Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		1.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		2.5

Meet Him and Die Blu-ray Movie Review

Raiders of the Lost J&B.

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf March 29, 2014

In the vast collection of Italian crime sagas, perhaps 1976’s “Meet Him and Die” wouldn’t rate very high on the quality scale. The story isn’t energizing, with a blur of names and motivations competing for director Franco Prosperi’s attention, and the resolution leaves much to be desired, electing for a blunt conclusion that doesn’t retain its intended sting. However, looking past the picture’s obvious shortcomings, and there’s an entertaining tale of revenge to embrace, with heated performances and daredevil stunt work to wow viewers. “Meet Him and Die” gradually builds into an engaging underworld adventure, complete with double-crosses and near-misses, but its interests remain with visceral events, as Prosperi has a fondness for the physical stuff. Well paced and surprisingly scrappy, the feature contributes to the funky subgenre with a healthy dose of action, aggression, and a few gulps of the old J&B.

Italian cop Massimo (Ray Lovelock) is enraged when his dear mother is caught in a gangland firefight, crippling the sweet, loving woman. Swearing revenge, Massimo goes undercover posing as a criminal, using a robbery attempt at a local jewelry store to facilitate a prison sentence, getting him close to crime boss Giulianelli (Martin Balsam). Winning the villain’s favor through brute force exhibited behind bars, Massimo is welcomed into Giulianelli’s empire, tasked with rooting out bad apples that’ve made the syndicate weak while the head honcho has been away. As he inches closer to the scum that ruined his mother’s life, Massimo loses track of his law enforcement responsibilities, leaving a trail of dead bodies and streetwise chaos behind that disturbs his superior. Also thwarting progress is the secretary (Elke Sommer) of a rival, whose interest in Massimo may be more than purely sexual.

“Meet Him and Die” grabs the viewer early with the opening robbery, detailing Massimo’s plan to get himself incarcerated, creating a cover story of criminal appetites to service his reputation behind bars. The screenplay has designs on keeping the true origin of Massimo’s intentions a secret, but Prosperi does a lousy job suppressing the obvious, outing the crook as a cop through blatantly odd behavior from the police, who practically hand their weapons over to the faux felon to help to secure the illusion. Not that anything is subtle in this effort, but twists aren’t the helmer’s specialty. Before the plot has a chance to settle in, there’s time spent in prison watching Massimo claim dominance by beating his hulking, bullying, homophobic cellmate, with an exercise yard showdown popping out as a highlight of the first act. It’s also the first moment of the movie that explores Prosperi’s commitment to a harder, feistier sense of action, ordering up a little stunt choreography to establish fluidity to Massimo’s penitentiary quest.

The story of “Meet Him and Die” doesn’t retain a hearty sense of intrigue, struggling to inflate itself into an underworld epic by complicating Massimo’s mission with outside influences. The tangled web of players and motivations does little to electrify the drama, which is better served as a straightforward revenge saga, watching the undercover cop lose his humanity in his effort to even the score. Business with rival crooks isn’t compelling, especially when scenes with Massimo meeting with his police contact (at one point, they hold a meeting inside a volatile soccer stadium, with cameras capturing a post-game riot on the field) and socking street cops who recognize him bring out true tension. Distractions with the secretary are identified as vital to the narrative, but they come off as an afterthought, with Sommers hired more for her willingness to do nudity (in a bizarre sex scene that fiddles with slow motion and ends abruptly) than her potential thespian impact as a character who factors directly into the climax of the movie.

While the plot withers, “Meet Him and Die” builds an impressive collection of action excursions, with fisticuffs and car chases arriving to refresh viewer attention. Perhaps the finest sequence of the picture focuses on Massimo’s attempt to drive a truck carrying dope-filled eggs across the border, fending off a surprise attack from the enemy. It’s a truck chase on a cow-littered road that’s alarmingly similar to a masterful sequence from “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” even featuring Mossimo clinging to the bottom of the vehicle for a second chance at commandeering the ride. I’m not suggesting Steven Spielberg borrowed from “Meet Him and Die,” but similarities between the set-pieces are remarkable, adding a noticeable surge of seemingly reckless stunt work to the production, dialing up the nail-chewing suspense.

Meet Him and Die Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.80:1 aspect ratio) presentation for "Meet Him and Die" is troublesome. Defeating the point of an HD release, there's no fine detail to survey during the viewing experience, with an already softly-shot feature caked with filtering that pulls out texture and intensity, leaving the frame a smeary mess. Colors aren't dynamic, with weak hues capturing period clothing and location decoration. Skintones are generally washed out, rarely reaching their natural appearance. Banding is detected, and the print displays elements of debris, scratching, and some burn marks. Noise is a consistent issue, and black levels aren't as communicative as they should be, clotting when action leaves the forgiving light of day. The BD event is a letdown here, with the disc delivering a disappointing presentation of a lively film.

Meet Him and Die Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 LPCM audio track doesn't offer a crisp listening experience, with the overall mix sounding a tad muffled due to wear and tear. The basics are allowed room to breathe, with dialogue exchanges emerging without distortion, containing only minimal hiss, providing solid emotional response and fullness of voice. Scoring doesn't show any signs of shrill extremity, staying supportive, and the film's opening and closing soundtrack cut brings some power to the mix, setting the mood. Atmospherics are identifiable, capturing street life, and sound effects, with thick punch and gunfire noises, register as intended.

Meet Him and Die Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Booklet offers ten pages with an essay by Mike Malloy, and a filmography and an incorrect biography of director Franco Prosperi.

• Introduction (6:34, HD) by Mike Malloy greets the documentarian in what appears to be his home office, surrounded by computer monitors. Sharing his knowledge of the Italian crime film genre, Malloy works a two camera set-up for reasons unknown (his swiveling back and forth is difficult to endure), detailing production history and offering tidbits about the stars and Prosperi. Malloy also explains differences in the "poliziesco" label.

• A Theatrical Trailer has not been included.

Meet Him and Die Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Bookended by a folksy theme song, "Meet Him and Die" isn't a normal revenge event. It moves in odd ways, reflecting its country of origin and the era in which it was made. While the plot doesn't always convince, trailing off into unsavory business that's either undefined or simply unmemorable, Prosperi does a commendable job retaining the material's blunt force, staging superb action beats to keep the effort moving along. Even if the drama fails to make any impression, the violence sparks the endeavor to life, paring down Massimo's quest to one of survival and aggression, resulting in more than a few purely cinematic delights.