Ambitious (1975)

Dallesandro gives a shockingly good performance in this gritty, hard-hitting crime flick. He plays a hungry young buck who aspires to be a career criminal. He starts out working at a warehouse for a gangster where he helps to relocate illegal contraband, and because of his ruthlessness and dependability he begins to ascend the ladder of organized crime. Of course, the more powerful he becomes, the more "Climbers" come out of the shadows to take his place.
THE CLIMBER is a violent, stylish little film with a good script, cool music (mostly heavy rock) and a frenetic structure that kept me glued to the screen. It's a story concept that has been worked and re-worked time and again, sometimes to hokey effect, but here it works and feels original. If you enjoy tough gangster movies, or Dallesandro's work, you owe it to yourself to track it down. Good luck finding a nice print, though.