Kriminal: 2-Disc Edition – Cult Epics (4k UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy/Spain/Turkey, 1966
Director: Umberto Lenzi
Writer: Umberto Lenzi
Cast: Glenn Saxson, Helga Liné, Andrea Bosic, Ivano Staccioli, Esmeralda Ruspoli, Maria Luisa Rispoli, Mary Arden

Release Date: September 22nd, 2026
Approximate Running Time: 99 Minutes 26 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / HDR10
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Italian, DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $49.95

"Kriminal is the king of thieves, the mastermind behind some of the greatest heists ever committed. Always one step ahead of the law, he works alone. He is cunning, and if you get in his way, he can be deadly." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (4K UHD, Blu-ray)

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "4K Transfer (from the original negative) & Restoration + HDR."

Kriminal comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD

Disc Size: 58.2 GB

Feature: 56.7 GB

This transfer looks excellent; flesh tones look healthy; colors are vibrant; image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image retains an organic appearance.

Kriminal comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.8 GB

Feature: 27.6 GB

This Blu-ray uses the same master that is used for the 4K UHD disc.

Audio: 5/5

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Italian and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. Both tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced, and ambient sounds are well represented. That said, both tracks are comparable. Included are removable English subtitles for the Italian-language track and removable English SDH for the English-language track. It should be noted that when watching the English-language track, some dialogue is in Italian and removable English subtitles are provided for these moments.

Extras:

Extras on the 4K UHD disc include a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 38 seconds, LPCM mono Italian with removable English subtitles) and an audio commentary with Eugenio Ercolani and Troy Howarth.

Extras on the Blu-ray disc include a promotional image gallery (26 images—posters/lobby cards), a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 38 seconds, LPCM mono Italian with removable English subtitles), original Italian opening and closing credits (2 minutes 55 seconds, LPCM mono Italian, no subtitles), an isolated score (29 tracks—50 minutes 58 seconds, LPCM mono), an interview with filmmaker Pierpaolo De Sanctis titled The Sound of Krime (24 minutes 48 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with actor Glenn Saxson titled Camera Nostalgia (37 minutes 34 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Dutch with non-removable English subtitles), a documentary titled Armed to the Teeth: The Cinema of Umberto Lenzi (88 minutes 40 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English and Italian with non-removable English subtitles), and an audio commentary with Eugenio Ercolani and Troy Howarth.

Other extras on the Blu-ray disc include trailers for The Key, P.O. Box Tinto Brass, Don’t Play With Fire, and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time.

Other extras include reversible cover art with the original Italian poster art and a slipcase (limited to the first pressing).

Summary:

Umberto Lenzi directed Kriminal. He's most known for his contributions to the Poliziotteschi and Giallo genres. His notable films are Orgasmo, So Sweet So Perverse, A Quiet Place to Kill, Seven Blood-Stained Orchids, Almost Human, Spasmo, The Tough Ones, Violent Naples, and Cannibal Ferox.

A mastermind thief known as Kriminal narrowly escapes execution. He always manages to stay one step ahead of the law with each new crime he commits. Will Kriminal be able to pull off his biggest score yet or will a double cross lead to his demise?

The origins of the Kriminal character can be traced back to the 1964 fumetti (comic book) created by Roberto Raviola and Luciano Secchi under the pseudonyms Magnus and Max Bunker. Kriminal is a mastermind thief who effortlessly seduces women and when in danger, he is not above killing anyone who gets in his way. Kriminal (1966) is the first of two films. It was followed two years later by Il marchio di Kriminal (1968).

Despite not being held in as high regard as Dario Argento, Lucio Fulci, and Mario Bava, something that can be said about Umberto Lenzi’s films from the 1960s and 1970s is that there’s a consistent quality to them. Where most of Umberto Lenzi’s contemporaries found success in a specific genre, he was a filmmaker who worked and excelled in a multitude of genres. That said, because of his ability to work quickly and cheaply, he's labeled a workman-like filmmaker, while there is a strong case to be made that he's an auteur.

