Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Violent City Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 20, 2022

Sergio Sollima's "Violent City" (1970) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new audio commentary by author and film historian Paul Talbot; archival program with the director; and vintage promotional materials for the different versions of the film. In English or Italian, with optional English subtitles. Region-A "locked".

Had Sergio Sollima directed only Sandokan and then permanently exited the film business, I still would have considered him one of Italy’s greatest filmmakers. In the old days, long before it was possible to purchase films on VHS, I saw the theatrical versions of the popular TV series at my local cinema and the experience cemented my conviction that the Italians understood how to make exotic adventure films better than everyone else. Sandokan was a very, very risky project too, because the original material for it came from the legendary Emilio Salgari, a man with tremendous imagination and impeccable style. Kabir Bedi’s character then quickly evolved into the perfect replica of the classic pirate my mind had crafted while reading Salgari’s novels and the theatrical versions of Sandokan became my favorite escapist entertainment.

Sollima directed Violent City a couple of years before Sandokan, but I did not see it until much later on, possibly sometime during the late ‘80s. Unlike Sandokan, my first experience with it was on VHS, but I do not recall if it was in English or Italian. Also, despite my admiration for Sollima’s work, I do not recall picking up a copy of Violent City for my library during the DVD era.

Kino Lorber’s new Blu-ray release offers three versions of Violent City: newly restored Italian and English versions, and the 1973 U.S. cut titled The Family. I began viewing the newly restored English version of Violent City, but then changed my mind and ended up spending the rest of the night with The Family. Earlier today, I went back to the English version of Violent City and much to my surprise did not find it particularly appealing. Also, after quickly testing the Italian version, I could not tell which of the three versions might have been the one I saw in the late ‘80s.

I have to admit that this film is one big mish mash of mismanaged ideas and fireworks. I was going to write that I had not memories of it being so chaotic and underwhelming, but the truth is that my memories of it were practically nonexistent. In fact, once I started viewing the film, the only sequence my mind was able to easily recognize was the one where Charles Bronson’s character fires at the racer and the driver instantly loses control of it. The rest looked like brand new material to me.

More often than not it looked like completely random material as well, or like the type of material that might have been conceived by multiple people with seriously contrasting styles. For example, the vibe of the prologue where Bronson’s hitman is ambushed and nearly killed on the exotic island isn’t the same as the one from the segment where he goes after the man that wanted him dead, and the segment that comes after that where Telly Savalas’ American crime boss begins blackmailing him to join his organization in New Orleans has a different vibe, too. No, it is not difficult to follow the story, but it very much looks like Bronson is going through scripted yet completely random events and connecting with instantly forgettable characters that pop up in front of Sollima’s camera only to make the film look appropriately edgy. (For reference, Michel Constantine’s junkie may very well be the most accidental character in his entire body of work).

What makes it painfully obvious that Solkima could not quite figure out what type of genre film he wanted to do is the messaging that is channeled through it. Some of it reminds of the one that is often present in Francesco Rosi’s more political films, and some of it is just preachy old talk about reality and the tough men that supposedly thrive in it, and all of it is out of sync with the drama and action. (Savalas’ speech before Bronson is so bad it actually sounds like an extract from a bad piece of satire). Unsurprisingly, even Bronson frequently looks perplexed by it.

When the final credits eventually rolled on my screen, I felt like I had endured a film directed by a man who did not understand Bronson’s potential. There is some decent action footage in this film, but it is not the high-octane, instantly recognizable footage that Bronson’s presence ensured. Frankly, there are dozens of other poliziotteschi from the same era that produce much more memorable and exciting fireworks without relying on the services of an action superstar like Bronson. A wasted opportunity, indeed.

*The U.S. cut, The Family, is heavily censored, so if you want to see the original Bronson film that was released in Europe, choose the English version. However, despite looking a bit rough, I prefer the The Family because it has the overall best organic appearance.

Violent City Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Violent City arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The two-disc set features three versions of the film: newly restored Italian and English versions, and the 1973 U.S. cut titled The Family. I am going to address them individually since they look very different and offer drastically different viewing experiences.

The screencaptures that are included with our review appear in the following order:

Screencaptures: #1-16 are from Violent City English language version.
Screencaptures: #21-28 are from Violent City Italian language version.
Screencaptures: #29-40 are from The Family.

