Free Hand for a Tough Cop Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		3.5

Free Hand for a Tough Cop Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 5, 2021

Umberto Lenzi's "Free Hand for a Tough Cop" (1976) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Fractured Visions. The supplemental features on the disc include two new audio commentaries; new program with cinematographer Nino Celeste; new program with actor Corrado Solari; new program with Alessandra Lenzi; vintage promotional materials for the film; and more. In English or Italian, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

If you are not at all impressed by the time Inspector Sarti (Claudio Cassinelli) picks up the notorious gangster Monnezza (Tomas Milian) from prison and the two disappear into the shadows of the night, which happens almost immediately after the opening credits disappear, Umberto Lenzi’s Free Hand for a Tough Cop almost certainly isn’t for you. Confused by the warning? I am going to highlight a couple of things that will help you understand precisely what I mean.

I assume you have correctly chosen to view the film with the English track, so the colorful language that you will hear while the prisoners watch the violent western on the big screen is just a minor sample of what is to come. Indeed, f-bombs, demeaning one-liners, good old-fashioned cursing, this track has a seemingly endless supply of everything that is needed to offend a sensitive viewer. Naturally, if the opening sequence with its colorful language gives you a minor headache, the rest of the film is guaranteed to provide you with nauseating vertigo. What do you think of Monnezza, or Garbage Can, as he is identified in the English track? If you think that his cheeky mannerisms are mostly grotesque rather than entertaining, you won’t like at all the type of transformation he undergoes later in the film. Finally, if at the end of the sequence you concluded that it was quite odd how Sarti went into the prison, knocked out Garbage Can, and then sneaked him out without the carabinieri noticing his presence, well, there is a lot more of this type of goofy action coming your way.

Of course, if what I highlighted above is exactly the type of material you expected to get in an action thriller directed by Lenzi, then grab your popcorn and favorite drink and get comfortable because after the prison sequence Free Hand for a Tough Cop switches into gonzo mode and does not slow down until its final credits pop up.

So, what happens next?

Sarti convinces Garbage Can that it will be in his best interest to help him nab Brescianelli (Henry Silva), a vicious and seriously repulsive character who has kidnapped the precious daughter of a prominent businessman and demanded a massive ransom for her release. Garbage Can then reconnects with three former partners (Robert Hundar, Biagio Pelligra, Giuseppe Castellano) and tricks them to conclude that they ought to thank Brescianelli for the train robbery they have just botched. Shortly after, the group tracks down Brescianelli’s mistress, Mara (Nicoletta Machiavelli), who is secretly assisting him with the ransom negotiations, and uses her to get a few leads that ultimately point them in the right direction. Before the inevitable fireworks, however, Garbage Can begins to reconsider his deal with Sarti.

Free Hand for a Tough Cop is supercharged with so much unfiltered machismo that it borders on parody and as a result it is impossible to see as the classic serious offender mainstream critics once passionately trashed in their articles. However, a lot of the drama that surrounded Free Hand for a Tough Cop as well as the other poliziotteschi that emerged around the same time was intentionally fueled by Lenzi’s public insistence that he was committed to depicting a troubling reality mainstream Italian cinema was ignoring because it was simply too good for business. It was a smart strategy, but Lenzi was so temperamental that eventually he became a target and a few prominent critics accused him of channeling right-wing propaganda through his films. Of course, the new drama and especially the politics that was now wrapped around it was just a bunch of mainstream malarkey and even in the old days no one that appreciated genre films took any of it seriously.

Out of all the colorful poliziotteschi Lenzi directed in the ‘70s Free Hand for a Tough Cop is the funniest one. The type of humor that flourishes in it does not have anything in common with the one Bud Spencer and Terrence Hill promoted in the likes of The Knockout Cop and Crime Busters at the same time, but its slang and action are so exaggerated that more often than not they tend to produce some pretty good comedy material.

Free Hand for a Tough Cop Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Free Hand for a Tough Cop arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Fractured Visions.

According to official press materials, the release is sourced from a new 2K master that was struck from the original camera negative. My general impression is that the master is quite good, but the release is encoded in a way that makes it awfully difficult to appreciate its strengths. Here's why:

I projected the film and thought that for the most part during the daylight footage density levels remained strong. However, the encode is so inconsistent that the grain structure would either barely hold up or completely fall apart. The decent footage usually has some natural lighting, but even there you will notice serious anomalies emerge in all kinds of different areas, like backgrounds and highlights. In darker areas, where there is some light crushing as well, the grain becomes so noisy and smeary that it often looks like some sort of filter might have been applied. To be honest, it appears that some sort of digital clipping/denoising was in fact applied to carefully rebalance some of the footage, but I can state with absolute certainty that the encode further flattens the grain across the board and to a degree where existing detail actually begins to disappear. So, when you add up the light black crush the visuals that emerge are not very pretty. Additionally, the inconsistent encode affects the fluidity of the visuals, which is why during fast zooms and cuts you will notice light 'stuttering' that produces mildly distracting wavy effects. Color balance is good, but the primaries can be better saturated and some nuances should be expanded. There are no distracting large debris, cuts, damage marks, stains, warped or torn frames to report. Finally, I noticed some minor shakiness in various parts of the film, so there is definitely room for some stability optimizations. My score is 3.25/5.00, but the bulk of the presentation gravitates right around 3.00/5.00. (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).