The narrative opens with a dramatic scene where the protagonist, Kriminal, is about to be executed and when the nooses around his neck break as the power goes out, he manages to escape. The opening setup does a phenomenal job laying out who Kirminal is and what he’s capable of. From there, a perfectly paced cat-and-mouse game between Criminal and the police, led by Inspector Milton, unfolds.

The narrative has several well-executed twists; the most notable one revolves around twin sisters being used as diamond couriers to help confuse any prospective thief about knowing which one had the diamonds. No one can be trusted, as greed is the main thing driving each character, and they are all willing to double-cross each other to gain the upper hand. It is also cool how Kriminal is able to adapt to his surroundings and escape anywhere even when he is trapped.

Glenn Saxson (Django Shoots First) is cast in the role of Kriminal. He has the look and the physical prowess as he convincingly pulls off portraying a mastermind thief. His performances shine brightest during more action-oriented scenes. Other performances of note are Helga Liné’s (Horror Rises from the Tomb) portrayal of twin sisters and Esmeralda Ruspoli's (L'Avventura) portrayal of Lady Gold, a nefarious character who tries to outsmart Kriminal. A cast member of note is Mary Arden (Blood and Black Lace), who appears briefly, but her character plays a significant role in the finale.

Kriminal is a stylish film that immediately grabs you with its comic book opening credits. Kriminal is a beautifully photographed film with eye-popping colors and its use of a 2.35:1 frame delivers some striking imagery. Its jazz-infused score was composed by Romano Mussolini, son of former Italian dictator Benito Mussolini under the pseudonym Raymond Full.

Kriminal was one of the first film adaptations of a Fumetti neri; it was made two years before Danger: Diabolik, what is widely regarded as the best Fumetti neri film. While there would be a sequel, Il marchio di Kriminal, both of these films take on a much darker tone than Danger: Diabolik. Ultimately, Kriminal is a highly entertaining film that never strays too far away from its fumetti origins.

Kriminal gets an excellent release from Cult Epics that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and informative extras. Highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer

The House of Lost Souls – Cauldron Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1989
Director: Umberto Lenzi
Writer: Umberto Lenzi
Cast: Joseph Alan Johnson, Stefania Orsola Garello, Matteo Gazzolo, Laurentina Guidotti, Gianluigi Fogacci, Hal Yamanouchi, Licia Colò, Costantino Meloni, Charles Borromel, Dino Jaksic, Marina Reiner, Beni Cardoso, Fortunato Arena, Massimo Sarchielli, Fabio Branchini, Giulio Massimini, Vincenzo Menniti

Release Date: May 13th, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 87 Minutes 27 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 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: $34.95

"A group of young geologists get stranded in a dilapidated old hotel when their path home is washed out by the rain. This proves to be a wrong turn as the hotel comes alive with the vengeful spirits of the dead, hell-bent on taking their head chopping revenge upon the living. No one is safe in The House of Lost souls! " - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

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

The House of Lost Souls comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 40.4 GB

Feature: 27.4 GB

The source looks excellent; this film has never looked better on home media. The flesh tones appear healthy, the colors appear correct, the image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid, and the grain remains intact.

Audio: 4.25/5 (DTS-HD Mono Italian), 4/5 (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 sound clean, clear, and balanced. That said, the Italian language tracks sound more robust. 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 an interview with FX artist Elio Terribili titled Working with Umberto (18 minutes 37 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with composer Claudio Simonetti titled The House of Rock (14 minutes 21 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an archival career spanning interview with director Umberto Lenzi from 2001 titled The Criminal Cinema of Umberto Lenzi (52 minutes 213 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an audio commentary with Samm Deighan, and an audio commentary with Rod Barnett and Adrian Smith.

Extras not carried over from the limited edition release for this standard edition release include a poster, and a rigid outer box.

