Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.0

Syndicate Sadists Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman March 6, 2023

Note: This version of this film is available on Blu-ray as part of Severin's Violent Streets: The Umberto Lenzi/Tomas Milian Collection box set.

In one of several worthwhile supplements Severin has aggregated for Violent Streets, commentators Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson make the case that director Umberto Lenzi may not have achieved the renown of some of his contemporaries at least in part perhaps due to the fact that, at least according to Howarth and Thompson, his directorial style wasn't "flashy" enough, though the fact that Howarth's book about Lenzi includes the word kinetic in its title might subliminally undercut this thesis, one way or the other. There is a certain stolid quality to some of Lenzi's work, to be sure, but there are also at least moments of flourishes, but one way or the other, when you have a star like Tomas Milián snarling in front of the camera, how much additional "style" do you really need? Milián is a near feral presence in all five films Severin has aggregated in this appealing new collection culled from Lenzi's rather impressively long filmography. Some of the supplementary interviews with Lenzi included on the various discs in this set might suggest that his relationship with Milián may not have always been smooth sailing, so to speak, and in a way I was reminded (perhaps only due to it very recently passing through my review queue courtesy of a bonus feature on Arrow's release of Black Sunday) some remarks by John Frankenheimer speaking to his evidently intermittently stormy relationship with Burt Lancaster, another leading man with a somewhat feral presence. One way or the other, much as with the Frankenheimer - Lancaster collaborations, Lenzi and Milián formed a viscerally compelling symbiotic unit for whatever reason, and the five films collected here offer more than abundant proof of the energy the duo brought to some admittedly at times otherwise pedestrian efforts. Severin has perhaps sweetened the pot for a certain demographic by including soundtrack CDs with some of the films.

Mention Rambo to just about anyone anywhere in the world, and at least in an immediate sense of recognition, it's hard to imagine a single person thinking of anything other than either the film linked to or the iconic character portrayed by Sylvester Stallone in that and several other features. It might be an interesting sociological and/or cinematographical (that's a word, isn't it?) experiment to mention that name to Italians familiar with so-called Poliziotteschi films to see what they say, because they might well come up with this second collaboration between Umberto Lenzi and Tomas Milián, one which kind of ironically predates First Blood by several years, courtesy of Milián having read the source novel that sparked the Stallone series, and attempting without success to get the rights. Perhaps "borrowing" a character's name seemed like the next best thing, but for anyone looking for further tethers between the properties, they may be pretty hard to find.

This particular Rambo is a loner "with a past" (is there any other kind?) who is a bicycle riding vigilante out for vengeance after one of his best friends is murdered. Somewhat similarly to Almost Human, kidnapping is part of the plot, but in this particular instance, there are dueling crime families that enter the fray, including one led by Paternò (Joseph Cotten). Milián is, despite the character's moniker, perhaps more of an analog to The Man with No Name in that Rambo is a somewhat laconic anti-hero who is obviously basically a good guy, albeit a little rough around the edges and not shy about ripping the blindfold off of Lady Justice in order to achieve his goals. Even Umberto Lenzi doesn't seem particularly averse to some comparisons with Leone, as evidenced by some of the interviews included as supplements on the various discs of this release.

If the main character name and frankly many of the plot machinations may seem more than familiar to a lot of viewers, Syndicate Sadists enjoys the benefit of some spectacularly staged action sequences, including a couple with some hand to hand and hand to prop combat that kind of reminded me of some of the more gonzo sequences in any number of martial arts related offerings. Milián is ostensibly "kinder and gentler" than he was in Almost Human (not that that would be all that difficult), but he still simmers with a really viscerally compelling menace.

Syndicate Sadists Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Syndicate Sadists is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. As with several of the titles included in this release, the back cover doesn't provide a wealth of technical information, and instead offers only a generic "now scanned uncut from the original negative". This is another appealingly organic looking presentation that obviously hasn't been aggressively manipulated in the digital world, and a healthy grain is supported throughout. Colors are nicely robust throughout virtually all of the presentation, and some of the primaries in particular pop extremely well. Also as with some of the other offerings in this set, the most eagle eyed videophiles may be able to see very minor passing age related wear and tear, mostly in the form of at times barely discernable nicks and flecks, but there aren't any major signs of damage to report. Detail levels are typically precise looking, and close-ups in particular can offer really nice fine detail. My score is 4.25.

Note: As with other titles in this set, Syndicate Sadists evidently had a previous release on Blu-ray courtesy of 88 Films for the Region B market, but as of the writing of this review, that release hasn't been covered.

Syndicate Sadists Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Syndicate Sadists features DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono options in either English or Italian. The film's score features a "squishy" synth patch which can sound slightly distorted or dirty in the Italian track, but at least somewhat less crackly in the English version. The English track sounded just a bit more full bodied and slightly hotter to my ears, but as with all of the soundtracks included in the Violent Streets set, I'd personally state that the differences between the English and Italian tracks are relatively minimal and in fact at times indiscernable as these things tend to go. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly in both version, and sound effects also reverberate well. Optional English subtitles for both versions are available.

Syndicate Sadists Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• First Blood (HD; 8:04) is an interview with director Umberto Lenzi. Subtitled in English.


• Family Affair (HD; 17:13) is an interview with actress Ida Galli. Subtitled in English.


• Kidnapped (HD; 27:02) is an interview with actor Alessandro Cocco. Subtitled in English.


• Interview with the Fascist (HD; 24:17) is an interview with actor Bruno di Luia. Kind of interestingly, this comes with a prefatory disavowal of di Luia's comments. Subtitled in English.


• Trailer (HD; 3:31)


• A Soundtrack CD is included.

Syndicate Sadists Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Syndicate Sadists is perhaps not quite as nasty as its title might indicate, but it provides Milián with a sort of template for the kind of character he would continually return to in subsequent films. Technical merits are generally solid and the supplements very enjoyable, for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.