Thanks to their on-going collaboration with StudioCanal, Kino Lorber have managed to acquire a trio of must-see Italian crime pictures, which have finally been afforded the respect they deserve. Here making their North American UHD debuts, all of the films in this set are an absolute must for fans of the form.
The first film in Kino’s set is Alberto De Martino’s 1972 film THE COUNSELLOR, which came hot off the success of Francis Ford Coppola’s THE GODFATHER (1972), and once again highlights the conflicts usually associated between the various factions of the mob, but De Martino’s film also handily prefigures the streetsmart look of Italian crime capers of the ’70s. Opening with picturesque locales of San Francisco, the film exposes the far-reaching and lucrative mob-influenced areas of business run by Don Antonio Macaluso (Martin Balsam). When William Lucchesi, an out-of-control syphilitic mobster, begins stirring up trouble with a local cop at a mob-controlled bowling alley (“I hate pigs! Always stealin’ money out of a dead man’s pockets!”), a hit is put on him because, as one cop states, “We got the canary, and they know he’s gonna sing.” Soon thereafter, Don Garafalo (Francisco Rabal) helps orchestrate the hit with the help of a crooked cop. Meanwhile, Don Macaluso’s godson Thomas (Tomas Milian) and trusted “consigliori” is released from prison, but to Macaluso’s surprise, Thomas wants out of this life, even though during an earlier sit-down, he forbade Garofalo to branch-out on his own. Of course, this sparks all-out mafia warfare as Garofalo tries to reshuffle the deck within Macaluso’s powerful empire.
Considerably more expansive than your average Italo-crime picture, De Martino and his crew make good use of the San Franciscan and Sicilian locales, including a brief but welcome car chase through SF’s hilly streets. Handsomely shot by future director Aristide Massaccesi (a.k.a. Joe D’Amato, he of Black Emanuelle fame), De Martino allows him plenty of opportunities to fill the frame with bustle and movement, but the widescreen format also serves him well during the rather poignant finale wherein Balsam and Milian really get to show off their acting chops. Both actors have terrific chemistry and play well off each other, with Balsam giving an especially vigorous, physical performance as a man who will stop at nothing to protect Thomas, the son he never had. Tomas Milian also manages to make a strong impression (nicely dubbed on English prints by Larry Dolgin) as the laconic counsellor before he embarked on many of his over-the-top caricatures in various comically-inclined polizieschi such as THE DIRTY GANG (1977) and countless Nico Giraldi pictures, where he hid behind several outrageous wigs and an over-abundance of make-up. As the Italian-American mafioso, Francisco Rabal lends the film further weight as he thumbs his nose at the long-established patriarchal order, and who would rather bite than “kiss the hand.”
Rarely talked about, THE COUNSELLOR has been available on just about every home video format. Canadian label NPY issued the film on VHS in the early ’80s, which sported an awful panned-and-scanned edition of the film’s U.S. theatrical version from Joseph Green Pictures. During the DVD era, the film saw release in several European countries, but the German disc from FilmArt was the best; an English-friendly edition, which also retained the film’s full 2.35:1 aspect ratio. Re-titled IM DUTZEND ZUR HOLLE (“To Hell by the Dozen”), extras were limited to a brief photo/poster gallery and a wealth of poliziesco trailers for some of the company’s other releases, some of which included Sergio Martino’s SILENT ACTION (1975) and Enzo G. Castellari’s DAY OF THE COBRA (1980). The long-defunct Dorado Films eventually released the film on North American soil in 2017, but only as a bonus disc in their Explosive Eurocrime Double Feature. Obviously taken from a well-worn film print, the film was at least presented in its original aspect ratio, but Dorado’s drab-looking transfer left a lot of room for improvement.
In 2022, FilmArt revisited the film on Blu-ray, which included the film’s theatrical trailer and DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono options in English, Italian, and German with a choice of German subtitles. In July of 2026, the film made its 4KUHD debut in the U.K. via StudioCanal and their Cult Classics line and the higher resolution definitely benefits the film; it’s clean and holds plenty of detail throughout, which is especially evident in various close-ups and the film’s many urban landscapes. LPCM 2.0 mono audio options are offered in both English and Italian including properly translated English subtitles for the Italian audio track and subtitles for the hard of hearing. Both tracks sound totally fine, especially in light of the film’s usual post-synchronization work of the time, but Martin Balsam does provide his own voice on the English dub, so it’s obviously the preferred choice for English-language viewers.
