Rogue Cops and Racketeers — Rogue Cops and Racketeers( Blu Ray boxset)

Rogue Cops and Racketeers is a two Blu Ray set from the folks at Arrow Video.  It brings together two examples of 1970’s gritty, often tense ‘n’ taut, action-lined crime Italian thrillers/ aka Poliziottesch from versatile genre director Enzo G. Castellari. Each picture in the set receives a classy and vibrate 2k scan, with a new commentary track for each, and a bulging selection of extras.

Enzo G. Castellari was born in Rome in 1938 and went on to thirty-three feature-length credits- he started off with a few spaghetti westerns in the late ’60s like Payment in Blood (1967), Johnny Hamlet (1968) and the goofier One Dollar Too Many (1968). Moving onto a fair bit of genre-shifting- going from the Giallo/house-invasion thriller Cold Eyes Of Fear(1971), the WWII action of The Inglorious Bastards(1978),  the erotic horror of The House By The Edge Of The Lake (1979), jaws rip off The Last Shark(1981), and post-apocalyptic action fare like 1990: The Bronx Warriors(1982), Warriors Of The Wasteland and Escape From The Bronx- both from 1983. In all he helmed four poliziottesch/ euro crime films in the 70’s- these were High Crime (1973), Street Law (1974), and the two films we have here The Big Racket (1976), and The Heroin Busters (1977).

 

On the first disc, we have 1976’s The Big Racket (aka Il grande racket)- it focuses on a protection racket, which is being ran by a brash and leering gang- who seemingly can’t/ won’t be caught. The film runs at the one hour and forty-four-minute mark, which may sound a tad too long for a cop thriller- but it manages to keep the pace up and tight throughout, with some great/ original set pieces, which would go on to be mimicked/ copied latter.

The Big Racket is led up by Fabio Testi, as often bends the rules police inspector Nico Palmieri. He’s sent to investigate a protection racket, where local shopkeepers and restaurant owners are tormented by an unpleasant gang- who are led up by a slick, moustached, and suited leader Rudy (Joshua Sinclair).  The film kicks off straight into the action with the gang going on a red lite tinged night attack on a shop, smashing and grabbing all they can. As we get into the picture, we see the gang do similar in daylight hours- seemingly uncaring if they get caught or not. Inspector Palmieri follows the gang to their out-of-town meet-up, and we have a great/ one-off scene- as his car windows are first smashed in, before being rocked back and forth, then rolling down a hill- most surprisingly with the actor still inside the car, as it rolls over and over.

Next, we see the inspector all plastered-up in hospital, his thin moustache partner Cuomo (Giovanni Bonadonna) coming into see him…fairly soon, still plaster he’s up and out again, and along the way, we get a very neat plaster cast punch-up. The pair manage to convince nervy, proud and slightly tubby restaurant owner Luigi (Renzo Palmer) to identify gang members- but unfortunately, they are released fairly soon, coming to kidnap his early teen daughter- who they rape off-camera, this causes her father to snap- gunning down gang members, and promptly getting banged-up. As we move on the gang shatters one life after another- we have a once slick disco club opener run over and input a metal brace, there’s a sporting gunman Giovanni Rossetti (Orso Maria Guerrin)- who helps the cops out, then has his wife brutally raped then burnt alive by the gang. We have charming pickpocket Pepe (Vincent Gardenia), whose younger brother is battered and tamped by a crowd due to the gang.

As we move towards the very neat (and mimicked) warehouse shoot-out, with the now struck off inspector gathering together all those who have been broken by the gang to carry out their revenge. The film features a great soundtrack that shifts between fiery fluted psych-rock, skittering and taught organ runs and bass bounding.

The film may not be as bloody and brutal as some similar genre films of the period, with only splatter-bound shots appearing largely in the epic showdown. But the pace/ action is kept nicely tight and taught throughout. All making The Big Racket is a great, great Poliziottesco.

 

Moving onto the Blu Ray itself, the new 2k scan looks great- having a really punchy 70’s colour pallet. You can select either the original Italian or English dub of the film- and both of these are very clear and crisp.  On the extras side, we get a really bountiful selection- first off, we have a commentary track from critics Adrian J. Smith and David Flint- and this is a chatty and informative track. They begin by discussing the great pre-credits action scene, and how it might be done today. They give a brief overview of the poliziottesch genre, and why it occurred. They discuss how the genre was often seen as right-wing by critics of the time. They talk about how some of the criminals in the film have dark humour touches to their behaviour/ dialogue. Chat about the rolling over car scene, and how it may have been done- and apparently, Testi started off as a stuntman, before going on acting. They discuss how the film plays with the audience's expectations, and how this differs from US crime films. We have bit-part roles pointed out, and mention other Italian films they’ve been in. Later on, they talk about other crime thrillers from around the world. Discuss how the film is often described as taking place in a small village, but of course is in Rome- with recognisable locations. They talk about character motivations, and how it differs from US crime films. They mention the effective if repetitive score, and much more.
Otherwise, we get a great selection of new on-screen interviews- these take in director/ co-writer Enzo G. Castellari (30.15), actor Fabio Testi (18.59), actor Massimo Vanni (43.20), film editor Gianfranco Amicucci (27.33). There’s The Great Racket- which runs just shy of forty-five minutes, and finds soundtrack expect/ crate-digger Lovely Jon discussing the career of score composers Guido and Maurizio De Angelis. This is a very in-depth featurette- as he goes from discussing how the brothers grew up, how their careers developed, artists and studios they work in/ with. Moving on he talks about key scores the pair were involved with, before of course discussing the score to hand & his general thoughts about the film- really an excellent featurette!. Lastly, the disc is topped off with the original trailer & image gallery.

