6.6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Tony is the young member of an upper class Roman family; he lives a hectic double life, and under the guise of good student, he likes to persecute and kill prostitutes in the company of a couple of friends.
Starring: Piero Santi (I), Annarita Grapputo, Paola Senatore, Cesare Barro, Luis La Torre (I)Foreign | 100% |
Horror | 52% |
Drama | 20% |
Crime | 18% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Italian: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
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.
Like Rabid Dogs 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 following information on the transfer:
Like Rabid Dogs is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1 with Italian mono audio. The HD master was created and supplied by Rewind.This is another very strong transfer, though there is some very slight damage that can be spotted at times (keep your eyes peeled toward the left side of the frame during the scene where Muzi gets to the suicide). The palette is very nicely suffused, and the film's prevalence of almost "Hammer" red blood is disturbingly vivid. There are some brief interstitial patches where things suddenly look a good deal rougher, with a slightly less suffused palette, including one of the first sequences with the kidnapping victim. Grain resolves without any issues and there are no other compression worries that I spotted.
Like Rabid Dogs features a DTS-HD Master Audio Mono track in the original Italian. This is another post-looped affair that sometimes betray the dreaded "loose synch", but which otherwise offers a fairly boisterous accounting of the film's effects and kind of Shaft-like score by Mario Molino. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.
One of the things that's kind of weirdly interesting about several of the films in this collection is how they overtly detail the trauma inflicted on "innocent bystanders" due to some marauding activities by villains, and yet there is still very little emotional attachment to anything, perhaps because things just careen along so chaotically in the films. Like Rabid Dogs is disturbing for that very reason, though there's definitely a tawdry feeling to the proceedings. Technical merits are generally solid and the supplemental package enjoyable, for those who are considering a purchase.
(Still not reliable for this title)
No il caso è felicemente risolto
1973
Quelli della calibro 38
1976
Fango bollente
1975
フェラーリの鷹 / Poliziotto Sprint
1977
Rabid Dogs / Cani arrabbiati
1974
Autostop rosso sangue
1977
The Death Dealer / Milano odia: la polizia non può sparare
1974
Profondo rosso
1975
1976
I corpi presentano tracce di violenza carnale / Carnal Violence
1973
1980
Il grande racket
1976
2010
2012
1997
2015
Sei donne per l'assassino
1964
Rome Armed to the Teeth / Roma a Mano Armata
1976
Standard Edition
1982
Black Journal | Limited Edition to 3000
1977