Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Caliber 9 Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 24, 2023

Fernando Di Leo's "Milano Calibro 9" (1972) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Raro Video. The supplemental features new audio commentary by critic Rachael Nisbet; archival audio interview with actor Gastone Moschin; three archival documentaries; and vintage promotional materials for the film. In Italian or English, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

"They call it the Mafia, but they're just gangs now. Gangs fighting each other. The real Mafia doesn't exist anymore."

Soon after he is released from prison, aging gangster Ugo (Gastone Moschin, The Conformist) is roughed up by Rocco (Mario Adorf, The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum) and his boys because they believe that he has stolen $300,000 from their boss, The Americano (Lionel Stander, Once Upon a Time in the West). Ugo is then summoned by an ambitious detective (Frank Wolff, The Lickerish Quartet), who wants to collapse The Americano’s growing drug syndicate.

Initially, Ugo concludes that the best thing to do is endure the harassment and then slowly rebuild his life, but when Rocco threatens to put a bullet in his head he agrees to join The Americano’s gang so that together they can find the man who has his money. Around the same time, Ugo also begins seeing Nelly (Barbara Bouchet, French Sex Murders), an exotic dancer with whom he once had an affair.

Fernando Di Leo’s adaptation of Giorgio Scerbanenco’s novel Milano Calibro 9 is a raw and notably violent action thriller that tells two different stories. The first is that of the aging gangster who wants to start a new life but slowly begins to realize that he cannot escape his violent past. He looks like a reformed man, but in the real world, he has limited options and feels like an animal locked in a cage. The bulk of the film is dedicated to the gangster’s struggles to convince the people around him that he isn’t a dirty thief.

The second story is about the winds of change blowing through Italian organized crime. Soon after Ugo is confronted by Rocco and his men, he visits an old friend, Chino (Philippe Leroy, The Night Porter), who agrees to give him some money so that he can get back on his feet. Chino is a contract killer who has refused to join The Americano’s gang because he does not like being told how to think and act. He is a loner but has remained loyal to another gangster boss, who represents the old order established by the people who built the Mafia. Throughout the film, it is made clear that their kind is dying and they are being replaced by far more dangerous and ruthless gangsters who have stopped respecting the old Mafia rules.

There are some very intense action sequences, but it is easy to tell that Di Leo and his team had a limited budget to work with. During the big shootout at the end, for instance, the camera movement is quite uneven. Most of the transitions between the different episodes also could have been far better polished. The roughness, however, may well be the reason why the film actually works as well as it does -- it does look and feel like an uncensored, over-the-top documentary about Milan’s underworld and a few of his more colorful figures.

Milano Calibro 9 was lensed by cinematographer Franco Villa, who also collaborated with Di Leo on the other two films from the Milieu Trilogy, La Mala Ordina a.k.a. The Italian Connection (1972) and Il Boss a.k.a. The Boss (1973).

The borderline psychedelic soundtrack was created by Italian progressive rock band Osanna and the great Argentine-Italian composer Luis Bacalov (Federico Fellini’s City of Women, Elio Petri’s We Still Kill the Old Way).

Caliber 9 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Milano Calibro 9 arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Raro Video.

I have two other Blu-ray releases of Milano Calibro 9 in my library but the only one worth addressing is this Region-B release that Arrow Video produced in 2015. The Region-B release is sourced from an outstanding 2K master. Raro Video's release is sourced from an exclusive new 4K master. Earlier tonight, I viewed the new 4K makeover of Milano Calibro 9 and then did extensive comparisons with the 2K makeover.

The 4K makeover is very, very healthy and produces plenty of impressive visuals. In several areas, the former reveals superior density levels, but I am unsure whether the difference can be described as a meaningful improvement because the 2K makeover boasts outstanding visuals as well. Delineation, clarity, and depth are very good but they are optimized on the 2K makeover, too. The most obvious discrepancies between the 4K and 2K makeovers emerge from the color schemes. On the 4K makeover, there is a very light yellow(ish) hue that affects virtually all primaries and several ranges of nuances. I think that it affects the dynamic range of the visuals too, which is why the 2K makeover ultimately looks more appealing. White and red are the two primaries that are affected the most. The footage from the nightclub where Barbara Bouchet is seen dancing will provide you with the best examples demonstrating how the dynamic range of the visuals is impacted because of the grading choices that were made on the 4K makeover. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. Image stability is excellent. The entire film looks very healthy, too. (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).

Caliber 9 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

In the past, I have always viewed Milano Calibro 9 with the Italian track and it is the one I prefer. The Italian track is the one that has been properly restored, too. However, quite a few actors are overdubbed on it, so there you will notice unevenness. The English track sounds quite a bit weaker. For example, in many areas, the audio is quite thin. Some quite obvious dynamic fluctuations are present on it as well. The English track features overdubbing, too.

Caliber 9 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• The Making of Milano Calibro 9 - this archival documentary focuses on the production history of Milano Calibro 9. Included in it are clips from interviews with director Fernando Di Leo, director Franco Lo Cascio/Luca Damiano (Decameron: Tales of Desire), writer (Maurizio Colombo), writer Luca Crovi, and producer Armando Novelli (Milano Calibro 9, Play Motel), amongst others. In Italian, with optional English subtitles. (30 min).

• Di Leo: The Genesis of the Genre - this archival documentary takes a closer look at the legacy of director Fernando Di Leo. Included in it are clips froml interviews with the late Italian director, actor Nino Castelnuovo (The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, Camille 2000), film editor Amedeo Giomini (Milano Calibro 9, The Boss), and actor Luc Merenda (Shoot First, Die Later, Torso), amongst others. In Italian, with optional English subtitles. (39 min).

• Scerbanenco Noir - this archival documentary focuses on the legacy of Giorgio Scerbanenco, the author of the original Milano Calibro 9 novel. Included in it are clips from interviews with writers Andrea G. Pinketts, Gianni Canova, Maurizio Colombo, Luca Crovi, and director Lamberto Bava. In Italian, with optional English subtitles. (27 min).

• Photo Gallery - this photo gallery can be viewed while listening to a phone interview with Gastone Moschin, which was conducted by critic Davide Pulici. In Italian, with optional English subtitles. (4 min).

• Trailer One - a vintage international trailer for Milano Calibro 9. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

• Trailer Two - a vintage Italian trailer for Milano Calibro 9. In Italian, with optional English subtitles. (4 min).

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critic Rachael Nisbet.

Caliber 9 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Raro Video's release introduces a brand new 4K makeover of Milano Calibro 9 that was completed at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematograpfia - Cneteca Nazionale in Italy. It is a fine 4K makeover but it could have been graded more convincingly. I prefer the 2K makeover that Arrow Video introduced with this release in 2015. I think that the 2K makeover has a superior color scheme and produces visuals with better dynamic range. On the other hand, in certain areas the 4K makeover boasts superior density levels. Raro Video's release retains all of Minerva's excellent archival bonus features that are included on Arrow Video's release. RECOMMENDED.