 

On the second disc, we have 1977’s The Heroin Busters (aka La via della droga), and as its title suggests it’s a drug-dealing cop thriller. The film runs at the one hour and thirty-four minutes mark, and while it starts off a little muddled and unevenly paced. It later kicks in with some neat run-down industrial setting gunplay, fistfights, tense chase- be they on foot, or by motorbike, and generally rewarding action.

The film opens jumping from country to country, seemingly showing how the drug trade route works- we go from the orient's crowded waterways, onto neon licked of Amsterdam, a tropical resort where a suited drug dealer jumps on a bus/ kidnap it, and a Dutch boat punch-up. This sequence runs five and a half minutes, with zero dialogue, but some neat opening music from the always great Goblin, who do a sort of angular funk meets oriental music cue.

The leads here are David Hemmings as sport-suited Interpol agent Mike, and Testi as scruffy in denim with designer stubble and baseball cap Fabio- who when we first properly meet him is getting caught trying to wall through a rucksack of heroin through airport customs.  As the film unfolds, we get a mix of grubby and nasty dealers roughing folks up, Hemmings and his men trying to break the heroin trade which stops off on its world trip in Italy to be processed in a shady factory in, and Testi getting locked up then breaking out to do more ducking and driving deals/ action.

After things kick up a gear, we get a good and pacy flow of cops and criminal’s action. Going from hotel room fistfights, building site shootouts, running through subway tunnel on foot chases, motorbike city racing, and towards the end a neat plane chase- which oddly features no music. Along the way, we get tough and quipping dialogue, a good selection of sleek to grimy crims, and the Goblin soundtrack- which goes from tight funk and lightly jazzy tension, onto brooding bass ‘n’ synth workouts, and more manic disco snare/ spacy effects instrumental prog-outs. 

On the whole, The Heroin Busters is a good enough euro drug thriller, and while once again it’s not really that brutal or nasty, aside from occasional red squib action. But when the action kicks in it’s an entertaining ride, and both Hemmings and Testi working as good leads.

Moving onto this second Blu Ray, and once again a really classy new 2k scan for the film- with Italian/ English dub version selection. Moving onto the extras on this disc, and once again another good selection of stuff. First, off Adrian J. Smith and David Flint return again for the commentary track. And once more it’s a nicely chatter affair, with a bit more amusing banter this time, as well of course of lots of informative observations/ facts. They start by discussing the opening around the world drug footage, it’s almost documentary feel, and pointing out that the director appears in the on-boat punch-up. They discuss how this film has a lot of the same crew, and actors/ stuntmen from the first film- along the way pointing out stuntmen, and other films they appear in. They talk about the director's other euro crime films, and how they think the film to hand is more of a mix of drug dealing crime action film, instead of a straight poliziottesch. They point out bad comb-overs/ wigs, and how Hemmings does not totally fit his tough-guy/ no-nonsense persona in the film. We get talk about Testi career- discussing how he went from a stunt man in spaghetti westerns, z grade film parts, and bigger roles- they compare Hemmings and Testi career, as they both took a mix of arty and more commercial/ genre films. Later on, they talk about the jarring and rather disconcerting lesbian lovemaking scene, and chat about the two actresses/ other notable roles they had. They comment on the action scenes, and how they were set up. They talk about Hemmings's career, and key early films he was involved in, and that he made a pop album- which featured backing by The Birds. And much more- another great track.

Otherwise, on this disc we get more on-screen interviews concerning the film to hand- these feature co-writer/director Enzo G. Castellari (24.00), actor Fabio Testi (16.03), actor Massimo Vanni (21.06), editor Gianfranco Amicucci (20.14), retired poliziotto and criminologist Nicola Longo (23.15). Lovely John reappears again with The Eardrum Busters- this runs just under thirty-nine minutes and finds him first discussing key members in Goblin/ their distinctive sound. He moves on to talk about key/ important albums from the band/ as spin-offs. Moving on to in detail discuss the film to hand & its soundtrack- talking about each cue, and the way the band jump around genres/ sound on the soundtrack, and its experimental elements including very heavily reverb passages- which he compares to that of dub reggae producers- again an excellent featurette.

The finished release features an Illustrated collector’s booklet taking in new writing on the films by Roberto Curti and Barry Forshaw. A limited-edition packaging with reversible sleeves featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Colin Murdoch, and twelve double-sided, postcard-sized lobby card reproduction art cards. So, a very nice presentation.

It is wonderful to see Arrow giving such a stellar, and extras heavy release of these two Enzo G. Castellari’s Poliziottesch/ euro crime films- and they really are, once again, going the extra mile on this release. If you are interested in the Poliziottesch genre you also need to pick up the company's Years Of Lead boxset, which takes in five notable examples of the genre.