A Man on His Knees: Limited Edition – Radiance Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1979
Director: Damiano Damiani
Writers: Nicola Badalucco, Damiano Damiani
Cast: Giuliano Gemma, Eleonora Giorgi, Michele Placido, Tano Cimarosa, Ettore Manni, Luciano Catenacci, Nello Pazzafini, Fabrizio Forte, Nazzareno Zamperla

Release Date: September 23rd, 2024 (UK), September 24th, 2024 (USA)
Approximate running time: 110 Minutes 29 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 15 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: LPCM Mono Italian
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A,B
Retail Price: £14.99 (UK), $39.95 (USA)

"Mistaken as a witness to a crime, Nino (Giuliano Gemma, The Iron Prefect), learns from a friend he has been put on a Mafia hit list and is being stalked by an assassin (Michele Placido, Romanzo Criminale). A man with a troubled past, Nino knows only too well what he faces and uses all his strength and cunning to keep himself and his family alive." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, “A Man on His Knees was restored in 4K at Augustus Color in Rome, Italy. The restoration was made from the original picture and audio negatives and the film is presented in its original aspect ratio and mono audio.”

A Man on His Knees comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 40 GB

Feature: 32.3 GB

Though the bulk of the source looks excellent, there are still a few very minor imperfections that remain. Flesh tones look healthy, colors look correct, image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image always looks organic.

Audio: 5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Italian with removable English subtitles. This audio track sounds great; dialog always comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and the score sounds appropriately robust.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 15 seconds, LPCM mono Italian with removable English subtitles), an archival interview with assistant director Mino Giarda (20 minutes 41 seconds, LPCM stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an archival interview with actor Tano Cimarosa (8 minutes 59 seconds, LPCM stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an archival interview with actor Giuliano Gemma (8 minutes 45 seconds, LPCM stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with Alberto Pezzotta, author of Regia Damiano Damiani (23 minutes 44 seconds, LPCM stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), reversible cover art, removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings and a 24-page booklet (limited to 3000 copies) cast & crew information, an essay titled The Impenetrable Web of the Mafia written by Roberto Curti, and information about the transfer.

Summary:

Directed by Damiano Damiani, whose other notable films include The Witch (La strega in amore), A Bullet for the General, The Most Beautiful Wife (La moglie più bella), The Day of the Owl, A Complicated Girl, Confessions of a Police Captain, The Case Is Closed, Forget It, and How to Kill a Judge.

A Mafia hit list includes the name of an innocent man wrongfully accused of kidnapping participation.

When one thinks of Poliziotteschi films, the most common scenario is cops vs. criminals, and yet, like most genres, there are many sub-genres within the Poliziotteschi genre. One of these sub-genres is referred to as denunciation film, and it is within this sub-genre that a film like A Man on His Knees and, for that matter, most of Damiano Damiani crime films.

The protagonist is a former car thief who is a family man who owns his own businesses. Despite the changes he’s made in his life, he still associates with people from his past. When he discovers that he's on a hit list, instead of fleeing or hiding, he takes matters into his own hands to clear his name.

The well-constructed narrative does an excellent job quickly drawing you into the story that's unfolding. It is overflowing with tense moments, where characters' motivations are not always clear, and those who were once trustworthy will turn on you. That said, the narrative's momentum comes from the protagonist's actions as he tries to navigate through what's happening and stay alive.

The entire cast all excel in their respective roles, especially Giuliano Gemma (The Iron Perfect), who delivers one of her best performances. He portrays Nino Peralta, a man who, when pushed to his limits, becomes everything he detests to survive. Michele Placido (Plot of Fear) delivers a phenomenal performance in the role of Platamona, a mafia hitman whose hesitation when it comes to killing Nino puts his own life in danger. The differences between Giuliano Gemma and Michele Placido’s characters are vast, and the moments they share really show how amazing both of their performances are.

When it comes to the police in A Man on His Knees, they play a limited role; most of their screen time is with Nino, who is friendly with the police commissioner who arrested him when he was stealing cars. Their relationship is an intriguing one for Italian crime cinema, where most of the time the police are combative with suspects. Luciano Catenacci (The Tough Ones) made a career out of playing characters on the wrong side of the law; this is an interesting casting choice for the role of the commissioner.

Damiano Damiani's career spanned four decades, and he worked in just about every genre. It is not surprising that he’s most remembered for his work in Poliziotteschi cinema, which is unmatched by any of his contemporaries. Ultimately, A Man on His Knees is an exemplary Poliziotteschi that is essential viewing for all fans of this genre.

A Man on His Knees gets an excellent release from Radiance Films that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and insightful extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer