Rulers of the City - Raro Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1976
Director: Fernando Di Leo
Writers: Fernando Di Leo, Peter Berling
Cast: Jack Palance, Al Cliver, Harry Baer, Gisela Hahn, Enzo Pulcrano, Carmelo Reale, Edmund Purdom, Vittorio Caprioli

Release Date: January 31st, 2012
Approximate running time: 95 minutes 38 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Italian, DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $49.95 (Rulers of the City is part of Fernando Di Leo: The Italian Crime Collection: Volume 1)

"Two young friends initiate themselves into a gang to get close to big time crime boss Mr. Scarface (Palance) to get revenge for a childhood murder and destroy his mob." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 3.25/5

Rulers of the City on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 19.8 GB

Feature: 18.4 GB

Though no information is given about the source, it is in very good shape. Colors look correct, image clarity and black levels are strong throughout, and any compression-related issues are never too intrusive. That said, this transfer is a noticeable improvement over Raro Video's non-anamorphic DVD release.

Audio: 3.5/5

This release comes with two audio options: a DTS-HD Mono mix in English and a DTS-HD Mono mix in Italian. Both audio mixes sound clean, clear, and balanced throughout. Though the range is rather limited at times, the more action-oriented and ambient aspects of the soundtrack fare really well. Included with this release are removable English subtitles.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a text based biography and filmography for Fernando Di Leo and a documentary titled Documentary: Violent City (15 minutes 32 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo in Italian with non-removable English subtitles).

Rulers of the City is part of Fernando Di Leo's The Italian Crime Collection: Volume 1. This box set also contains Milano Calibro 9, The Boss and The Italian Connection. This box set comes with a twenty-two-page booklet that comes with an essay titled Introduction written by Luca Rea, an interview with Fernando Di Leo, conducted by Luca Rea, and a biography and filmography of Fernando Di Leo.

Summary:

Though Rulers of the City is not part of the aforementioned The Milieu Trilogy, Content-wise, it bears many similarities to the three films which make up The Milieu Trilogy. 

Rulers of the City's narrative is built around violent set pieces. The two standout moments visually are its atmospheric opening and its carnage-filled finale. There are two storylines which drive Rulers of the City. And though they don’t appear related at first, they intersect in Rulers of the City's bloody finale. The bulk of the narrative revolves around the exploits of a lone collector named Tony. And after several failed attempts to get the guys in the crew he runs with to treat him as an equal, he offers to do the job that no one else has the guts to take on. Collect money from a sadistic crime boss named Manzari, who's also known by the nickname "Scarface," to help put his plan into motion. Tony befriends Rick, who has recently been kicked out of Manzari’s gang. They quickly concoct a scheme. And what should have been the perfect con? quickly turns sour when Tony gets too cocky. From there, the narrative revolves around Manzari’s men trying to track down Tony and Rick. Who bravely sticks around and antagonizes Manzari? Even though this may seem like a stupid thing to do, it also plays into the Rulers of the City's other main storyline. Which involves Rick’s back-story and his quest for vengeance against the man who murdered his father. 

Performance wise, the cast is more than adequate in their respective roles. The majority of the performances were way over the top. In particular, Jack Palance (The Mercenary) as Manzari. He gives an effectively sinister and cold-hearted performance. Also, he dominates every scene that he is in. However, on the other hand, the most disappointing performance comes from Al Cliver (Cannibals) in the role of Rick. So much of the film’s conclusion relies on his performance. And, unfortunately, he delivers a one-note performance. That is underwhelming. That said, the rulers of the city would be dead on arrival. If it were not for the charismatic performance from the ever reliable Jack Palance.

Rulers of the City gets a good audio/video presentation from Raro Video.

Written by Michael Den Boer