Unlike previous editions, StudioCanal thoughtfully include several worthwhile special features, which include an audio commentary with filmmaker and historian Steve Mitchell and author / historian Troy Howarth. Labeled an “international crime film,” the pair discuss the film’s place within the Italian crime film world, it’s American locales which De Martino adapted really well, even if they are through a “tourist’s eyes,” the prolific career of top-billed Martin Balsam (“The poster-child for character actors.”), the energy and vitality of Italian crime films, and De Martino’s committed directing style. Of course, they also delve into Tomas Milian’s varied career, an actor who was prone to excess but is “very contained in this role,” and just how much more impressive the film is when seen the way it was intended. As always, both men deliver the goods digging deeper into the film itself and De Martino’s largely overlooked career. Next up, William Webb’s brief video essay Il Consigliori: Tradition vs Modernity (6m17s) goes over the mafia filoni (i.e., genre), De Martino’s “cool sense of style,”, the film’s American influences, and plenty more besides. Ported over from the film’s 2021 French BD, film historian Jean-Baptiste Thoret (8m27s) provides a brief introduction to the film. The film’s theatrical trailer and a 12-page liner notes booklet with writing from Peter Raleigh is also included.
Later in the year, Kino Lorber (again in conjunction with StudioCanal) finally gave THE COUNSELLOR its long overdo – and official - North American release as separate BD and UHD packages. Once again, Kino has utilized StudioCanal’s master, which appears to use the same restoration as the U.K. disc, which is a real sight for sore eyes after suffering through Dorado’s wretched DVD. Audio options include DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono in English and Italian (again with properly translated subtitles, but minus subtitles for the hard of hearing), and again, both sound fine with clear dialogue and no noticeable issues. Thankfully, outside of the Jean-Baptiste Thoret intro and liner notes booklet, all of the special features from the U.K. disc - including the excellent audio commentary - have been carried over on to Kino’s disc.
Alberto De Martino’s subsequent crime picture, BLAZING MAGNUM (1976) is up next, and this Italian/Canadian/French production effortlessly transforms the urban Italo-crime experience to the Great White North. Although early export trade ads had promised a “100% American motion picture” with location shooting planned in the USA (including New York City), the production ultimately ended up in Montréal, Québec, and even the Canadian capital of Ottawa, Ontario, of all places.
As with Massimo Dallamano’s earlier WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO YOUR DAUGHTERS? (1974), De Martino’s film is basically a whodunit, but set to enough poliziesco action to fill two films! Considering De Martino’s razor-honed skills within the giallo genre (which came in handy here) and making tough action films, he came with impeccable credentials to tackle this polished, fast-moving hybrid of the two styles. Following a tasteless college prank at a Montréal University involving respected faculty member Dr. George Tracer (Martin Landau), one of his students involved in the prank, Louise (French Canadian diva Carole Laure) dies soon after. The dead girl’s older brother, Ottawa police Captain Tony Saitta (Stuart Whitman), suspects poisoning to be the cause of his sister’s death, and Dr. Tracer – with whom Louise had been having an extramarital affair – quickly becomes the prime suspect. Although clearly out of his jurisdiction, Capt. Saitta wades through a maze of false leads, red herrings, and several vital clues to solve the convoluted case.
