Silent Action: limited Edition – Fractured Visions (Blu-ray/CD Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1975
Director: Sergio Martino
Writers: Gianfranco Couyoumdjian, Massimo Felisatti, Sergio Martino, Fabio Pittorru
Cast: Luc Merenda, Mel Ferrer, Delia Boccardo, Michele Gammino, Paola Tedesco, Franco Giornelli, Gianfranco Barra, Carlo Alighiero, Claudio Gora, Claudio Nicastro, Antonio Casale, Giovanni Di Benedetto, Tomas Milian, Arturo Dominici

Release Date: April 12th, 2021
Approximate Running Time: 93 Minutes 58 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Interlaced / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 15 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono Italian, LPCM Mono English
Subtitles: English (Italian Language Track)
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: £22.99 (UK)

"When high-ranking military officials turn up dead, all from apparent suicides or suspicious accidents, it's down to Inspector Giorgio Solmi (Luc Merenda, The Violent Professionals) to find out what's happened to them. Aided by Captain Mario Sperli (Tomas Milian, Almost Human), the two men soon find themselves during a deadly political scandal that threatens to bring Rome to its knees." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 3/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, “2K Restoration from the Original Camera Negative".

Silent Action comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.1 GB

Feature: 20.7 GB

Though the source used for this transfer looks clean and is in very good shape, there’s no looking past this transfer being interlaced. Also, when it comes to black levels this transfer comes up short and there are instances where the image looks soft. That said, it’s unlikely that Silent Action will be getting another release anytime soon and despite this transfer's shortcomings this release is the only option for the foreseeable future.

Audio: 4/5

This release comes with two audio options, a LPCM mono mix in Italian and a LPCM mono mix in English. Here’s info given about the English language track, “newly remastered”. Out of these two audio mixes the Italian audio track sounds best, it is clearer than the English audio track which has some minor background hiss. Included with this release are removable English subtitles that translate the Italian language track.

Extras:

Extras include an archival interview with actor Luc Merenda (13 minutes 16 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with English subtitles), an archival featurette about actor Tomas Milian titled The Milian Connection (50 minutes 46 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with English subtitles), an interview with composer Luciano Michelini titled Sergio and I (18 minutes 35 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with English subtitles), an interview with Luc Merenda titled Luc Unleashed (18 minutes 45 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with English subtitles), an interview with director Sergio Martino titled Directing the Strategy (13 minutes 5 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with English subtitles), a  featurette about political and social unrest in 1970’s Italy titled The Age of Lead: 1970s Italy (55 minutes 36 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian and English with English subtitles), a collectors edition slipcase, a CD with Luciano Michelini’s score (15 tracks) and ten outtakes, and a thirty-two-page booklet with cast & crew information, an essay titled Silent Action, Deadly Action written by Gian Giacomo and Eugenio Ercolani, an essay titled From Hollywood to Cinecitta: Mel Ferrer in Italy written by Francesco Massaccesi, information about the transfer and original soundtrack track list.

Summary:

The ever reliable genre specialist Sergio Martino directed Silent Action, and the result is a tense action film that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The narrative is well-executed, the action set pieces are solid, the acting is very good and Luciano Michelini’s driving score perfectly sets the mood.

Fractured Visions makes their debut as a company by releasing a film from Italy’s most neglected genre on home video Poliziotteschi. And though some might pass this release because of its lackluster transfer. The overall package that Fractured Visions has put together makes the issues with transfer easily to look past. This release comes with insightful extra content, most notably one of my favorite extra film scores on a CD and both audio mixes sound very good. That said, the pros far outweigh the cons and this is a release that I recommended to fans of Poliziotteschi cinema.

Note: This release is limited to 3,000.

Written by Michael Den Boer