Brothers Till We Die Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Brothers Till We Die Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 20, 2020

Umberto Lenzi's "Brothers Till We Die" (1978) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of 88 Films. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; new interviews with composers Franco Micalizzi and Antonello Venditti; new audio commentary by criticsTroy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson; and more. In English or Italian, with optional English subtitles. Region-Free.

Umberto Lenzi missed an opportunity to leave a trilogy of films that could have transformed him into the Godfather of Poliziotteschi. He remains one of the genre’s most gifted directors, but the trilogy that is described below likely would have earned him the reputation Sergio Leone enjoys amongst spaghetti western aficionados.

This imaginary trilogy should have had the following films: The Tough Ones a.k.a. Rome Armed to the Teeth, The Cynic, the Rat and the Fist, and Brothers Till We Die, featuring Maurizio Merli’s angry cop, Inspector Tarzi, and Tomas Milian’s bad gangster, The Chinaman. However, Tarzi appeared only in the first two films and in Brothers Till We Die his character is replaced by the significantly calmer and more composed Inspector Sarti (played by a very underwhelming and ultimately instantly forgettable Pino Colizzi). Milian reappears in the final film as Il Gobbo, the Hunchback, and while his energy is often admirable the new character has to work extra hard to impress. But he struggles because the script Lenzi used to shoot the film does not provide him with a formidable nemesis that can supercharge his anger. A reunion between Milian and Merli in Rome with a twist about the former’s brother would have produced an entirely different film, quite possibly the best one in the trilogy.

There are likely multiple reasons why the trilogy did not materialize, but the most significant one -- at least if one is to believe Lenzi’s detailed recollections about the making of the first two films -- probably has to do with Milian’s well-documented drug addiction. During the ‘70s when these films were conceived and shot, Milian’s drug addiction dramatically complicated his professional relationship with different directors and colleagues and according to Lenzi a lot of compromises had to be made to have him commit to specific projects. Brothers Till We Die, which featured significant contribution by Milian, appears to have been one of these projects because the final image of the Hunchback and his lines were in fact crafted by the actor. So, by the time Brothers Till We Die entered production Milian was already too big of an actor with a final say on how his characters would behave before the camera, which meant that only a direct confrontation between Milian and Lenzi with the latter emerging victorious could have produced a third film with Inspector Tarzi facing his old nemesis. (Brothers Till We Die turned out to be the final collaboration between the two men and for years after that they found good excuses to stay out of each other’s way).

In Brothers Till We Die the notorious gangster the Hunchback returns to Rome and convinces three old pals, Albanese (Sal Borgese), Flatfish (Guido Leontini), and Perrone (Luciano Catenacci), to do a robbery that would allow them to retire in style and at the right time they go to work to get the job done. While the robbery is in progress, however, the pals attempt to kill the Hunchback and he nearly gets caught by the police. The beautiful and loyal prostitute Maria (Isa Danieli) then helps him heal and when he eventually gets back on his feet she also helps him form a new gang so that he can go after the traitors.

The quality of the entertainment that Brothers Till We Die offers is mostly good, but this is a film that very clearly aims to please its star, Milian. Naturally, the balance that is needed for drama and action to appear legit is eroded by showy material that often appears misplaced. Admittedly, this isn’t an uncommon occurrence in the poliziotteschi that Italian directors were shooting at the time, but in this particular film it is indeed fairly easy to tell that the man behind the camera was not fully in control.

Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the entire production is the studio dub that was produced for the English language version. It is atrocious even by Italian standards,

Brothers Till We Die Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Brothers Till We Die arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of 88 Films.

The master that was used to produced this release could have been better. Here's why:

The film looks softer than it should, and while some of the softness is inherited -- likely because a second generation element was used to create the master -- it appears that when the master was finalized the gamma levels were not set properly. It is difficult tell precisely what was done because some of the footage still looks quite good, but the balance is off and the elevated grays that you would see if you player does not do automatic adjustments is what basically makes most of the film appear softer than it should (see screencapture #11). There are traces of filtering as well, which is why during darker footage depth isn't optimal. The good news is that there are no sharpening adjustments or other similar digital corrections to make the film appear 'crisper'. So, even though it looks softer than it should, I personally would have preferred to have this type of presentation for Brothers Till We Die. Why? Because there is still plenty of decent detail, and because a lot of nicely lit close-ups convey quite good delineation. Color balance is convincing. Finally, there are absolutely no distracting debris, cuts, scratches, warped or torn frames to report. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Brothers Till We Die Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0 and Italian LPCM 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the Italian track. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The quality of the lossless English track is great, but the quality of the actual dub that the Italians created for the film is pretty bad. I am not exaggerating. This 'original' dub is one of the poorest that I have heard for an Italian genre track because the lines, the temperament of the dubbers, and the actual delivery make the film look a bit like a parody, which it definitely isn't. It is hilarious at times, but elsewhere it is simply annoying.

Brothers Till We Die Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Heat of Rome - in this new video interview, composer Antonello Venditti recalls how he conceived the song 'Sora Rosa' which is heard in Brothers Till We Die and discusses Tomas Milian's character as well as Rome's cinematic image. In Italian, with optional English subtitles. (19 min, 1080p).

• Master of Funk - in this new video interview, composer Franco Micalizzi recalls his first encounter with Umberto Lenzi, and discusses the director's working methods, Tomas Milian's 'Roman spirit' and the wild side of his personality, and the neorealistic roots of the poliziotteschi. In Italian, with optional English subtitles. (20 min, 1080p).

• Mike Malloy on Brothers Till We Die - in this video piece, critic Mike Malloy discusses Tomas Milian's appearance in a couple of Umberto Lenzi's films, as well as the evolution of the poliziotteschi genre. In English, not subtitled. (12 min, 1080p).

• Trailer - a vintage trailer for Brothers Till We Die. In English, not subtitled. (4 min, 1080p).

• Commentary - this audio commentary was recorded by critics Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson. It covers a wide range of topics, from the production history of Brothers Till We Die to the evolution of Umberto Lenzi's style and work.

• Booklet - 10-page illustrated booklet featuring Francesco Massaccessi's essay "On Hunchbacks and Men".

• Cover - reversible cover with original Italian poster art.

Brothers Till We Die Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The trouble with Brothers Till We Die is that Tomas Milian's contribution to it was much bigger than it should have been. Indeed, while viewing the film it is very easy to tell that Umberto Lenzi made massive compromises that essentially allowed the legendary actor to shape up the film as he had imagined it. It has its moments, but it is a missed opportunity. I think that if Lenzi was fully in charge it could have been the final and best film in a fictional trilogy that also included The Tough Ones and The Cynic, the Rat and the Fist. Still, Brothers Till We Die is worth adding to your collection if you enjoy the thrills the poliziotteschi genre offers, but there are better films that you can explore first. RECOMMENDED.