Out on Blu-ray and 4K UHD August 28, 2024
An inspector going after a drug ring in Italy soon finds out there is potentially more risk than reward in his endeavor.
Written by Tito Carpi, Gianfranco Clerici, Enzo G. Castellari, Leonardo Martin, and an uncredited Vincenzo Mannino, with dialogue by Gene Luotto, based on a story by Maurizio Amati, and directed by Enzo G. Castellari, this film could have easily suffered from a case of “too many cooks” given the number of people who worked on writing it, but it all comes together cohesively on screen, something likely, at least in part, due to director Castellari. The writing here brings a good story up to the screen and the direction makes sure it all works in film form, bringing all the aspects of the film together quite well and with a talented hand.
The cast here is what most folks will want to check out this film for, especially the lead. Franco Nero plays Vice-Commissioner Belli, the lead and sort of hero, a man who has what it takes for the job but also worries about the risks to himself and, mostly, his family. Nero plays this part rather well, showing a good range and being a solid protagonist here. Stealing a couple of scenes are Delia Boccardo as Mirella and Fernando Rey as Cafiero. The cast overall is good here, coming together for an ensemble performance worth checking out.
The cinematography by Alejandro Ulloa is beautifully done and gives the action scenes in particular a look that brings them to the forefront. The editing by Vincenzo Tomassi pairs well with the images and gives the film a dynamic that helps it feel more like an action film than a police procedural. The work of these two (and their teams) shows a good grasp of what can make an action scene work and be exciting. Their work here feels like it has influenced many more modern filmmakers in how they shoot action and police stories.
The new transfer (reviewed on Blu-ray here) looks and sounds really good, bringing the film that extra oomph it needs visually and bringing it to the current flavor just a little bit. The release here is packed. Like seriously packed with solid, quality extras. The best one of all, for this film fan at least, is the inclusion of the soundtrack on CD (with a bonus track). The extras on the film itself are great as well, including an interview with actor/stuntman Massimo Vanni and an interview with writer/director Enzo G. Castellari. There are also two commentaries for the film, one with Castellari and one with Franco Nero and Mike Malloy. Nero also appears in an interview alongside Castellari. A few more extras round out the release, making it a great one for collectors and fans of Nero and cop films of the 1970s.