World Noir Volume 5: Limited Edition – Radiance Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: Italy, 1946 (The Bandit), Italy, 1950 (Against the Law), Italy, 1951 (Four Ways Out)
Directors: Alberto Lattuada (The Bandit), Flavio Calzavara (Against the Law), Pietro Germi (Four Ways Out)
Cast: Anna Magnani, Amedeo Nazzari, Carla Del Poggio, Carlo Campanini, Eliana Banducci, Mino Doro, Folco Lulli, Mario Perrone (The Bandit), Marcello Mastroianni, Fulvia Mammi, Renato Malavasi, Tino Buazzelli, Manlio Busoni, Miranda Campa, Angelo Canova, Paolo Panelli, Mario Terribile (Against the Law), Gina Lollobrigida, Renato Baldini, Cosetta Greco, Paul Muller, Enzo Maggio Jr., Fausto Tozzi, Tamara Lees, Emma Baron, Ferdinando Lattanzi (Four Ways Out)

Release Date: September 7th, 2026
Approximate Running Times: 83 Minutes 46 Seconds (The Bandit), 96 Minutes 44 Seconds (Against the Law), 79 Minutes 56 Seconds (Four Ways Out - Italian Version), 74 Minutes 50 Seconds (Four Ways Out - English Version)
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1 Aspect Ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (All Films)
Rating: 12 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono Italian (All Films), LPCM Mono English (Four Ways Out - English Version)
Subtitles: English (All Films), English SDH (Four Ways Out - English Version)
Region Coding: Region B
Retail Price: £37.49 (UK)

The Bandit: "Returning from war, Ernesto (Amedeo Nazzari, Nights of Cabiria) comes home without a family to welcome him. A chance encounter with a gangster's moll, Lydia (Anna Magnani, Rome, Open City) catapults him to a life of crime." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Against the Law: "A middle class man laundering money for the mob to make ends meet witnesses a murder during a currency exchange. Fingered as the murderer by police, he and his girlfriend attempt to clear his name." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Four Ways Out: "A gang of four ordinary men steal two cases stuffed with money from a football ground. They split up to evade capture but misplaced allegiances and nerves threaten their freedom." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5 (The Bandit, Four Ways Out - Both Versions), 4/5 (Against the Law)

Here’s the information provided about the transfers, “The Bandit was restored in 4K by the Fondazione Cineteca di Bologna from the original nitrate camera and sound negatives provided by Cristaldi Films. The restoration was carried out at the L’Immagine Ritrovata laboratory. The restoration was supported by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism.

The 4K restoration of Four Ways Out became necessary due to the extensive damage suffered by the original camera negative over the years. The film’s opening scene, a fade-in, had been destroyed and replaced with black leader; numerous frames were missing, cue marks at reel changes had been damaged and, in reels 4 and 7, deteriorated sections of the negative had been replaced with elements from a dupe negative printed from a positive print. The restoration was made possible thanks to the discovery of its safety dupe negative of the English version, a nitrate print, and a dupe negative struck in the 1990s. The comparison of these materials made it possible to identify the best surviving elements and, through 4K scanning, to reconstruct the negative and carry out an extensive restoration. All missing frames were reconstructed and the inserts in reels 4 and 7 were replaced with sections sourced from the English dupe negative and the nitrate print; the latter also made possible the reconstruction of an entire sequence from reel 4. The film’s opening scene was reconstructed using the dupe negative printed in the 1990s. 

The restoration of Against the Law was made from the 35mm original image and sound negatives stored at Cineteca Italiana (Milian). The restoration was started in 2024 for the celebration of the centenary of Marcello Mastroianni’s birth.

For Four Ways Out and Against the Law, the film preparation and conforming was carried out by Picture & Sounds (Rome), with 4K scanning, digital restoration, and grading completed at Video Master Digital (Rome). Digital sound restoration and mastering was carried out by Fabio Venturi at Touch Entertainment.

All three films were supplied to Radiance Films as high-definition video files.”

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

Disc Size: 35.9 GB

Feature: 24.3 GB

The source looks excellent; flesh tones look healthy, image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image retains an organic appearance.

Against the Law comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 32.9 GB

Feature: 26.2 GB

Although not as strong of a presentation as the two other films in this collection, there are times when this transfer looks excellent. Flesh tones look healthy, image clarity, contrast, and black levels are strong, compression is solid, and the image retains an organic appearance.

Four Ways Out comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 46.2 GB

Feature: 20.6 GB (Italian Version), 19.3 GB (English Version)

When one considers the shape of the original negative and the amount of work done to restore the film, the end result looks remarkable. Flesh tones look healthy, image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image retains an organic appearance.

Audio: 4/5 (LPCM Mono Italian - The Bandit), 3.75/5 (LPCM Mono Italian - Against the Law, LPCM Mono Italian - Four Ways Out), 3.5/5 (LPCM Mono English - Four Ways Out)

Each film comes with an LPCM mono mix in Italian and removable English subtitles. All tracks sound clear and balanced, and ambient sounds are well-represented. The Bandit’s audio track sounds noticeably more robust than the other two films, which have some minor background hiss. Four Ways Out includes an English-language version featuring an LPCM mono mix with removable English subtitles. While the track sounds clear and balanced, it does have some minor imperfections.

Extras:

Extras for The Bandit include an interview with film critic Fabio Melelli, who discusses Alberto Lattuada’s films (18 minutes 27 seconds, LPCM stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with Evelina Nazzari about her father, actor Amedeo Nazzari (16 minutes 24 seconds, LPCM stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with Fabio Melelli and Evelina Nazzari, who discuss The Bandit (24 minutes 23 seconds, LPCM stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with film critic Christina Newland, who discusses actress Anna Magnani (12 minutes 28 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), and reversible cover art.

Extras for Against the Law include an interview with film critic Manuela Lazic, who discusses actor Marcello Mastroianni (20 minutes 49 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with Italian film expert Stephen Gundle, who discusses director Flavio Calzavara (19 minutes 42 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), and reversible cover art.

Extras for Four Ways Out include an Italian-language theatrical trailer (3 minutes 20 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Italian with removable English subtitles), an English-language theatrical trailer (2 minutes 40 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an interview with Pietro Germi expert Mario Sesti, who provides a critical assessment of Four Ways Out (21 minutes 23 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with noir expert Imogen Sarah Smith, who discusses Four Ways Out and Pietro Germi (24 minutes 41 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an alternate English language version of Four Ways Out (74 minutes 50 seconds, 1.37:1 aspect ratio, LPCM mono English with removable English SDH), and reversible cover art.

Other extras include a removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings and an 80-page perfect bound booklet with cast & crew information for each film, an archival writing titled Neorealismo Nero written by Mary P. Wood, an essay titled In the Wake of Catastrophe: Alberto Lattuada’s The Bandit written by Beatrice Loayza, an essay titled Germi’s Naked (Eternal) City: Four Ways Out written by Pasquale Iannone, an essay titled Romans Not on Holiday: Against the Law written by Farran Smith Nehme, an essay titled The Glass Eye: Leo Longanesi and the Seeds of Neo-Realism written by Roberto Curti, Four Ways Out original promotional material and information about the transfers.

Summary:

The Bandit: Alberto Lattuada directed The Bandit. He’s known for Without Pity, Variety Lights, The Overcoat, The Devil Is a Woman, Mafioso, and Come Have Coffee with Us.

After being held in a prisoner of war camp, a man named Ernesto returns to Italy to discover that his mother has died and his sister is missing. From there, a chance encounter reunites Ernesto with his sister, who’s working as a prostitute. When Ernesto tries to take her away from that world, her pimp murders her; enraged, Ernesto kills her pimp, making him a fugitive.

The Bandit is a film of two halves; the first half is a melodrama about a man named Ernesto, who struggles to reintegrate into society while trying to locate his family after the war. The later half shifts into a crime story when Ernesto becomes a wanted man after killing a man. Although Ernesto becomes more jaded, his instinct to survive remains strong throughout.

The opening setup does a phenomenal job establishing Ernesto and key characters who play a significant role in the story that unfolds. The well-executed narrative is very effective at creating tense moments that build upon each other. While it's evident that Ernesto's destructive path cannot lead to anything positive, the impact of the gut-punch finale remains unchanged.

All around, the cast are excellent in the roles, especially Amedeo Nazzari’s (Nights of Cabiria) portrayal of Ernesto. Despite his characters' unflattering actions, he still manages to evoke sympathy. That said, the most memorable performance is Anna Magnani (The Rose Tattoo) in the role of Lidia, a gangster's girlfriend who becomes romantically involved with Ernesto.

While most of Alberto Lattuada’s films were firmly entrenched in neorealism, The Bandit is a film that owes as much to Hollywood’s film noir as it does to neorealism. Film noir influences the visuals throughout, while neorealism influences the film through the use of actual decaying buildings instead of sets. Ultimately, The Bandit is an engrossing crime drama that works as well as it does because of its moral ambiguity.

Against the Law: A middle-class man who helps criminals launder counterfeit money becomes entangled in murder. When no one believes his story about another being there, he sets it upon himself to find the mystery man.

The opening setup and the story that unfolds bear a strong resemblance to the cinema of Alfred Hitchcock. Against the Law, like many of Alfred Hitchcock's thrillers, centers on a protagonist whom someone accuses of a crime he did not commit. Against the Law superbly executes 'The Wrong Man’ premise and the narrative does an excellent job concealing the truth of what happened.

The narrative implements an interesting twist that greatly enhances the story that unfolds: the police allow Marcello to escape and have him watched in hopes that he will help them uncover the missing pieces to solve the case. The narratives' use of two parallel investigations not only offers two different ways of searching for the truth, it helps keep things from getting predictable.

Even at this early stage of his career, Marcello Mastroianni (8 ½) already had a strong screen presence. He delivers an exemplary performance in the role of a wrongly accused man named Marcello. Another performance of note is Tino Buazzelli’s (After the Fox) portrayal of police commissioner Berenghi, the man in charge of the murder investigation. That said, when it comes to the rest of the performances, they all exceed expectations.

Film noir infuses the look and vibe of Against the Law. The well-crafted narrative does an excellent job creating tension and building momentum to a car chase finale that ends in a shootout. Ultimately, Against the Law is an exemplary crime drama that quickly draws you in and holds your attention.

Four Ways Out: Pietro Germi directed Four Ways Out. He’s known for Man of Straw, The Facts of Murder, The Railroad Man, Divorce Italian Style, and Seduced and Abandoned. Besides directing, he also acts and co-authors many of his films' screenplays.

Four men who rob a soccer match box office are forced to separate in the aftermath. Before they are able to divide the money, their nerves get the better of them, which allows the police to put the pieces together.

Where most films would provide some background on characters and maybe some preplanning of the crime, the narrative dives right into a heist unfolding. From there, the four men go their separate ways to avoid capture, splitting the narrative into four directions. That said, the narrative does an excellent job fleshing out the four men’s backstories as the police get closer to finding them.

What starts off as the perfect crime quickly unravels when characters' greed and inability to keep quiet about what they've done come back to haunt them. While there is a police investigation that unfolds, the focal point is the four thieves and how the crime they committed affects their personal lives.

When it comes to the performances, it is the four actors Renato Baldini (Girl with a Suitcase), Paul Muller (Nightmare Castle), Enzo Maggio Jr. (in his only acting role), and Fausto Tozzi (Cry of a Prostitute), who portray the four thieves who shine the brightest. Each actor delivers a compelling performance that humanizes their character. The most notable cast member is Gina Lollobrigida (Bread, Love, and Dreams), who portrays one of the thieves' girlfriends. Despite her top billing, she’s only in a few scenes.

Although Pietro Germi is more known for his work in the neorealism and commedia all'italiana genres, one must not overlook his contributions to crime cinema. Case in point, Four Ways Out, a film noir-infused crime drama that perfectly blends elements of neorealism. Visually, there are a handful of visually arresting moments that greatly heighten the mood; notably, each of the four thieves' moments of truth. Ultimately, Four Ways Out is an exemplary crime drama that goes beyond the crime, exploring the reasons behind it.

While previous World Noir releases have been a mixture of countries, this time around the focus is on Italian cinema. Radiance Films World Noir is quickly becoming my favorite series of films, and their fifth volume is my favorite to date. World Noir Volume 5 is another solid release from Radiance Films that gives each film a strong audio/video presentation and insightful extras. Highly recommended.

 

Written by Michael Den Boer