Like his Italian counterpart Maurizio Merli, Whitman launches unyielding rock-jawed machismo as the utterly relentless Capt. Saitta who carries a big gun – the film’s Japanese release title was BIG MAGNUM 77 – and scorns such time-consuming formalities as search warrants and criminals’ rights. Following a frenetic footchase through the Montréal Metro, he kicks the crap out of a suspect (popular French-Canadian character actor Jérôme Tiberghien) and then half drowns him in a sink. When he subsequently attempts to interrogate and intimidate a belligerent topless transvestite, he is attacked with a straight razor and is then kung fu kicked through a glass patio door. There is also a candlestick bludgeoning and, amid moody chiaroscuro lighting, a key character’s murder by stiletto is also expertly staged. But even with all these eye-catching details, it’s the automotive action that is most remembered. Second-unit director and stunt coordinator Rémy Julienne’s work reaches truly balletic proportions with an eight-minute car chase, which includes 80 m.p.h. donuts on loose gravel, a smash-up derby through the streets of Montréal, an airborne leap over a coasting Canadian National freight train, and a synchronized two-sedan downhill leap, captured from as many different camera angles as possible. An amazing sequence, Julienne seldom slams on the brakes, which is given extra fuel injection by Armando Trovaioli’s kinetic music. Against the Italo norm, everything was shot with direct sound, and all the principals including co-stars Tisa Farrow, Gayle Hunnicutt and impassive prettyboy Jean LeClerc all read in English, some with bonafide Canadian accents.
Re-titled STRANGE SHADOWS IN AN EMPTY ROOM (the onscreen title is simply SHADOWS IN AN EMPTY ROOM) by American International Pictures for its US theatrical and home video release, the film’s ad campaign (“Enter At Your Own Risk… For There Is No Such Thing As A Truly Empty Room!”) capitalized on the mystery/horror aspect of the film, which it is… partially, and this is the version that first appeared on Beta and VHS videocassettes in 1985 via home video giant Vestron Video. Long unavailable, the film eventually hit Blu-ray and DVD in 2016 thanks to Walt Olsen’s Scorpion Releasing, which features a solid transfer and was much better than anything that came before it. Audio is limited to a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono track, but given that everyone speaks English, it’s all you really need. The film’s theatrical trailer (3m33s) and bonus trailers for some of Scorpion’s other titles are also included.
In 2023, StudioCanal issued the film in the U.K. as a Region B Blu-ray, which includes both versions of the film and LPCM 2.0 audio tracks in both English and Italian for the original export version, whereas the AIP version only has a LPCM 2.0 English track. English subtitles and subtitles for the hard of hearing are also included. However, unlike previous editions, a couple of nice extras are added beginning with Special Sentiment: Alberto De Martino’s Magnum Memories(13m04s), a very enjoyable audio interview with the director, which was conducted by Eugenio Ercolani in 2012. Frequently labeled “the most American Italian director,” he talks about some of his stylistic choices, and how he likes to guide the viewers’ attention to certain objects in the foreground and background, how he likes to “follow his instincts” with actors, the benefits of cutting pictures where he learned the most, his time as a first AD, and his admiration for DP Aristide Massaccesi (who shot said film as “Anthony Ford”) who could “create wonders” with three light bulbs. Next up, author Kim Newman is interviewed about the film in City Hunter (22m02s) where he expounds on all the various Italian film cycles, the film’s “unusual” co-production history, the many “comically-extreme policeman” in Italian exploitation and how this film goes “just that bit further.”
Taken from the original camera negative, StudioCanal has prepared a new 4K restoration for Kino’s new UHD of BLAZING MAGNUM offering plenty of impressive detail and depth, which really draws attention to De Martino’s aforementioned directing style. Once again, both Italian and English audio tracks are offered, this time in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono (the alternate U.S. version has English audio only) with optional English subtitles for the Italian track. Both the Special Sentiments and City Hunter featurettes are carried over for this release, but Kino have also included an audio commentary with Steve Mitchell and Troy Howarth returning to discuss this “bat-shit crazy” film. As always, this is another valuable and informative listen, which reveals their appreciation for the film and its irresistible mash-up of genres that has “so much of everything,” but yet “strangely succeeds.” Not ones to leave anything out, they cover other Canadian-lensed Italian films, the “architecturally fascinating Montréal locations,” the mostly Canadian cast (keen-eyed viewers should look out for a blink-and-you’ll-miss-him cameo from Miguel Fernandes), the “stubborn and prejudiced mentality of Whitman’s character,” the committed performances and controlled direction, and many of the film’s exploitable elements including “the world’s greatest, nuttiest, out-of-its-mind, reckless, throw-metal-at-things car chase.” Kino have also included the U.S. release version on Blu-ray, which appears to be taken from an altogether different print, but outside of the AIP logo and different title card, it is pretty much identical, but it’s a nice inclusion just the same. The film’s English-language export trailer (3m32s) as BLAZING MAGNUM is also included.
