Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

The Boss Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 21, 2024

Fernando Di Leo's "The Boss" (1973) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Raro Video. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new audio commentary by critic Samm Deighan; archival documentary; and vintage trailers. In English or Italian, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The executioner

When Fernando Di Leo began working on The Boss, he planned for it to be part of a trilogy. It is why when the final credits of The Boss appear, there is an announcement for a sequel. However, a sequel never materialized. Nevertheless, The Boss is frequently grouped with two other films, Caliber 9 and The Italian Connection, which Di Leo completed a year before it. Together, these films are known as The Milieu Trilogy.

During a power dispute between Sicilian and Calabrian gangs in the South, veteran executioner Nick Lanzetta (Henry Silva) faces a dilemma -- remain loyal to Don Guiseppe (Claudio Nicastro), who has raised him as his son and help him free his kidnapped daughter (Antonia Santilli), or join Don Corrasco (Richard Conte), who is not an active party in the dispute but wants Guiseppe eliminated so that order is restored. Lanzetta sides with Don Corrasco and soon after, while pretending to be ignoring his wish not to rush the negotiations for the kidnapped girl, kills Don Guiseppe. In the days ahead, Lanzetta and Corrasco agree on a strategy to take out Cocchi (Pier Paolo Capponi), also an executioner who has moved up the latter after his boss was killed and is responsible for the kidnapping of Don Guiseppe’s daughter, and the men who have chosen him to be their new leader. Lanzetta and Don Corrasco make progress, but the dead bodies they leave behind raise a red flag for bigger crime bosses in the North, who are concerned that the gang war in the South will initiate a massive police investigation that will inevitably reach them. Don Corrasco is issued an ultimatum to end the war within a week -- either by winning it or accepting Cocchi in his organization. Having credited Don Guiseppe’s elimination to his rivals, Don Corrasco and Lanzetta rally the late boss’ remaining soldiers and successfully end the war. Shortly after, the North requests that Lanzetta be taken out, too.

Like the other crime films Di Leo directed during the same period, The Boss is rough, intense, and moves fast. It tells a predictably rich story too, featuring a motley crew of big characters who constantly pull it in different directions, which is a key element of Di Leo’s style. Also, while not a big-budget film, The Boss is a great looking genre film.

Di Leo’s crime films, including The Boss, are often described as poliziotteschi. However, while they share the attitude and stylistic appearance of these genre films, they are essentially in a category of their own. Why? For two reasons. The conventional poliziotteschi are always show-off pieces. They spend so much time on over-the-top action providing them with an identity that their characters tend to suffer. Because of the imperfect characters, their stories are often very straightforward, too. (This is the main reason the large majority of poliziotteschi are revenge films). Di Leo’s crime films do not have this problem because he was a very experienced writer who spent a lot of time writing great stories and perfecting their characters. In fact, Di Leo often did too much writing and perfecting, and when he tried to fit everything he had done in his films, some became too busy.

The Boss is a busy film, but Di Leo controls it incredibly well, so even though its story quickly expands in different directions, it remains very easy to follow. However, even though Di Leo wraps it up in a convincing fashion, it does feel like more is coming. (This writer suspects that had a sequel materialized, the survivor would have headed North, where the bigger bosses are).

Silva oozes the same intensity that defines his fixer in Cry of a Prostitute, so he is rather fascinating to behold. However, Conte does not have the right presence to be a powerful crime boss. Gianni Garko is convincing as the corrupt police inspector Torri.

Di Leo chose to work with frequent collaborator Franco Villa, who lensed his big crime films and a couple of his sexiest films, like Slaughter Hotel and The Seduction.

The Boss Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.90:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Boss arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Raro Video.

The release introduces a recent 4K restoration sourced from the original camera negative. Unfortunately, this restoration is very disappointing. Why? The entire film is graded awkwardly, so not only is its native appearance altered, there are some anomalies that affect the dynamic range of the visuals. Several primaries and supporting nuances are destabilized by a light yellow(ish)/green(ish) tinting that is very similar to the one observed on the recent restoration of Revolver. As a result, facial complexions can appear quite awkward -- there are wild yellow(ish)/pinkish hues on facial complexions all over the film -- darker nuances are compromised, and depth is frequently unconvincing. The errors are very obvious, and even a quick comparison with the original release instantly reveal how easy it could have been to avoid them. This is disappointing and sad because the raw 4K files appear to be of exceptionally high-quality. How should The Boss look? Fernando Di Leo's films from this period have a vibrant, rich look, and boast wonderful ranges of natural colors, like the ones seen on the excellent 2K restoration of Caliber 9. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

The Boss Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release presents two versions of the film. One can be seen with an English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track. The other can be seen with an Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track. Optional English subtitles are provided for the Italian track.

I tried viewing the film with the English track, which is the original track. (There is one reconstructed sequence for which only Italian audio survives, but this is how it was presented on the old Blu-ray and DVD releases as well). Unfortunately, I had to stop it because it is heavily compressed. I pulled out my old Blu-ray release of the film and did a few quick comparisons. The English audio sounds better on it. The English track has native limitations, introduced by overdubbing, by as it is presented here I have to say that it is quite disappointing.

The Boss Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critic Samm Deighan.

• Mafia Stories - archival documentary.

• Milieu Trilogy Re-Release Trailer - in Italian, with English subtitles. (2 min).

• Caliber 9 Trailer - a vintage trailer. In English. (4 min).

• Italian Connection Trailer - a vintage trailer. In English. (2 min).

The Boss Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

After it was restored in 4K, Fernando Di Leo's The Boss does not have a proper period appearance. It is very easy to tell, too. Quite often, facial complexions look oddly pinkish/yellowish and most visuals, but especially some darker ones, struggle to reveal a proper dynamic range. This is most unfortunate because it is just as easy to tell that the raw 4K files are of exceptionally high quality.