The Bandit Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

The Bandit Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman August 24, 2026

Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of the World Noir Vol. 5 set from Radiance Films.

Radiance Films is back with another volume in its continuing World Noir series. This edition features three Italian films that forge a bridge between American noir sensibilities and Neorealism. There are some interesting names associated with the three films in this set, with relatively early performances from future icons like Anna Magnani, Marcello Mastroianni and Gina Lollobrigida, and with the Lollobrigida film also boasting a Federico Fellini writing credit, and with the Magnani film bearing the imprimatur of producer Dino De Laurentiis.

While not all of the following were sent for review purposes, for those interested in having a "complete collection", links to the previous volumes can be found below:

World Noir Vol. 1

World Noir Vol. 2

World Noir Vol. 3

World Noir Vol. 4

Anna Magnani had already made her indelible impression in Rome, Open City when she made The Bandit, after an actually already fairly long but not especially renowned career, but she was still almost a decade off from the film that would catapult her to international superstardom and a roomful of awards, including an Oscar for Best Actress, The Rose Tattoo. Magnani's Academy Award was the first time an Italian individual was so feted, and she was also one of a rather select few acting winners including Luise Rainer whose native language wasn't English. What's kind of interesting about Magnani's acclaimed performance in the Tennessee Williams piece is how she's substantially more sympathetic, if still more than a bit feral, than in some of her other "tough woman" portrayals, including this film where she essays a hardscrabble female gang leader (no, really) named Lidia.

If maybe then slightly improbable, at least conceptually, it's a remarkably visceral turn from Magnani that really propels the energy in this story, which is actually ostensibly about a returning Italian prisoner of war named Ernesto (Amedeo Nazzari), who is struggling to rematriculate into the shambles of his former life in Turin, where he's confronted by both deceased and missing family members. In a disturbingly nihilistic turn of events that arguably relies on maybe one too many coincidences, Ernesto's discovery of his missing family member only leads to further tragedy. This dour narrative ends with the arguably still honorable Ernesto being forced to assume the "career" of the film's title.

The Bandit Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Bandit is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Radiance Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.37:1. Radiance sent check discs for purposes of this review and so I'm not privy to any verbiage in an insert booklet, but their website states the set features "4K restorations of all three films from the original camera negatives", and there's further information courtesy of prefatory text cards before the main feature:

The 4K restoration of The Bandit [was] performed by the Cineteca di Bologna Foundation based on nitrate film and audio negatives provided by Cristaldi Film. The restoration was performed by L'Immagine Ritrovata and funded by the Ministry of Arts and Culture and the Ministry of Tourism.

A couple of quick opening jokes should probably be dispensed with, the first of which is the pretty curious involvement of the Ministry of Tourism for a film that doesn't exactly show post-war Italy at least in the best light, and also a passing comment that with this being a black and white film the often questioning responses to the color timing L'Immagine Ritrovata has offered at times shouldn't be an issue. This is in fact a pretty ravishing looking presentation, with, yes, some interstitial moments of relative softness, but with a general clarity and precise fine detail levels that are very appealing. Some occasional extreme close-ups can reveal virtually every pore and wrinkle on various faces, and some of the costumes for Magnani in particular have nice texturing on the fabrics. Some very small blemishes have made it through the restoration guantlet. Grain resolves without any issues.

The Bandit Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Bandit features an LPCM Mono track in the original Italian. As with some other audio presentations in this set, there's a bit of roughness at higher amplitudes, including the hyperbolic music accompanying the opening credits, though arguably a bit less noticeably than in Against the Law. While the post looping does offer some noticeable mismatches between lip movements and the sounds emanating from them, in terms of actual intelligibility there are no real problems. There are some decently realized background ambient environmental effects as well, as in the opening train bound scene. Optional English subtitles are available.

The Bandit Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Fabio Melelli (HD; 18:27) gives some background on the film and its director. Subtitled in English.


• Evelina Nazzari (HD; 16:24) is a reminiscence by Amedeo Nazzari's daughter. Subtitled in English.


• Fabio Melelli and Evelina Nazzari (HD; 24:23) offers the two cited in more footage from their interviews edited together to create a quasi-conversation about the film. Subtitled in English.


• Christina Newland (HD; 12:28) offers her thoughts on Anna Magnani.

The Bandit Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Bandit is admittedly a bit on the improbable side ultimately, but it's propelled by such an almost animalistic performance by Anna Magnani that even "nonbelievers" are apt to come along for the wild and unavoidably tragic ride. Returning veterans have been depicted in all sorts of global films as encountering innumerable difficulties as they attempt to rematriculate into "society" (or whatever is left of it), but few have the emotional power of The Bandit. Technical merits are generally solid, and the supplements appealing. Recommended.