6.9 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
In this Poliziotteschi, a commissioner forms a secret motorized brigade in order to fight a dangerous terrorist depositing bombs in the city of Turin.
Starring: Marcel Bozzuffi, Carole André, Ivan Rassimov, Riccardo Salvino, Giancarlo BonugliaForeign | 100% |
Crime | 18% |
Action | Insignificant |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.36:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Italian: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of Years of Lead: Five Classic Italian Crime Thrillers.
The Italian term Poliziotteschi may not be strictly grammatical, but it has served as shorthand for years to describe a subgenre of Italian
cinema that was almost insanely popular in that country in the seventies in particular. If many films in this category were frankly the Italian
equivalent of B-movies, some, like 1970's
Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion, achieved considerable renown and critical appreciation, and in fact that particular film ended
up winning that year's Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Arrow's Years of Lead may not exactly be offering Oscar worthy
outings in this set, but in a way that actually may be a better way to understand the idiom, since Poliziotteschi frequently featured gritty
storylines and unvarnished characters. Some of the films in this set have been previously released on Blu-ray by German label Camera Obscura (and
the reviews of those films will point to those prior releases), and some of the supplements produced for the Camera Obscura releases have been
ported over to this set. But Arrow is also touting the fact that this set features a new 2K restoration of Colt 38
Special Squad, which is exclusive to this limited edition release.
Colt 38 Special Squad is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. Arrow's insert booklet contains the most information about this particular transfer, assumedly because the restoration was done by Arrow and this release is exclusive to this set:
Colt 38 Special Squad is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1 with Italian and English mono audio. Scanning and restoration work was completed at L'Immagine Ritrovata, Bologna. The original 35mm camera negative was scanned in 2K resolution. The mono Italian and English language tracks were remastered from the optical sound negatives. The audio synch will appear slightly loose against the picture, due to the fact that the dialogue was recorded entirely in post production, as per the production standards of the period.This is yet another great looking transfer overall in this set, to the point that fine detail on gruesome imagery like bullet wounds or fingers getting sliced off in a car door may make some a little squeamish. Fine detail on things like patterns on fabrics is often excellent (look at the coats in screenshot 3 for just one example). The palette is very nicely suffused throughout, though there are some very minor fluctuations in densities and general color temperature in some of the outside location work. Grain resolves without any issues.
The film was graded at R3Store Studios, London.
All original materials used in this restoration were made available from Rewind.
Colt 38 Special Squad features LPCM Mono tracks in either Italian and English. There's a really interesting difference between the tracks in terms of both music utilized as part of the film (i.e., a nightclub scene) and general underscore, as well as occasional "tonal" sound effects like the sustained roar of engines, in that the English track is almost a full half step higher than the Italian track, though timings are never off, as if an Audacity plug-in to raise pitch without altering playback time had been utilized. As with the other film in this set offering both English and Italian audio, to my ears the Italian track sounds a bit more full bodied overall, especially in the midrange. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.
As odd as it may sound, Colt 38 Special Squad reminded me in a way of The A-Team, with a bunch of operatives with questionable pasts banding together to take out the bad guys, not to mention an emphasis on things that go "boom". In this particular instance, though, it's debatable just who the "fools" to be pitied are. Technical merits are solid and the supplementary package enjoyable, for those who are considering a purchase.
(Still not reliable for this title)
フェラーリの鷹 / Poliziotto Sprint
1977
Fango bollente
1975
No il caso è felicemente risolto
1973
Come cani arrabbiati / Wie tollwütige Hunde
1976
烏鼠機密檔案 | Wū shǔ jī mì dàng àn | Limited Collector’s Edition
1993
Il boss | 4K Restoration
1973
Shin jingi no hakaba
2002
Rome Armed to the Teeth / Roma a Mano Armata
1976
Zhi fa xian feng / Righting Wrongs
1986
Milano calibro 9 | 4K Restoration
1972
Sing chin fung wan / Sheng zhan feng yun / 聖戰風雲
1990
Atout Coeur à Tokyo Pour OSS 117 / Mission to Tokyo
1966
赤い波止場 / Akai hatoba
1958
Satsujin yugi / 殺人遊戯 / The Murder Game
1978
Il giustiziere sfida la città
1975
Gekitotsu! Satsujin ken / 激突!殺人拳
1974
省港旗兵續集
1987
1982-1987
Milano trema: la polizia vuole giustizia
1973
ゴルゴ13
1973