Summary:

The House of Lost Souls is one of four made-for-television films known as The Houses of Doom. The other three films are The House of Clocks, The Sweet House of Horrors, and The House of Witchcraft.

Lost and needing shelter for the night, a group of friends stay at an abandoned hotel.

With The House of Lost Souls, Umberto Lenzi takes a The Shining-like scenario and makes it his own. Outside of the opening setup and one other moment, the bulk of the narrative takes place inside of the hotel. Its isolated location and decrepit-looking decor greatly enhance the mood. That said, the way in which Umberto Lenzi exploits this location is a textbook example of low-budget filmmaking that maximizes its resources.

This time around, Umberto Lenzi is clearly making a film geared toward a teenage audience. Like some other horror films he made around this time, Nightmare Beach and Hitcher in the Dark, there is a slasher-like vibe going on, albeit with a supernatural twist. Unfortunately, anyone looking for anything new will be disappointed since The House of Lost Souls is a film that relies heavily on well-worn horror cinema tropes.

Where past decades of Italian genre cinema relied on star power, often from foreign countries, to draw a wider audience, by the late 1980s films like The House of Lost Souls had casts who remained unknown. Though some blame can be attributed to dubbing, in either language the cast of The House of Lost Souls are lacking screen presence. Costantino Meloni, who portrays Gianluca, is another in a long line of annoying kids in Italian genre cinema. Massimo Sarchielli (The Conformist), who portrays the cemetery caretaker, a character who looks like one of the Super Mario brothers.

Though The House of Lost Souls is lacking in exposition, it tries to make up for it with its murder set pieces. Fortunately, when it comes to moments of carnage, this is one area where Umberto Lezni always delivers. The kills come by way of decapitation, the most memorable of which is a boy whose head is caught inside a washing machine. One of The House of Lost Souls' most durable assets is Claudio Simonetti’s score, which does a superb job heightening the mood. Ultimately, The House of Lost Souls is a predictable horror film that even this genre's most diehard fans will find a chore to get through.

The House of Lost Souls gets an excellent release from Cauldron Films that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and a wealth of extras.

Written by Michael Den Boer

The House of Witchcraft – Cauldron Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1989
Director: Umberto Lenzi
Writers: Gianfranco Clerici, Umberto Lenzi, Daniele Stroppa
Cast: Andy J. Forest, Sonia Petrovna, Susanna Martinková, Marina Giulia Cavalli, Paul Muller, Maria Stella Musy, Alberto Frasca, Maria Cumani Quasimodo, Cesare Di Vito, Tom Felleghy

Release Date: May 13th, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 89 Minutes 34 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 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: $34.95

"An over-worked journalist recovering from a breakdown has been suffering from nightmares. To help ease his struggles, his wife takes him to an idyllic country home for the weekend. Nightmares soon turn to reality as the dark truth about the house threatens to undo all who dare stay the night." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

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

The House of Witchcraft comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 36.7 GB

Feature: 26.8 GB

The source looks excellent; this film has never looked better on home media. The flesh tones appear healthy, the colors appear correct, the image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid, and the grain remains intact.

Audio: 4.25/5 (DTS-HD Mono Italian), 4/5 (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 sound clean, clear, and balanced. That said, the Italian language tracks sound more robust. 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 an interview with FX artist Elio Terribili titled Artisan of Mayhem (19 minutes 26 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with cinematographer Nino Celeste titled The House of Professionals (18 minutes 36 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), and an audio commentary with Eugenio Ercolani, Nathaniel Thompson, and Troy Howarth.

Extras not carried over from the limited edition release for this standard edition release include a poster, and a rigid outer box.

Summary:

The House of Witchcraft is one of four made-for-television films known as The Houses of Doom. The other three films are The House of Clocks, The Sweet House of Horrors, and The House of Lost Souls.

A man recently released from a psychiatric ward visits a home he saw in his dreams.

