Cosa Nostra: Franco Nero in Three Mafia Tales by Damiano Damiani Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

Cosa Nostra: Franco Nero in Three Mafia Tales by Damiano Damiani Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman August 8, 2023

Franco Nero is one of those huge international superstars who perhaps perplexingly never really seemed to make a consistent impact in the United States market for whatever reason, though some have mentioned his lack of facility with English for having potentially contributed to that situation. In that regard, it's at least arguable that the "average Joe" and/or "Joanne" filmgoer on this side of the pond would only be able to point to Camelot, perhaps ironically even if they hadn't actually seen it, simply because of the gossip column fodder that erupted courtesy of his burgeoning relationship with co-star Vanessa Redgrave. That said, Camelot and maybe, just maybe titles like The Bible: In the Beginning... and/or Die Hard 2: Die Harder might occur to some stateside fans as offering Nero performances they've seen, but of course his European popularity was unmatched in his heyday, spurred by his star making performance in Django. As is recounted in some of the supplements Radiance has included with this three disc set, Nero matriculated from westerns in the sixties into some late sixties through seventies films that were at least tangentially related to Poliziotteschi, though often from the "flip side", i.e., focusing on the criminals rather than the good guys. Radiance has aggregated three of those entries in this appealing set, which features productions ranging from 1968 to 1975 all directed by Damiano Damiani, and at least somewhat interestingly only one of which features Nero as a policeman.

For reviews of the films in this set, please click on the following links:

The Day of the Owl Blu-ray review

The Case Is Closed, Forget It Blu-ray review

How to Kill a Judge Blu-ray review

Cosa Nostra: Franco Nero in Three Mafia Tales by Damiano Damiani Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Video quality is assessed in the above linked reviews.

Cosa Nostra: Franco Nero in Three Mafia Tales by Damiano Damiani Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Audio quality is assessed in the above linked reviews.

Cosa Nostra: Franco Nero in Three Mafia Tales by Damiano Damiani Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Supplements on each disc are detailed in the above linked reviews. Additionally, this is a very handsomely packaged set from Radiance, with a sturdy slipbox (with Radiance's quasi-Obi strip) enclosing three keepcases, each with reversible covers. This Limited Edition also features a really fantastically done 120 page insert booklet with information on each film and some very interesting essays.

Cosa Nostra: Franco Nero in Three Mafia Tales by Damiano Damiani Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This is the first big "collection" from Radiance Films that I've personally reviewed, and it augurs well for this newer label. All three films in this set have interesting stories and some fine performances, and Radiance offers transfers with secure technical merits and some really appealing supplements. Recommended.