Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		3.0

Convoy Busters Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman May 15, 2023

Maybe it was just a bit of unintended synchronicity, but Cauldron Films included a supplement on its release of Shanghai Joe (coming out on the same day as this release) which documents the kind of odd but appealing subgenre of Eastern characters with martial arts expertise punching and kicking their way through the old west, American style (as I mentioned in the Shanghai Joe Blu-ray review, lovers of television shows like Kung Fu should find this "familiar territory"). The reason why this may be a bit of unintended synchronicity is that Cauldron's Convoy Busters, while set in "contemporary times" (in this case, the late seventies of the film's production era) and taking place in Italy, has a kind of poliziotteschi via Spaghetti Western ambience, one that is perhaps subliminally reinforced by the fact that this film's focal cop, Omli (Maurizio Merli), bears more than a passing resemblance to a certain Dirty Harry, whose starring actor of course can't help but evoke tethers to Leone-esque outings.

Some of the really excellent supplements Cauldron has assembled for this release get into both the star power of Marizio Merli as well as the often action packed exploits of any given film from director Stelvio Massi, and in fact some of the most touching supplements on this disc are delivered by the sons of these two men. They're both in great form here, even if the film goes increasingly gonzo as Olmi himself goes rogue, and some unexpected tragedy ensues. There is a patently preposterous concatenation of subplots once Olmi gets transferred to the ostensible sticks and the film's romantic angle kicks in courtesy of a character named Anna (Olga Karlatos). Some supposedly nefarious goings on in this veritable backwater supposedly provide intrigue, but there's really never a ton of suspense as to what's going on. Still, the film is brisk and often rather scenic.

Convoy Busters Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Convoy Busters is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Cauldron Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. The back cover of this release states this features a "2K restoration from the negative". Unfortunately, this doesn't have the clarity and detail levels of Cauldron's simultaneous release of Shanghai Joe, and as can perhaps be made out in some of the screenshots I've uploaded to accompany this review, midrange to wider framings can look rather fuzzy and opaque, to the point that they can almost appear to be out of focus. Even close-ups don't offer a wealth of exceptional fine detail at times, though they're noticeably better than wider shots. Color timing seems slightly too warm to my eyes, with a noticeable pink flush to skin tones. Saturation is still quite good, especially in the more brightly lit outdoor moments, and grain, while thick (noticeably thicker than Shanghai Joe), resolves without any major issues. My score is 3.25.

Convoy Busters Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Convoy Busters features Italian and English language options in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono. To my ears the Italian is the clear winner here, with a fuller bodied sound that is especially apparent in some of the lush, harpsichord infused score by Stelvio Cipriani. That said, both tracks offer generally very good fidelity and present dialogue, effects and score without any major issues. Optional English subtitles are available.

Convoy Busters Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• My Father, the Cop (HD; 20:22) is an interview with Maurizio Matteo Merli. Subtitled in English.


• The Massi Touch (HD; 24:19) is an interview with Danilo Massi. Subtitled in English.


• Stelvio Massio Video Tribute (HD; 8:24) is by Danilo Massi. This is almost like a music video, but some text is subtitled. Parts are weirdly anamorphically stretched.


• Maurizio Merli: A Lethal Hunter of Subtle Variation (HD; 29:00) is an appreciation by "tough guy film expert" Mike Malloy.


• Stelvio Massi Image Gallery (HD; 5:41)


• Audio Commentary with Mike Malloy and Mike Martinez


• Archival Extras

  A conversation with journalist Eolo Capacci (SD; 16:02) is subtitled in English.

  
  

  A conversation with director Ruggero Deodato (SD; 6:27) is subtitled in English.

  
  

  A conversation with director Enzo G. Castellari (SD; 22:20) is subtitled in English.

  
  

  A conversation with journalist Maurizio Matteo Merli (SD; 20:26) is subtitled in English.

  
  

  A conversation with actor Enio Girolami (SD; 15:54) is subtitled in English.

  
  

  A conversation with journalist Eolo Capacci (SD; 16:02) is subtitled in English.

  
  

  Alternate English openin credit sequence (HD; 00:59)

  
  

  Trailer - English (HD; 4:01)

  
  

  Trailer - Italian (HD; 3:50)

  
  

  Image Gallery (HD; 2:42)

Additionally, a member had set the specs of this release to indicate it has a number of elements like a booklet and memorabilia included, but just for clarification's sake, the review copy sent by Cauldron did not, and I have reset the specs to reflect that.

Convoy Busters Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It's may just slightly comical that this film's American distributors evidently wanted to cash in on Convoy, which had come out about six months before this film, especially since this story has little to nothing to do with convoys of any type. Fans of Maurizio Merli and/or Stelvio Massi should get at least some intermittent excitement out of this effort, even if it's more than a little derivative. Technical merits are decent (video) to very good) audio), and the supplements are fantastic, for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.