Looking over Umberto Lenzi’s 36-year career, it is impressive how he remained active throughout, even when many of his contemporaries struggled to find financing or just retired from filmmaking. A key to his longevity has to be his ability to move from genre to genre as trends shifted and constantly deliver solid films, in many instances despite limited resources. Out of all the Italian genre filmmakers prominent in the 1970s, his output in the 1980s, consisting of 16 films, is the most prolific.

The supernatural is the central element throughout The Houses of Doom films. The narrative revolves around a man whose marriage is in trouble, and his wife suggests they go to a home in the country to work on their issues. Once there, he gets a feeling of déjà vu when he recognizes that this house is the same one from his dream. From there, a series of bizarre events and disappearances occur, foreshadowing what he witnessed in his dreams.

Out of the four The Houses of Doom films, The House of Witchcraft has the strongest cast. When it comes to the performances, it is a trio of actresses who stand out: Sonia Petrovna (Ludwig), who portrays the protagonist's wife; Susanna Martinková (Detective Belli), who portrays the protagonist's psychiatrist (she is also his sister-in-law); and Maria Cumani Quasimodo (Five Women for the Killer), who portrays the witch from the protagonist's dreams. The weakest performance is Andy J. Forest (Miranda) in the role of the protagonist. It's not just a matter of dubbing; in either language he delivers a dry, one-dimensional performance. A cast member of note is Paul Muller, a frequent collaborator of Jess Franco; he portrays the blind man.

After a solid opening setup, the narrative never manages to create momentum, and pacing could be stronger. Though the narrative is dialogue-heavy, there are a few well-timed jump scares. That said, outside of the murder set pieces, there is not much else going for this film. The most memorable moments are the dream sequences, the interactions with the witch, and the car wreck sequence. The ever-reliable Claudio Simonetti (Opera) delivers a solid score that perfectly underscores the mood. Ultimately, The House of Witchcraft is a fairly conventional horror film that sometimes tries to explore the psychological aspects too deeply.

The House of Witchcraft gets an excellent release from Cauldron Films that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and a wealth of extras.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Eyeball: Deluxe Limited Edition – 88 Films (UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy/Spain, 1975
Director: Umberto Lenzi
Writers: Umberto Lenzi, Félix Tusell
Cast: Martine Brochard, John Richardson, Ines Pellegrini, Andrés Mejuto, Mirta Miller, Daniele Vargas, Jorge Rigaud

Release Date: November 25th, 2024
Approximate Running Time: 92 Minutes 16 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / HDR10
Rating: 15 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono Italian, LPCM Mono English
Subtitles: English, English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: £29.99 (UK)

"Umberto Lenzi delivers a completely unhinged, and totally torrid tale of terror mixing copious amounts of gore and nudity in this peeper-popping experience known as Eyeball. Part slasher part giallo, Lenzi commands a high body count and plenty of ocular destruction as this murder mystery unfolds in stunning Spanish locations where a bus load of American tourists are picked off one-by-one by a figure sporting a red cape and hood. Exploitation at its juiciest, this is prime giallo from a true master of the genre." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (4K UHD, Blu-ray)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Brand new 4K Remaster from the Original Techniscope Negative."

Eyeball comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 82.6 GB

Feature: 67.5 GB

The source looks excellent; colors are nicely saturated, image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image always looks organic.

Eyeball comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 42.3 GB

Feature: 27.7 GB

This Blu-ray uses the same master that is used for the 4K UHD disc.

Audio: 5/5 (LPCM Mono Italian, LPCM Mono English)

This release comes with two audio options, a LPCM mono mix in Italian and a LPCM mono mix in English. Both audio tracks sound excellent; dialog always comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, range-wise ambient sounds, and the score is well-represented. Included are removable English subtitles for the Italian language track and removable English SDH for the English language track.

