The Boss: Limited Edition – Raro Video UK (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1973
Director: Fernando Di Leo
Writers: Peter McCurtin, Fernando Di Leo
Cast: Henry Silva, Richard Conte, Gianni Garko, Antonia Santilli, Howard Ross, Pier Paolo Capponi

Release Date: April 29th, 2024
Approximate running times: 109 Minutes 16 Seconds (Italian Theatrical Version), 108 Minutes 21 Seconds (English Export Cut)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Both Versions)
Rating: 18 (UK)
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Italian (Italian Theatrical Version), DTS-HD Mono English (English Export Cut)
Subtitles: English (Italian Theatrical Version), English SDH (English Export Cut)
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: £14.99 (UK)

"In Di Leo’s The Boss, Henry Silva plays mob enforcer Nick Lanzetta, who assassinates key members of a rival gang in order to put his boss in a position to seize power. However, one surviving member of the gang, Cocchi (Pier Paolo Capponi, The Cat o' Nine Tails) plots his revenge involving corrupt cop Torri (Gianni Garko, If You Meet Sartana Pray For Your Death), leading to a bloody series of double-crosses and power plays to find who will ultimately become the boss." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5 (Both Versions)

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, “2020 4K restoration of the original negative".

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

Disc Size: 37.1 GB

Feature: 30.6 GB

This release uses seamless branching for the two versions. Despite Raro’s 2012 Blu-ray being MPEG-4 AVC instead of VC-1 like most of the earliest Blu-ray releases, That transfer looked awful; it was plagued by digital noise reduction. Fortunately, this new release corrects all of the issues present in their previous Blu-ray release. That said, this new transfer is a substantial upgrade that obliterates their 2012 Blu-ray release.

Audio: 4.25/5 (DTS-HD Mono Italian), 3.75/5 (DTS-HD Mono English)

The Italian theatrical version comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in Italian with removable English subtitles. The English-language export cut comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in English with removable English SDH. Both audio tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced. That said, the Italian language track is noticeably more robust than the English language track.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an image gallery (17 images - posters/lobby cards/German press book), a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 29 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with Fernando Di Leo biographer Davide Pulici (35 minutes, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an archival documentary titled Mafia Stories with actors Gianni Garko, Pier Paolo Capponi, producer Armando Novelli and director Fernando Di Leo (23 minutes 42 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with non-removable English subtitles), an audio commentary with film critic Rachael Nisbet, reversible cover art, and a 24-page booklet (limited to 3000 copies) with cast & crew information, an essay titled Eccellenza, baciamo le mani: Mafia and Politics in Fernando Di Leo’s Il Boss written by Dr. Giulio Olesen, and an archival interview with Fernando Di Leo.

Summary:

Directed by Fernando Di Leo, a filmmaker who is most known for his work in the Poliziotteschi genre. Notable films he directed are To Be Twenty, Slaughter Hotel, and Caliber 9. The Boss (AKA Wipeout!) is the third and final film, which makes up a trilogy of films known as the Milieu Trilogy. The other two films are Caliber 9 (also known as Milano Caliber 9) and The Italian Connection (also known as Manhunt).

The narrative revolves around Nick Lanzetta, a hitman caught in the middle of a Mafia war between the Sicilians and the Calabrians.

It is not surprising that Fernando Di Leo excelled in the Poliziotteschi genre. Very few filmmakers working in 1970s Italian cinema had the knack for creating tense and brutal action set pieces like Fernando Di Leo. Case in point: The Boss’ pre-credits opening, where Nick Lanzetta launches an assault that burns his targets to a crisp, making them unidentifiable. The hitman carrying out these killings displays ferocity intended to send a message.

Content-wise, all of the elements one would expect from a mafia film are on display throughout The Boss. At the heart of the narrative is a powerful struggle in which characters make and break alliances. And when you think that you know where things are going, along comes another double cross that shakes things up, culminating with an unforgettable finale that perfectly brings everything together.

Performance-wise, the cast is all excellent in their roles, especially Henry Silva’s (Almost Human) portrayal of Nick Lanzetta, a meticulous assassin all too willing to do anything the boss asks him to do. Despite his typecasting, he delivers one of his more memorable performances. Pier Paolo Capponi’s (Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion) portrayal of Cocchi is the other notable performance. His character is driven by revenge; his brother was killed by Nick Lanzetta. That said, he delivers a performance that rivals the intensity of Henry Silva’s performance.

From a production standpoint, though, The Boss is the weakest of Fernando Di Leo’s Milieu Trilogy. It is still a great finale that embodies all of the elements that are synonymous with Fernando Di Leo’s best films. Ultimately, The Boss is an unflinching portrayal of the criminal underworld that fans of Poliziotteschi cinema are sure to enjoy.

Raro Video UK gives The Boss its best home video release to date, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer