High Crime – FilmArt (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1973
Director: Enzo G. Castellari
Writers: Maurizio Amati, Tito Carpi, Gianfranco Clerici, Enzo G. Castellari, Leonardo Martín, Gene Luotto, Vincenzo Mannino
Cast: Franco Nero, Fernando Rey, James Whitmore, Delia Boccardo, Duilio Del Prete, Silvano Tranquilli, Luigi Diberti, Stefania Girolami Goodwin, Ely Galleani, Massimo Vanni, Carla Mancini

Release Date: January 28th, 2022
Approximate Running Time: 103 Minutes 13 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: FSK Freigegeben ab 18 Jahren (Germany)
Sound: DTS-HD Mono English, DTS-HD Mono Italian, DTS-HD Mono German
Subtitles: German
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: OOP

"After a robbery at a post office, Carlo Antonelli is kidnapped by gangsters and beaten up badly. Disappointed by the police, who are unable to help him, Antonelli starts his own campaign of revenge and wants to pillory the gangsters himself. But the plan threatens to fail. Antonelli becomes entangled in an opaque whirlpool of violence and must once again experience firsthand what it means to mess with sinister figures. Antonelli sees red. His last resort: to take up arms himself!" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4/5

High Crime comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 33.8 GB

Feature: 28.3 GB

The source used for this transfer is in excellent shape. It should be noted that this transfer’s source was supplied by StudioCanal. Colors look very good, flesh tones look correct, contrast, image clarity, and black levels are solid, and the grain looks organic.

Audio: 4.5/5 (DTS-HD Mono English), 3.75/5 (DTS-HD Mono Italian)

This release comes with three audio options: a DTS-HD mono mix in English, a DTS-HD mono mix in Italian and a DTS-HD mono mix in German. The English language track is in excellent shape; dialog always comes through clearly; everything sounds balanced and robust when it should. Though the Italian language track is in very good shape, it does not sound as robust as its English language counterpart. Included with this release are removable German subtitles for the Italian language track.

Extras:

Extras for this release include reversible cover art, an image gallery (16 images-posters/lobby cards/home video art), a theatrical trailer (4 minutes 17 seconds, LPCM mono English, no subtitles), German opening credits/intermission titles/closing credits and UK video release opening credits under the title The Marseilles Connection (3 minutes 31 seconds, LPCM mono German, no subtitles and LPCM mono), alternate ending (1 minute 44 seconds, LPCM mono), an option to watch High Crime with its alternative ending (103 minutes 13 seconds, DTS-HD mono English, DTS-HD mono Italian, DTS-HD mono German with removable German subtitles), and a twenty-page booklet with an essay titled Ver-Lassener Stadt-Strand-Tag written by Michael Cholewa (text in German).

Other extras include an English-language trailer for Street Law.

This release is limited to 1000 copies.

Summary:

Enzo G. Castellari is a name that’s synonymous with Italian action cinema. And though he’s successfully worked in several genres, He’s most remembered for his contributions to Poliziotteschi cinema. Notable Poliziotteschi directed by Enzo G. Castellari include Street Law and The Big Racket.

Though Poliziotteschi’s roots can be traced back to heist films that were popular in Italy in the late 1960’s. Poliziotteschi's cinema did not hit its stride until the 1970’s. Unfortunately, like most Italian film cycles, Poliziotteschi cinema would fade away by the early 1980’s.

In the early days of Poliziotteschi cinema, there was more of a focus on character-driven stories, while the films that came later in the cycle were action-heavy and pushed the limits when it came to on-screen violence. This brings us to Enzo G. Castellari’s High Crime, a film that falls into the former category.

One thing most Poliziotteschi cinemas have in common is how they open with a set piece that sets the tone for what follows. In the case of High Crime, it opens with a twelve-minute chase sequence which begins on foot, then proceeds into a car chase where cars recklessly weave in between other cars. What sets this scene apart from other scenes is its originality. There’s no recycled chase footage to be found here, something that would become common in Poliziotteschi cinema.

High Crime, like most Poliziotteschi cinema, has its inspirations. And though High Crime’s premise bears similarities to The French Connection, This is where any similarities end, since what lies within is a film that draws heavily from what was going on socially and politically in Italy at that time.

The main attraction of High Crime is Franco Nero (Django) in the role of Vice-Commissioner Belli, a determined character who is frustrated by a system that prevents him from doing his job. Though he has portrayed other characters who have similar qualities to Vice-Commissioner Belli, The result is arguably one of his strongest performances of his career. It should be noted that the English-language version features his voice.

Other notable cast members include Fernando Rey (Illustrious Corpses) in the role of an aging crime boss named Cafiero, Stefania Girolami Goodwin (The Heroin Busters) in the role of Belli’s daughter, Delia Boccardo (Silent Action) in the role of Belli’s girlfriend, and Ely Galleani (Five Dolls for an August Moon) in the role of a reluctant informant named Chicca.

There’s not an area where high crime does not deliver and then some. The premise is well-executed, with a perfectly constructed narrative that balances exposition and action set pieces, and an explosive shootout finale between cops and criminals. Enzo G. Castellari’s greatest asset as a director is his ability to create stylized acts of violence. Another strength is Guido De Angelis and Maurizio De Angelis’ (Torso) score, which does a superb job of reinforcing the mood. Ultimately, High Crime is an extraordinary film that is one of the best examples of Poliziotteschi cinema.

High Crime makes its way to Blu-ray via a strong release from FilmArt that comes with a solid English-friendly audio/video presentation; highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer