Euro-crime: policier, polar, poliziesco all'italiana, poliziottesco/poliziotteschi

[Scott]

Agree with everything you said, Scott. I do tend to consider the film more giallo, but regardless, it's a terrific film.

Now that I've seen more poliziotteschi and revisited this film I can see it more as a giallo now too. SHADOWS IN AN EMPTY ROOM and WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO YOUR DAUGHTERS are also good hybrids. Are there any others hybrid poliziotteschi/giallos out there?

Here's a list of all the poliziotteschi I have or have on order. Besides the second Di Leo set what are the glaring ommissions that I should see? Obviously there's some things like HIGH CRIME that don't have releases (that I'm aware of, which doesn't mean much).


1970 Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion
1970 Death Occurred Last Night
1970 Violent City

1972 Execution Squad*
1972 Milano Calibro 9
1972 The Italian Connection
1973 Revolver
1973 Rabid Dogs
1973 Gang War in Milan
1973 Il Boss
1973 Super Bitch
1974 Street Law
1974 Emergency Squad
1974 Almost Human
1974 What Have They Done to Your Daughters?

1975 Syndicate Sadists
1975 Killer Cop*
1976 The Big Racket
1976 Rome Armed to the Teeth*
1976 Violent Naples
1976 Live Like a Cop, Die Like a Man
1976 Rulers of the City
1976 Strange Shadows in an Empty Room
1976 Fear in the City*
1977 The Cynic, the Rat and the Fist
1977 Heroin Busters
1977 Stunt Squad
1978 Convoy Busters

1980 Contraband
1980 Day of the Cobra

* On order, haven't seen.

[Ian Jane]

Some Day Of The Cobra Blu-ray releases coming out in Germany next month.

https://www.dvd-forum.at/news-detail...strange-extrem

[Ian Jane]

It's one of the best.

[Scott]

Oh man I just watched CALIBER 9 for the first time! Holy hell what a great movie!

[Scott]

I don't know where I pulled that spelling from. This constant inebriation is catching up with me.

I'll definitely check those films out! I forgot he's also the landowner in ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST. Doesn't really get to do much but die.

[Andrew Monroe]

Had a brain freeze (or more likely a senior moment) but his name is actually Frank Wolff...anyway, a couple other films worth watching are GOD FORGIVES...I DON'T and A STRANGER IN TOWN. Both spaghetti westerns and well worth tracking down. RINGO, THE FACE OF REVENGE is also top notch.

[Scott]

I still need to see PUZZLE but I really like the BLOODSTAINED BUTTERFLY too. And I need to start hunting down every film Frank Wolfe was in. I think the only other film I've seen him in is THE GREAT SILENCE and he's fantastic in that too.

[Andrew Monroe]

Watched DEATH OCCURRED LAST NIGHT, last night. What a wonderful film! I know it gets called a giallo/poliziotteschi hybrid but it felt mostly like a poliziotteschi to me. Frank Wolfe is a such a great actor and the guy who played the father of the murdered girl was equally great. I loved everything about this film and can't wait to watch it again tonight. It felt grounded and straightforward in a way few Italians films usually do.

Agree with everything you said, Scott. I do tend to consider the film more giallo, but regardless, it's a terrific film. Packs an emotional punch that's rarely found in these genre films. I wish Tessari had made more gialli than this, THE BLOODSTAINED BUTTERFLY and PUZZLE. All three are terrific but DEATH OCCURRED LAST NIGHT is the best of the 3 by far in my book. Wolfe was really good in this (par for the course with him), love the fact that we get a detailed view of his personal life and relationship with his wife. Raf Vallone plays the father, and yes, his performance gives Wolfe a run for his money. That ending is so devastating. Also have to mention the killer Gianni Ferrio score, one of his best.

[Scott]

Watched DEATH OCCURRED LAST NIGHT, last night. What a wonderful film! I know it gets called a giallo/poliziotteschi hybrid but it felt mostly like a poliziotteschi to me. Frank Wolfe is a such a great actor and the guy who played the father of the murdered girl was equally great. I loved everything about this film and can't wait to watch it again tonight. It felt grounded and straightforward in a way few Italians films usually do.

[willpak]

I'd bet it was Reed's own voice, too. God knows what's up with the American accent, though. Very distracting, for sure.

[Ian Jane]

Pre-orders should be available next week.

[Mr. Deltoid]

I'm pretty certain that is Oliver Reed's voice but the American accent is a slight distraction.

Hmmm. It's been a few months since I saw it now, but I'd wager a Jammie Dodger that Reed's voice was dubbed by someone other than himself, though I could be wrong on that front. That distinctive Reedian timbre seemed to be missing.

[Paul L]

I watched the Blue Underground disc of Revolver (aka, Blood in the Streets) recently and thought it was great. A lot more sober-minded than I expected, with the question of personal versus professional loyalties at the heart of the film. A pity big Ollie was dubbed by someone else though. His voice was always an intrinsic part of his performance.

I'm pretty certain that is Oliver Reed's voice but the American accent is a slight distraction.

[Dark Horse 77]

Cheers for taking one for the team Jason. I won't be wasting my money on that. I wish these Italian Policier's would get more respect on physical media. I've really got into them over the past year or so. I watched the Blue Underground disc of Revolver (aka, Blood in the Streets) recently and thought it was great. A lot more sober-minded than I expected, with the question of personal versus professional loyalties at the heart of the film. A pity big Ollie was dubbed by someone else though. His voice was always an intrinsic part of his performance. Great soundtrack and location photography compensate! It would be nice to see this one in HD sooner, rather than later!

You did yourself a favor with Revolver, it's absolutely one of the best. Find some Umberto Lenzi/Tomas Milian ones and you're in for a great ride.

[Jason C]

Cinestrange's The Iron Commissioner unfortunately does "look like shit". I'll gladly pay $40 for Euro-crime films even with mediocre to bad presentations but this one has a bigger flaw then fake grain, no color correction or DNR. Please excuse my not knowing the technical terms but there is "jitter" whenever there is swift movements onscreen. It doesn't look like the jaggy "combing" I'm used to seeing in PAL-to-NTSC DVDs. It's more like missing frames. Its not obvious when pausing and stepping through so it won't show in screenshots. It does seem to subside the longer the film plays. My Oppo shows "50i" so wonder if that is the problem. Another issue is DNR. It wasn't so bad that it would have bothered me but likely would have drove some batshit.

If another release comes down the line I won't be upgrading unless it has the English dub. It seems like a decent Merli flick but I couldn't get past his voice. Whoever dubs Merli sounds incredibly weak/inappropriate for the bitch-slapping mustachio'd commissioner that doesn't play by the rules. Just not manly enough. That said, the Italian track sounds very good. The German track sounds like garbage.

It is a damn fine looking mediabook so at least it looks good on the shelf.

It has trailers for American Rickshaw which looks freaking fantastic. I must see this film. Here's hoping it gets a competent release as Cinestrange's clearly isn't.

I found that I can enable a setting called "MotionFlow" (its a Sony TV) that will resolve the jitter in PAL and 50i discs.