The Executors Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

The Executors Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 24, 2026

Maurizio Lucidi's "The Executors" a.k.a. "Street People" (1976) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Shameless Entertainment. The supplemental features on the include recent program with Stacy Keach; two recent programs with Italian critic Davide Pulici; and vintage international trailer. In English or Italian, with optional English and English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

If you have seen and enjoyed any of Fernando Di Leo’s crime thrillers from the 1970s -- Shoot First, Die Later, Caliber 9, and The Italian Connection are all out on Blu-ray now -- then you need to book a date with Maurizio Lucidi’s Street People. This film has the same Italian genes as Di Leo’s crime thrillers. The only thing that makes it slightly different is the identity of its leads -- they are ‘imports’, not Italians.

In San Francisco, a big Mafia boss is confronted by a prominent minister after someone smuggles a large load of heroin as a gift for his church. But the boss immediately rejects the charge and asks the heads of the local crime families to help him identify the person trying to tarnish his reputation. He also puts his nephew, Ulisse (Roger Moore), a suave Anglo-Sicilian attorney, in charge of a separate investigation to confirm that the other bosses aren’t secretly involved with the smear campaign. Soon after, Ulisse reaches out to Charlie Hanson (Stacy Keach), a professional racer with whom he has done several confidential jobs in years past. After Charlie’s fee is agreed on, he lands in San Francisco, and the two begin digging for clues.

After Lucidi and a couple of other guys put together the script for Street People, Ernest Tidyman was brought on board to polish up the dialogue. Unfortunately, it is virtually impossible to recognize his touch, and large chunks of Street People—where the Italians engage in supposedly important discussions—sound very rough. (Just to be clear, this is a very different type of roughness that has absolutely nothing in common with the one that defines The French Connection, also scripted by Tidyman).

The good news is that Moore and Keach look good together, so the drama and action routinely benefit from their chemistry. For example, in a rather long early sequence, the two meet three Italian goons and trick them into believing they can sell their car to them for a reasonable price. Keach jumps in the car to do a quick ‘test’ and, minutes later, destroys it in a truly spectacular fashion. (Comparisons to the wild driving Steve McQueen does in Bullitt are justified). The two stars also share an equally good sense of humor, which does plenty to keep the energy up. A hilarious visit to a notorious hitman, for instance, produces another crazy car chase that delivers some of the absolute best thrills in Street People.

The Italian footage does not look good. It alters the flow of the action in a pretty awkward way, leaving the impression that it may have been part of a deal that required its existence. It is a mixture of flashbacks and present-day material that expands the story but, in the process, does plenty that hurts Moore’s credibility. In San Francisco, Moore almost passes for a man with Italian roots, but in Italy he is just a foreign character who sticks out like a sore thumb.

Lucidi’s crew included cinematographer Aiace Parolin (Seduced and Abandoned, The Moment of Truth), special effects expert Celeste Battistelli (Gang War in Milan), and stunt coordinators Remo De Angelis (The Unholy Four) and Glenn Wilder (The Terminator).

*In 2019, in America, Kino Lorber presented a then-new 2K restoration of the American version of the film, which is approximately 92 minutes long. This release presents a recent 4K restoration of the film, titled Gli Esecutori a.k.a. The Executors, which is approximately 103 minutes long.

The Executors Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Executors arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Shameless Entertainment.

In America, this film made its high-definition debut with this release, produced by Kino Lorber in 2019. The release was sourced from a then-new 2K master and presented the American version of the film, titled Street People. The American version is approximately 92 minutes long.

This British release presents a new 4K restoration of the Italian version of the film, titled Gli Esecutori a.k.a. The Executors. The Italian version is approximately 103 minutes.

The two versions of the film differ quite a bit. In the longer Italian version, there is additional footage that is also edited slightly differently. I am unsure whether the Italian version is also a reconstruction, but if I had to guess, I would say it is. Why? Because there are bits where the quality momentarily drops, and it looks like some additional work may have been done to conform them. You can see an example here. (I see posterization and borderline macroblocking artifacts). In the healthiest areas of the new presentation, delineation, clarity, and depth are very good. The density levels of the visuals are also more consistent now. However, color reproduction and balance are quite inconsistent. The 4K restoration emphasizes more green and creamy yellowish nuances typical of Italian makeovers graded in Italian labs. While viewing the 4K restoration, I actually felt someone may have done numerous corrections to dial out the green and creamy yellow as much as possible. The current color balance is tolerable. However, I find the overall appearance of the visuals that the 2K restoration produces more convincing. There are no traces of any problematic digital corrections. Image stability is very good. I noticed a few blemishes, but there are no distracting large cuts, debris, marks, warped or torn frames to report. 3.25/5.00. (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 Executors Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH (for the former) and English (for the latter) subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I viewed the entire film with the English track. Unevenness and other small fluctuations, especially in the upper register, are again easy to noticed. However, I suspect that they are all replicated from the original soundtrack, which features overdubbing. The Italian track has extremely similar limitations. (The Kino Lorber release of Street People has only an English track). I did not encounter any audio dropouts, distortions, or similar encoding anomalies.

The Executors Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Back to the Streets - in this recent program, Stacy Keach recalls how he was approached with an offer to play the character of Charlie Hanson in Street People and what it was like to work with Roger Moore and director Maurizio Lucidi. There are also some very good comments about the action sequences that were shot in San Francisco, as well the Blu-ray format and the fact it is giving so many older films a new life. The was produced by Walt Olsen for Kino Lorber. In English, not subtitled. (10 min).

• Streets of Rage - in this recent program, Italian film critic Davide Pulici discusses Maurizio Lucidi's career, the stylistic identity of The Executors, and the chemistry between Stacy Keach and Roger Moore and how it impacts the overlapping of action, comedy, and drama, throughout the film. In Italian, with English subtitles. (17 min).

• Through the Lens of Lucidi - in this recent program, Italian film critic Davide Pulici discusses Maurizio Lucidi's background, his work as a editor and some important relationships he crated because of it in the Italian film industry, and his transition to directing. According to Pulici, the western genre is responsible for Lucidi's initial, crucial success as a director. In Italian, with English subtitles. (13 min).

• Trailer - presented here is an original international trailer for The Executors. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

• Cover - reversible cover with vintage Italian poster art for The Executors.

The Executors Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It is very easy to recommend this Blu-ray release because it presents a different, longer European version of The Executors, released in America as Street People. This longer version is restored in 4K. However, the longer and shorter versions could have had more convincing appearances on Blu-ray. Regardless, now both can be seen and, more importantly, owned by collectors of Italian genre films. RECOMMENDED.