Franco Nero and Martin Balsam headline the curiously titled Confessions of a Police Captain, an Italian crime drama which earned acclaim on release in 1971. Now, 55 years on, a new 2K restoration from Radiance brings Damiano Damiani's compelling, thought-provoking thriller into high definition. 

It starts with a gothic tour of a facility for the criminally insane, where Police Captain Bonavia (Balsam) arranges the release of Michele Lipuma. Upon release, Lipuma immediately reignites a feud with construction magnate Ferdinando Lomunno, and, as Bonavia tracks him, dies in an attack on Lomunno’s office, although his target survives after being tipped off.

 Enter fresh and idealistic District Attorney Traini (Nero), who takes over the case, rejecting Bonavia’s assertion that Lomunno is untouchable. It becomes clear that a web of corruption surrounds the magnate, reaching into and possibly beyond local government officials. But as Traini and Bonavia are locked in an escalating battle of bugging and surveilling each other to anticipate their intentions, it becomes clear that the two have very different approaches to pursuing justice. With a system stacked against them, it could take an extreme act to break the cycle.

Confessions of a Police Captain is driven by its compelling central pairing of two men set in opposition by their different methods. Traini is the fresh-faced, calm DA with a trustworthy face behind a neat moustache, whom Bonavia accuses of being unable to question the justice system that forged him. Bonavia, in Traini’s eyes, is all part of the problem: a long-in-the-tooth cop distorting what justice should be. As he tells him, “a crime isn't small just because others have committed larger ones.”

The story unfolds as an interesting game of one-upmanship between the pair, but it really comes into its own when the reasons behind Bonavia’s actions come into view. In many ways, it unravels as a why-did-it? with the cop described as “introverted, boorish, but efficient” in the criminal’s shoes. Viewers will recognise the exploration of the murky, grey relationship between Bonavia and Traini from later crime films like The Untouchables (1987), Heat (1995) and The Departed (2006). Like those, it’s a notably male-focused film. Marilù Tolo plays the sole female character of note, Lipuma’s sister, but she’s little more than collateral.

When Confessions of a Police Captain has established the positions of its main players and can concentrate on how the diametrically opposed Bonavia and Traini will handle the situation, it’s truly riveting. The actions that end the film might chime with fans of The Long Good Friday (1980), and that’s a comparison heightened by an impressively underplayed, gritty portrayal of the Sicilian coast and mountain ridges that back many scenes.

In his eleventh film as a director, Damiani doesn’t stop there: he takes great care to match the look of Confessions of a Police Captain to its themes. Some astonishing stylistic flourishes and strong imagery support Bonavia and Traini’s struggle. The opening is pure gothic horror, while the net of corruption that’s subsequently revealed to spread from construction boss Lomunno is full of frames of geometric architecture and sharp geographical features, as well as thick concrete covering bodies that we’re told will never be found.

The murkiness is backed by a superb neoclassical score from Riz Ortolani, who uses lush strings to paint brutality, violence and futility with some beautiful chords. Topped and tailed by a memorable and loud theme, the music is otherwise minimally used, and all the more effective because of it.

Confessions of a Police Captain is an immensely satisfying watch all the way up to its rather stilted freeze-frame finish, with a well-pitched sense of uncertainty that anything truly can change. Well-paced, underplayed, couched in long scenes of dialogue, Confessions of a Police Captain is a fascinating exploration of two sides of one coin, soaked in the atmosphere of early-1970s Sicily.

This new limited-edition Radiance release looks impressive, with the 2K restoration for Blu-ray helping to showcase the production's universal quality. That said, there are only a handful of special features, albeit some fresh interviews that bring new insight to this nuanced crime drama. The headline feature is a recent 30-minute interview with Nero, who discusses the production and his experience of working with Damiani for the second time. Alongside it, a 23-minute interview with Michele Gammino delves into the actor’s feature debut playing the simply named Gammino.

On the other side of the camera, a 27-minute chat with editor Antonio Siciliano is a fascinating exploration of how rhythm is maintained through the film’s dialogue scenes. Finally, a fascinating half-hour chat with soundtrack expert Lovely Jon explores the influences and legacy of the film’s score, making a strong case for how it influenced other composers, including the maestro Ennio Morricone, and may even surpass Ortolani’s unexpected masterpiece of tonal sleight of hand, Cannibal Holocaust.