Free Hand for a Tough Cop Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and Italian: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided, but they are suitable only for the Italian track.

The English track is one of those colorful and frankly quite hilarious dub tracks that were done by non-native speakers imitating American accents and lingo. Rather predictably, it is cheaply done, too. This means that you should expect to encounter plenty of unevenness and some muffled dialog with occasional exchanges that may even appear oddly cut off. If you turn up the volume on your system enough you will be able to understand pretty much everything that is being said, but from time to time you could lose a word or two. Unfortunately, it is how the dub track was finalized in 1976, so this is the quality that is reproduced by the lossless track. There are no audio dropouts or digital distortions to report in our review.

Free Hand for a Tough Cop Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Eurocrime: The Lenzi Way - in this new program, critic Barry Forshaw discusses the evolution of the Italian crime film and specifically its genre identity during the '70s, the popularity of the poliziotteschi and how they might have been influenced by the big American crime films, and the production and appearance of Free Hand for a Tough Cop. In English, not subtitled. (17 min).

• Portrait of a Daughter: An Interview with Alessandra Lenzi - in this new program, Alessandra Lenzi recalls what it was like to be around her father while he was directing his films, the trips they made to various countries (America, Spain), his working methods and treatment of the people he collaborated with, the production of his poliziotteschi including Free Hand for a Tough Cop (with some very interesting comments about Tomas Milian), etc. In Italian, with English subtitles. (19 min).

• Producing Mayhem: An Interview with Ugo Tucci - in this new program, producer Ugo Tucci explains how he entered the film business and how the Italian film industry evolved over the years, and discusses his involvement with Umberto Lenzi on Free Hand for a Tough Cop. Also, there are some interesting comments about Tomas Milian's transformation into the popular gangster Monnezza/Garbage Can. The program was produced by Eugenio Ercolani. In Italian, with English subtitles. (12 min).

• No Small Roles: An Interview with Corrado Solari - in this new program, actor Corrado Solari discusses his background and acting career, his transition from the theater business to the film business, some of the great actors and directors he worked with, Umberto Lenzi's working methods, etc. The program was produced by Eugenio Ercolani. In Italian, with English subtitles. (29 min).

• Cops and Robbers: An Interview with Nino Celeste - in this new program, cinematographer Nino Celeste discusses the different stages of his career and collaboration with Umberto Lenzi on Free Hand for a Tough Cop. Apparently, it was Lucio Fulci that recommended him to Lenzi. The program was produced by Eugenio Ercolani. In Italian, with English subtitles. (25 min).

• Commentary One - in this new commentary, Mike Martinez, producer of Eurocrime, discusses in great detail the production of Free Hand for a Tough Cop, the various locations where key sequences were shot and later on used in a couple of other films Lenzi shot, the stylistic identity of the film, the careers of some of the people that made it (and specifically Tomas Milian, whose career changed rather dramatically after he played Monnezza/Garbage Can), the soundtrack, etc.

• Commentary Two - in this new commentary, critics Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson share plenty of information about the production and genre identity of Free Hand for a Tough Cop, the film's use of violence and dark/goofy humor, some of Lenzi's stylistic preferences, Tomas Milian's grotesque performance, the film's critical reception, the evolution of the poliziotteschi, etc.

• Trailers -
  
  1. Italian trailer. Remastered. (4 min).
  2. English VHS trailer. (4 min).
  3. English VHS credits. (4 min).

• Cards - six collectible art cards.

• Booklet - an illustrated booklet with new writing by Austin Fisher, Francesco Massaccesi, and a text interview with Umberto Lenzi by Eugenio Ercolani, as well as technical credits.

Free Hand for a Tough Cop Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Free Hand for a Tough Cop is the last of Umberto Lenzi's big poliziotteschi to transition to Blu-ray. It is the funniest one too, though the humor that flourishes in it is obviously of the rougher kind that won't be everyone's cup of tea. This film had a pretty big impact on Tomas Milian's career, but even if Lenzi had not directed it eventually there would have been another project that accomplished the same, which is legitimize the former as a cult actor. Indeed, even before Milian committed to it he already had a reputation for being a 'different' actor, so it was only a matter of time before the right role came along and he made the best of it. The hard work and care that was put into this lavish Blu-ray release are impressive, but I think that in the future the folks at Fractured Visions should consider a second disc for all the excellent bonus features they gather so that the technical presentation of the main feature is optimized as best as possible. Free Hand for a Tough Cop could and should have looked more convincing on Blu-ray. RECOMMENDED.