Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

The Boss Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman April 26, 2024

The Boss was the third installment in Fernando Di Leo's so called "milieu trilogy", and in fact RaroVideo's US branch released Fernando Di Leo: The Italian Crime Collection Vol. 1 more than a decade ago (!) containing all three of the "milieu" films, along with Rulers of the City, which may indicate, especially considering this Radiance distributed title evidently still bears a RaroVideo branded cover and definitely offers a RaroVideo-esque menu on the disc itself (I was sent a check disc for purposes of this review, but am going by our cover image as well as Radiance's website in terms of cover art), this may be a "sneak preview" of other titles Radiance may be offering down the line.

My colleague Brian Orndorf provides a plot summary of The Boss in his Fernando Di Leo: The Italian Crime Collection Vol. 1 Blu-ray review, and that review is also a good resource for screenshot comparisons as well as how supplements stack up between the releases.

The Boss Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Boss is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of RaroVideo and Radiance Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.90:1. Radiance sent only a check disc for purposes of this review, and so I'm not privy to any information that may be contained in an insert booklet, but Radiance's website states this is a "2020 4K restoration of the original negative, presented in the original Italian version and the shorter English export cut, on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK". There are some pretty major differences in this presentation when compared to the older RaroVideo U.S. Blu-ray, at least judging by screenshots (I admittedly never owned the Region A Blu-ray release). As can be seen by comparing screenshots, this version is at least marginally warmer looking, and I'd probably argue more than merely marginally, as the older release looks positively jaundiced and yellow when stacked up against this one. It's also interesting to note that the older RaroVideo U.S. release offered quasi-windowboxed presentations of all the di Leo films in the set to approximate the OAR of 1.85:1 (our pixel measuring tool is showing a 1.84:1 aspect ratio for the films in the RaroVideo U.S. release). This release doesn't have that peculiarity, but it looks to me that in an effort to get those pesky black bars off the side of the image, some very minor information at the very edges of the frame may have been lost. Detail levels are quite appealing throughout, and grain looks natural. Some very minor signs of age related wear and tear have made it through the restoration gauntlet.

The Boss Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Both the Italian and English language versions of the film are offered here, each with DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono tracks. Both versions offer good accountings of a sometimes rather boisterous sound design, which includes not just the requisite gunfire and other explosive activity, but also Luis Bacalov's funky score. Post looping is obvious no matter which version is chosen, meaning sync can be loose, as they say. That said, dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

The Boss Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Italian (Theatrical Version) (1:49:16) and English (Export Version) (1:48:21) are accessible under the Play Menu.


• Audio Commentary by Rachael Nisbet


• Mafia Stories (HD; 23:42) was included on the RaroVideo U.S. release. Details are in Brian's review.


• Interview with Fernando di Leo Biographer Davide Pulici (HD; 35:00) is subtitled in English.


• Image Gallery of Promotional Materials (HD)


• Original Theatrical Trailer (HD; 3:29)

Radiance sent a check disc for purposes of this review, but their website mentions a booklet and reversible sleeve. I'm assuming perhaps because this is branded as a RaroVideo release it evidently does not include Radiance's traditional Obi strip.

The Boss Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

As Brian Orndorf mentions in his review of the RaroVideo U.S. collection, watching a Di Leo film can be like taking a guided tour through his Id. The Boss is often extremely violent, but it has an undeniably visceral impact, and Henry Silva is intensely effective as a mob hitman. Technical merits are solid, and the supplements very enjoyable. It will be interesting to see if the rest of Di Leo's "milieu trilogy" will soon be offered by Radiance. Recommended.