Extras:

Extras on the 4K UHD disc include an Eyeball trailer reel: U.S. theatrical trailer, Italian theatrical trailer and U.S. TV spot (5 minutes 43 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), English end credits (55 seconds, Dolby Digital mono), English "The Secret Killer" title sequence (2 minutes 1 second, Dolby Digital mono), a Then and Now locations featurette (2 minutes 4 seconds, Dolby Digital mono), a video essay by Mike Foster titled The Wandering Eye[ball] (13 minutes 46 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with director Umberto Lenzi titled Genre Maestro (17 minutes 15 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with actress Martine Brochard titled An Eye For Murder (20 minutes 58 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an archival audio commentary with The Hysteria Continues, an audio commentary with film historians Troy Howarth, Nathaniel Thompson and Eugenio Ercolani, and an audio commentary with film critics Kim Newman and David Flint.

The extras are the same on both discs.

Other extras include reversible cover art, a rigid slipcase, 6 art cards, a fold-out double sided poster, and a 80-page perfect bound book with cast & crew information, an essay titled Cats and Eyeballs written by Eugenio Ercolani, an interview with Umberto Lenzi conducted by Eugenio Ercolani, an essay titled Opening the Eyeball written by Barry Forshaw, an essay titled Time of Wealth the Giallo According to Umberto Lenzi written by Pier Maria Bocchi, and an essay titled The Case of the Bloody Irises Umberto Lenzi’s Eye for the Macabre written by Daniel Burnett.

Summary:

Umberto Lenzi directed Eyeball. He's most known for his contributions to the Poliziotteschi and Giallo genres. Orgasmo, So Sweet So Perverse, A Quiet Place to Kill, Seven Blood-Stained Orchids, and Spasmo are among his notable films in the latter category. When released in America, many Italian genre films will be retitled by the distributor. Other titles that Eyeball was released under include Red Cats in a Glass Labyrinth, The Secret Killer, and Wide-Eyed in the Dark.

Though, Eyeball has the core elements that are synonymous with the Giallo genre. The result is a by-the-numbers film that brings nothing new to the genre. That said, at least when it comes to the murder set pieces, they are well executed. Most notably, a scene where a character unknowingly photographs the killer, which can uncover their identity. Another area where the murder set pieces stand out is gore, making them the most gory kills from Umberto Lenzi’s Giallo.

Unfortunately, outside of muted set pieces, Eyeball has more negatives than positives. And nowhere is this clearer than when it comes to a narrative that's padded with endless shots of tourists on vacation. That said, one area where the narrative is very effective is its use of flashbacks. Another strength is Bruno Nicolai’s score, which perfectly captures the mood.

Although the Giallo genre is not known for great performances, because most of the cast are hired for their good looks, this actually works in this genre's favor since most films are style over substance. And in the case of Eyeball, it features a rogues gallery of characters who are portrayed by recognizable Euro-cult and Italian genre cinema from the 1970s. Notable cast members include Martine Brochard (The Violent Professionals) in the role of a woman named Paulette Stone who’s having an affair with her boss, John Richardson (Black Sunday) in the role of Paulette’s boss, and George Rigaud (The Case of the Bloody Iris) in the role of the all-too-familiar Giallo character, a priest.

What Eyeball lacks when it comes to its narrative, it more than makes up for with nudity and bloodshed. And though Eyeball is never going to be considered Umberto Lenzi’s defining film in the Giallo genre, it is still an entertaining film that indulges in its excesses. Ultimately, Eyeball is a film that Umberto Lenzi’s completists will get the most mileage out of.

Eyeball has never looked or sounded better than this release, which also comes with a wealth of informative extras. If you are a fan of Eyeball and/or the Giallo genre, there is no excuse not to buy this release; it is region-free. Eyeball gets a definitive release from 88 Films. Highly recommended. 