In what is probably the most archetypal poliziesco in Kino’s set, Mario Caiano’s ambitious actioner WEAPONS OF DEATH (1977) is one of a handful of Italian cop films produced by Edmondo Amati for his company Fida Cinematografica. Having had a sizable local hit with Marino Girolami’s exemplary VIOLENT ROME (1975), a film that catapulted Maurizio Merli into the limelight and who became the ‘face’ of Italo-crime for about the next half-decade or so, Amati went on to produce more Merli headliners over the next couple of years, which included Umberto Lenzi’s VIOLENT NAPLES (1976) and Girolami’s SPECIAL COP IN ACTION (1976), his rapid-fire follow-up to VIOLENT ROME.
For WEAPONS OF DEATH (whose original Italian title is NAPOLI, SPARA! and is the title card seen here), Merli is replaced by the somewhat baby-faced Leonard Mann as Insp. Belli (uselessly altered to “Bidi” on English prints) whose stubborn determination and tough demeanour (he manfully puffs on cigars throughout the picture) keeps him one step ahead of the baddies at all times. Far more volatile is Santoro (Henry Silva) and his gang of hotheads who stick-up the Naples Roma Express, where they kill the guards and steal mailbags containing a half-million dollars in cash. Belli is unable to finger Santoro for the crime and the underworld at large – including aging godfather Don Alfredo (Tino Bianchi) – doesn’t appreciate the heavy heat Santoro’s activities are bringing down. Following a breakneck car chase, a window of opportunity is left wide open to kill Insp. Belli, but an ostensible act of mercy by Santoro will cast suspicion on his nemesis as a potentially corrupt cop. Disciplined accordingly by his superiors, Belli is given no choice to bring Santoro in alive, but this proves trickier than expected, that is, until he comes into contact with Luisa (‘Evelyne Stewart’/Ida Galli), an underworld-affiliated songbird…
As with most of the Amati produced polizieschi, WEAPONS OF DEATH also crams in several tangential subplots and sufficient action including a high-speed pursuit with a tanker truck. After ramming a family automobile over an embankment, Belli then clambers aboard the truck from the roof of a pursuing van during an extended car chase. In a bout of desperation, Belli even has the Flying Squad rob a high-stakes poker game in order to get some evidence against Santoro, but in retaliation, one of the plainclothes cops is beheaded by a wire stretched taut across the road (“The muthaf*cka who put the finger on Santoro jus’ blew his top!”). In a cheeky bit of casting, blond-haired passable Merli-lookalike Jeff Blynn (who would go on to appear in Alfonso Brescia’s Neapolitan crime-meller THE NEW GODFATHERS [1979] and Mario Landi’s unforgettably gruesome GIALLO A VENEZIA [1979]) is cast as Giudi (renamed “George” on English prints), a Flying Squad narc who doubles as a Neapolitan taxi driver (“That’s what we need, even the cabbies around town are tryin’ ta play cops’n’robbers!”) who even tackles a pair of scooter-riding sciappatori (i.e., purse-snatchers). Making the best use of his limited free time, Belli also acts as guardian angel to Gennarino, a lame-legged streetkid (juvie ‘cult icon’ Massimo Deda, who filled similar parts in a few Italo-crime flicks [most notably VIOLENT NAPLES] who is cast here in a bit to recapture some of that winning chemistry from Lenzi’s film. In a daring bit of self-assurance, Gennarino even steals a promotional race car and careens through the streets of Naples as De Masi’s mandolin-infused score plays cheerfully in the background. We also get the obligatory pool-hall rumble, another bank robbery, and a pedophile (Adolfo Lastretti) is attacked in a public park by outraged parents after trying to snatch a young girl. In prison, the child molester is subsequently dealt with by the other convicts in what is easily the film’s most gruesome scene of violence.
