Convoy Busters – Cauldron Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1978
Director: Stelvio Massi
Writers: Danilo Massi, Gino Capone, Teodoro Corrà
Cast: Maurizio Merli, Olga Karlatos, Massimo Serato, Nello Pazzafini, Mario Feliciani

Release Date: May 16th, 2023
Approximate running time: 100 Minutes 41 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, English SDH
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $29.95

"After brandishing his gun and badge too many times in front of powerful people, Maurizio Merli (Violent Naples and The Cynic, The Rat, and The Fist) is busted down from Homicide to Emergency Squad. Despite his demotion, he is not content with letting Rome's criminal element run rampant and his violent nature soon finds him the target of both the press and the local mob. After a bloody attempt on his life, he is transferred to a quiet coastal town to run a local department but, never one to leave things alone, he quickly finds a dangerous smuggling ring is using the cover of the sea and darkness to run their operations in his sleepy district." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "2K restoration from the negative."

Convoy Busters comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 42.4 GB

Feature: 29.1 GB

When compared to the transfer used for Koch Films German Blu-ray, Cauldron Films transfers are a marked improvement. Areas of greatest improvement include image clarity, black levels, and contrast, and compression is solid. Also, the digital noise that plagued Koch Films release is not an issue with Cauldron Films release.

Audio: 4.25/5 (DTS-HD Mono Italian, DTS-HD Mono English)

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Italian and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. Both audio tracks are in great shape; there are no issues with distortion or background hiss. Dialog comes through clearly; everything sounds balanced and robust when it should. Included are English subtitles for the Italian language track and English SDH subtitles for the English language track. It should be noted that subtitles can only be chosen via the audio setup menu, and they cannot be turned off while watching the main feature. Also, you cannot toggle between the two audio options while watching the main feature.

Extras:

Extras for this release include reversible cover art, an image gallery with music from the film playing in the background, Stelvio Massi image onset image gallery with music from the film playing in the background, Italian theatrical trailer (3 minutes 50 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Italian with non-removable English subtitles), English language theatrical trailer (4 minutes 1 second, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), alternate English language opening credits (59 seconds, Dolby Digital mono), five featurettes that previously appeared on NoShame’s DVD, an interview with director Ruggero Deodato titled Bullet in the Closet (6 minutes 27 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with non-removable English subtitles), an interview with director Enzo G. Castellari titled The Protagonist (22 minutes 20 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with non-removable English subtitles), an interview with actor Ennio Girolami titled My Good Fella Maurizio (15 minutes 54 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with non-removable English subtitles), an interview with journalist Eolo Capacci titled A Star is Born (16 minutes 2 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with non-removable English subtitles) and an interview with Maurizio Merli’s son Maurizio Matteo Merli titled Merli on Merli (20 minutes 26 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with non-removable English subtitles), a featurette titled Stelvio Massi video tribute by Danilo Massi (8 minutes 24 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo with Italian and removable English subtitles), an interview with Maurizio Matteo Merli titled My Father, the Cop (20 minutes 22 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with Danilo Massi titled The Massi Touch (24 minutes 19 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with tough-guy film expert Mike Malloy titled Maurizio Merli: A Lethal Hunter of Subtle Variation (29 minutes, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and an audio commentary with Mike Malloy and Mike Martinez.

Extras not carried over from the limited edition release for this standard edition release include a poster and a slipcase.

Summary:

A pair of homicides lead detective Olmi (Maurizio Merli) to a suspect who gets off because of his friends in high places. Olmi is then reassigned from Homicide to Rome’s emergency squad. His tactics towards suspects get scrutinized by the press, which accuses him of police brutality. Olmi finally hits rock bottom when he accidentally kills a man. He then relocates to a small town on the Adriatic coast, where he finds love with a woman named Anna. Unfortunately, old habits are hard to break and Olmi returns to his old ways as he uncovers a massive gun smuggling operation.

By the time that Stelvio Massi directed Convoy Busters, he had firmly entrenched himself as one of the premier directors working in Poliziotteschi cinema. And though he directs Convoy Busters with the same style that’s become synonymous with his most celebrated Poliziotteschi films. Convoy Busters lacks the substance that defined his initial Poliziotteschi films.

Content wise, Convey Busters has all the cliches that have become synonymous with Poliziotteschi cinema. There are numerous shootouts, thrilling chase sequences (one suspect is pursued by a helicopter), and frustrated law enforcement officers who take the law into their own hands.

Speaking of Poliziotteschi cinema chase sequences, in Convoy Busters there’s a chase scene where Olni in a helicopter chases a suspect who’s running through an open field. This chase that ends with a slow-motion death shot from Olini is arguably one of the coolest shots you will ever see in any Poliziotteschi film.

The performances are best described as serviceable. With the main attraction being Maurizio Merli’s (The Tough Ones, Violent Naples) no hold barred portrayal of detective Olmi. He’s a no-nonsense character who kicks ass and asks questions later. Detective Olmi is similar to many of the anti-heroes like Dirty Harry and Paul Kersey (Death Wish) in that they are all fed up with how the law protects the bad guys while innocents are harmed or murdered. Overall, Convoy Busters is an action-packed film that fans of Poliziotteschi cinema should thoroughly enjoy.

Cauldron Films gives Convoy Busters its best home video release to date. Cauldron Films gives Convoy Busters a strong audio/video presentation and a wealth of insightful extras, highly recommended.

 Written by Michael Den Boer