VIOLENT CITY ITALIAN LANGUAGE VERSION

This version of the film was fully restored in 4K at L'Immagine Ritrovata on behalf of Unidis Jolly Film. Rather predictably, the new 4K makeover is an utter disaster. While the underlying master is very strong -- density levels, sharpness and stability all appear to be outstanding, and the visuals look remarkably healthy -- the color-grading job is beyond atrocious. As a result, the entire version looks like the recent 4K restoration of La Piscine but on steroids, in many areas as if it was graded by one of Michael Bay's favorite colorists. In other words, the native period identity of the film Sergio Sollima shot in 1970 has been destroyed. My score is 2.00/5.00.

VIOLENT CITY ENGLISH LANGUAGE VERSION

This version of the film has a better balanced appearance. As a result, certain parts of it look vastly superior when compared to the Italian version. Unfortunately, plenty of color inconsistencies remain and in certain areas the overall temperature of the visuals still isn't right. For example, unnatural greenish nuances remain and the whites are not proper. There is an odd light red(ish) hue that repeatedly sneaks in and destabilizes various primaries as well (see obvious examples of anomalies in screencaptures #2, 4, 5, and 13). Also, in some darker areas the dynamic range of the visuals is problematic (see screencapture #12). Delineation and depth range from average to pleasing, occasionally even good, but the biggest strength of the visuals is the lack of problematic digital corrections. Despite a few shaky transitions, image stability is good. All in all, while viewing this version of the film, I was left with the impression that someone must have done a lot of hard work to reverse the massive damage from the color grading of the Italian version, and at the end just about succeeded. My score is 3.00/5.00.

THE FAMILY

This is the roughest of the three versions because its visuals reveal various small and bigger surface wear. It has some shaky frame transitions and jumps as well. However, despite all of its age-related limitations, it has the strongest organic appearance. Its spectrum of colors is the most accurate one and the overall color temperature of its visuals is better, which is why usually the daylight and darker footage boast vastly superior dyanmic ranges (see screencaptures #35 and 40). Obviously, there is room for various meaningful improvements, but here the film actually looks like a film that was shot on 35mm stock in 1970. My score is 3.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Violent City Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Each of the three versions of the film comes with DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track. Optional English subtitles are provided for each version of the film. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The quality of the audio tracks is very difficult to properly judge. The Italian lossless track seems to be the most consistent one, but even there you will encounter minor unevenness that was introduced during the post-production overdubbing. On the English version there are sections that switch to Italian and then back to English, so you should expect to encounter even more inconsistencies, some that affect sharpness and clarity as well. On The Family the audio sounds pretty good, but there is plenty of room for minor stabilizations and other cosmetic work.

Violent City Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

DISC ONE - VIOLENT CITY

• Shooting Violent City - in this archival program, director Sergio Sollima discusses the conception and production of Violent City. There are some particularly interesting comments about Charles Bronson and Jill Ireland's involvement with the project as well. The interview was produced by Blue Underground in 2002. In Italian, with English subtitles. (15 min).

• Commentary - in this exclusive new audio commentary, film historian Paul Talbot, author of the Bronson's Loose! books, offers a predictably impressive dissection of the English language version of Violent City as well as an excellent overview of Charles Bronson's career and legacy. If you have listened to any of the previous commentaries Mr. Talbot has recorded for various Bronson films, like the one found on Mr. Majestyk, you should know what to expect from this commentary.

• Trailer - a vintage trailer for Violent City. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

DISC TWO - CITTA VIOLENTA/THE FAMILY

• Trailer - a vintage U.S. trailer for The Family. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• TV Spots - a couple of vintage U.S. TV spots for The Family. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Cover - reversible with original poster art for The Family and Violent City.

Violent City Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Violent City should appeal only to diehard fans of Charles Bronson. While it certainly has a few quite attractive action segments, its story and atmosphere are pretty disappointing. Kino Lorber's two-disc set features three different versions of the film, two of which have been fully restored. Ironically, the one with the most convincing organic appearance is the unrestored U.S. version, which is titled The Family. The restored English version of Violent City can be seen with yet another predictably outstanding audio commentary recorded by Paul Talbot, the ultimate authority on all things Bronson. RECOMMENDED only to the fans.