dark eyes, contact lenses. The shuffle, an affectation.

The disguise is in aid of Nero’s real job, robbing banks as “The Blue-eyed Bandit” of the title.

*Not* Sean Connery in “**The Untouchables**.”

Complicating things at work is his attraction to (and attention from) his beautiful co-worker, played by Dalila Di Larraro, who also starred in the Morricone-scored “Stark System” the same year (co-starring Gian Maria Volonte, star of many Morricone-scored films himself).