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Battle of the Commandos – Kino Lorber (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy/Spain/West Germany, 1969
Director: Umberto Lenzi
Writers: Stefano Rolla, Romano Maschini, Dario Argento, Rolf Grieminger, Eduardo Manzanos, Ugo Moretti
Cast: Jack Palance, Thomas Hunter, Robert Hundar, Wolfgang Preiss, Helmuth Schneider, Guido Lollobrigida, Aldo Sambrell, Diana Lorys, Curd Jürgens

Release Date: November 26th, 2024
Approximate Running Time: 93 Minutes 56 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Italian
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $24.95

"Grizzled Jack Palance (Shane) puts on a roguish brogue as Scottish Colonel Charley MacPherson, who’s just had his platoon of 28 massacred by the Germans. Furious at his superiors for this suicide mission, he assembles a dirty half-dozen convicts for his next one, along with American explosives expert Major Burke (Thomas Hunter, The Hills Run Red), to clear a path for British commandos through a minefield off the Normandy coast on the night of June 4th, 1944." – Synopsis provided by the Distributor

Video: 3.5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "2023 HD Master by Paramount Pictures - From a 4K Scan".

Battle of the Commandos comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 31.7 GB

Feature: 28.5 GB

This transfer was recently sourced but hasn't been cleaned up yet, with nicks, scratches, and other debris still present. Colors look good, the image looks crisp, black levels fare well, and there are no compression issues. That said, despite its shortcomings, this transfer always retains an organic look.

Audio: 3/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in English with removable English SDH. Though there are some minor moments of background hiss, dialog comes through clearly. Unfortunately, when it comes to range, this audio track lacks oomph.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an audio commentary with film historians Troy Howarth, Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson, a slipcover (limited to the first pressing), and trailers for Attack!, Ten Seconds to Hell, Kill a Dragon, Chato’s Land, God’s Gun, The Hills Run Red, Navajo Joe, and Nightmare Beach.

Summary:

Umberto Lenzi was a chameleon filmmaker who effortlessly worked in whatever genre was popular at that time. His workmanlike approach to filmmaking sometimes draws criticism, but his most celebrated films feature distinctively his own moments. That said, when it came to unflinching moments of brutality and carnage, he had few rivals.

An Army colonel is forced to assemble a new group of commandos from soldier convicts after his platoon is slaughtered for a suicide mission.

Italian cinema is known for its film cycles that are spanned from popular films. One of these film cycles is Macaroni Combat; its genre drew inspiration from Hollywood war films. Though this genre started as early as the 1960s, it hit its stride during the latter half of that decade. And like other Italian film cycles, Macaroni Combat would evolve when new inspirations came along. In all, it's a film cycle that spanned three decades, culminating in the late 1980s.

Most Macaroni Combat films at their core sum up as the insurmountable odds being overcome by the good guys. Another element that many of these films have is that they feature a colorful cast of characters most of whom have a history of not following orders. Both of these things are front and center throughout Battle of the Commandos.

Like most Italian films from this era, Battle of the Commandos features an international cast filled with familiar faces. The main draw of the cast is Jack Palance (Compañeros), who portrays Charley MacPherson, a no-nonsense colonel with a mean streak. Another performance of note is Wolfgang Preiss (The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse), who portrays a Nazi colonel named Ackerman. MacPherson and Ackerman have a history; their disdain for each other leads to many tense moments.

When it came to budgets, this was one area where Italian genre cinema could not compete with Hollywood. Though Italian cinema would take inspiration from the latter, they would make their film at a fraction of the cost. Fortunately, Italian cinema made up for its financial lacks with creativity.

From a production standpoint, Battle of the Commandos is a film that often exceeds its resources. The narrative does a great job building tension and maintaining momentum, and it effectively uses flashbacks to fill in MacPherson’s backstory. A majestic main theme anchors an exemplary score by Marcello Giombini (Waves of Lust). Another strength is the action sequences, which are all well-executed. Ultimately, despite its familiarity, Battle of the Commandos is an entertaining film that fans of Macaroni Combat films should thoroughly enjoy.

Kino Lorber gives Battle of the Commandos a serviceable audio/video presentation.

Written by Michael Den Boer