The Iron Commissioner – Cinestrange Extreme (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1978
Director: Stelvio Massi
Writer: Roberto Gianviti
Cast: Maurizio Merli, Janet Agren, Ettore Manni, Chris Avram, Mariangela Giordano, Franco Garofalo, Enzo Fiermonte, Elisa Mainardi

Release Date: October 21st, 2019
Approximate Running Time: 78 Minutes 17 seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVCC
Rating: NR (Germany)
Sound: DTS-HD Stereo Italian, DTS-HD Stereo German
Subtitles: English, German
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: 24,90 EUR

"Commissioner Mauro Mariani is a bear-biting loner, understands little fun and of course has also lived apart with his wife, who lives with her mother with their common offspring. The hard job always comes first - until the day Mariani's son is kidnapped. The loner sees red, rules no longer apply, because the kidnapper has issued an ultimatum. For the iron commissioner, the only thing that counts is to bring the common criminal to his destiny and to know his son is safe. The clock is ticking mercilessly, but why doesn't the kidnapper demand a ransom? What's behind it?" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 3.5/5

Here’s the information given about the transfer, “New scanned in 2K and digitally remastered."

The Iron Commissioner comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 28.8 GB

Feature: 21.4 GB

According to the IMDB this film’s running time should-be eighty-two minutes and for this release the running time is about seventy-eight minutes. This difference of four minutes can-be attributed to this release 25p frame rate which is commonly used for PAL video and because of this frame rate this transfer runs 4% faster than it should.

Outside of few emulsion stains, the source use for this transfer is in great shape, black levels at times do not look as strong as they should. Colors look correct, details generally look crisp and during darker scenes there are some compression related issues.

Audio: 4/5 (DTS-HD Stereo Italian)

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD stereo mix in Italian and DTS-HD stereo mix in German. For this review I watched the film in Italian. This audio mix is in very good shape, dialog comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced and range wise ambient sounds are well-presented. Included with this release are two subtitle options, English and German. Both subtitle options are removable.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a reversible cover art, a trailer for The Iron Commissioner (1 minute 41 seconds, Dolby Digital mono German, no subtitles) and a stills gallery that contains composer Coriolano Gori’s thirteen track score for The Iron Commissioner.

Other extras include three trailers for Subconscious Cruelty and two trailers for American Rickshaw.

Summary:

When one discusses Poliziotteschi cinema two names that instantly spring to mind are Stelvio Massi and Maurizio Merli. In all they would collaborate on six Poliziotteschi films, Poliziotto sprint (Highway Racer), Magnum Cop, Convoy Busters, The Iron Commissioner, Sbirro, la tua legge è lenta… la mia… no! (Cop, your law is slow … mine … no!) and The Rebel. Unfortunately each new collaboration faced the thing that plagued so many Italian genre films, minuscule budgets that go more anemic as the 1970’s drew to a close.

This brings us to The Iron Commissioner, a film that followed what’s arguably Stelvio Massi and Maurizio Merli’s best collaboration Convoy Busters. Content wise, though The Iron Commissioner has all the elements that have become synonymous Poliziotteschi cinema. It becomes immediately clear that The Iron Commissioner is a lean film that’s put together on a shoestring budget. And nowhere is the clearer, then when it comes to The Iron Commissioner’s streamlined narrative which serves as not much more than a means for Maurizio Merli to flex his muscles.

The Iron Commissioner’s plot revolves around Mauro Mariani, a no-nonsense police commissioner who shoots first and asks questions later. Though he’s a cop who’s modus operandi straddles the line of what’s lawful and what’s criminal. His methods get results and because of this his superiors give him latitude. Over the years, he’s put a lot of bad guys away, which leads to his son becoming the target of someone who feels Mariani wronged him.

Performance wise Maurizio Merli (The Tough Ones, Violent Naples) dominates the screen. He delivers another take no prisoners performance that’s inline with his other Poliziotteschi films. That said, though he’s character is all about taking down bad guys. The character he portrays in The Iron Commissioner gives him an opportunity to show his softer side. Other notable cast members include, Janet Agren (Eaten Alive!, City of the Living Dead) in the role of Mauro Mariani’s ex-wife, Mariangela Giordano (Malabimba, Burial Ground: The Nights of Terror) and Franco Garofalo (Hell of the Living Dead, The Other Hell) in the roles of kidnappers.

Stelvio Massi is a master craftsman whose ability to deliver high-octane action set pieces on anemic budgets is second to none. Though The Iron Commissioner does not have the obligatory car chase scene. This is quickly forgiven after one witnesses the slow motion abduction opening sequence that sets the tone for the rest of the film. Ultimately, despite its shortcomings, what lies within is a film that fans of Poliziotteschi cinema should thoroughly enjoy.

The Iron Commissioner makes its way to Blu-ray via gets a good audio/video presentation that leaves room for improvement.

Written by Michael Den Boer