Although never released on North American home video, most viewers first encountered this film via grey-market bootlegs taken from either the U.K. Inter-Ocean or Dutch EVC VHS releases. It eventually appeared on DVD in 2014 through Italian budget-label Quinto Piano, which was both cut and not English-friendly. In 2017, as part of Dorado Films’ Explosive Eurocrime Double Feature (which also included Girolami’s aforementioned SPECIAL COP IN ACTION), the film made its inauspicious Blu-ray debut in what was touted as a 4K remastered version. However, this presentation is uneven (the opening credits were almost sepia-toned for a short while) and disappointing, which lacks detail and a softness that suggests possible digitization. Extras are limited to trailers for both films, and a pair of liner note booklets containing incisive essays from writer Roberto Curti on The Italian Crime Film and the individual films in question. A nifty, full-colour reproduction of the original Italian NAPOLI SPARA! pressbook is included, too.
Once again thanks to StudioCanal’s Cult Classics line, WEAPONS OF DEATH made its U.K. BD debut and worldwide UHD debut earlier this year, which also advertised a new – and this time accurate – 4K restoration. While certainly not reference material, StudioCanal’s supplied master is massive improvement. This new restoration features a more stable, consistent image with excellent texture and healthy detail, which finally does the film justice. LPCM 2.0 mono audio options are offered in both English and Italian including properly translated English subtitles for the Italian audio track and subtitles for the hard of hearing. Even though both tracks feature the usual post-synch work, the Italian track is definitely the way to go, no thanks to a rather poorly orchestrated English dub wherein Silva doesn’t even loop his own voice.
As with StudioCanal’s other Italo-crime releases, Steve Mitchell and Troy Howarth offer another enthusiastic audio commentary and are this time joined by Mondo Digital’s Nathaniel Thompson. The three of them have a very good rapport, which has them go over the film’s “schizophrenic” tone, De Masi’s somewhat subdued score (“Not his shining hour.”), many of the film’s action scenes including what was staged and what wasn’t, and how the Italians got more out of this genre, even if they were only following trends. They also discuss the film’s close relation to the sceneggiata Napoletana, Caiano’s surprise at the popularity of these films, Pier Luigi Santi’s camerawork, most of the cast and crew, and this new restoration. As always, this is another entertaining and frank commentary that isn’t afraid to criticize the film’s many faults, but without ever detracting from one’s enjoyment of the film itself. Other extras include Napoli Spara! Revisited(17m48s), an on-camera interview with actor Leonard Mann who talks about Italy in the ’70s and the “reactionary” nature of these films, his stint working in Italy, which he regarded as a sort of “treadmill,” and how he performed many of his own stunts. Naples Under Fire (15m10s) is an archival interview with director Mario Caiano where he regards himself as a director that wasn’t “pigeonholed,” the craftsmanship involved in producing these pictures, the state of the police at the time, and how he liked to push “emotions” to the limit in his films. Next up, Will Webb’s video essay Napoli Spara! The Brutal World of the Poliziotteschi (5m25s) examines how these films adapted themes to fit the troubles of the country, and the gritty, high-octane nature of the films themselves. The disc also contains an intro to the film by Jean-Baptiste Thoret (8m20s), a brief photo gallery (2m49s), and the film’s English-language export trailer (4m10s). Lastly, a 12-page booklet with writing from Peter Raleigh finishes off the extensive extras.
Here making its North American UHD debut, Kino once again utilize StudioCanal’s 4K restoration, which looks pretty much the same as the one found on the U.K. disc. Audio options this time include both English and Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono with optional – and properly translated - English subtitles for the latter. As for the extras, everything outside of the Jean-Baptiste intro, photo gallery and booklet is ported over from the U.K. disc, but Kino have also included the film’s English and closing credits (3m09s), which look to be taken from Dorado’s old print. The film’s trailer (3m30s) and bonus trailers for some of Kino’s other product is also included.
All-in-all, Kino’s ITALO-CRIME COLLECTION is an outstanding package, and it makes for a terrific primer for anyone wishing to dip their toe into the tough-as-nails world of Italian crime films before hopefully taking the plunge headfirst. Also available from DiabolikDVD.
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