Color, 1973, 102 mins. 55 secs.
Directed by Enzo G. Castellari
Starring Franco Nero, Fernando Rey, James Whitmore, Delia Boccardo, Duilio Del Prete, Silvano Tranquilli
Blue Underground (UHD, Blu-ray, DVD) (US R0 4K/HD/NTSC), FilmArt (Blu-ray) (Germany RB HD), StudioCanal (Blu-ray) (UK/France RB PAL), Orustak (Blu-ray, DVD) (Japan RA/R1 HD/NTSC) / WS (1.85:1) (16:9)
One of the most 
significant films in '70s Italian crime cinema, High Crime served as a dramatic (and very 
popular) announcement for its director, Enzo G. Castellari (who had mostly made spaghetti westerns before this along with odd outliers like Eagles Over London and Cold Eyes of Fear). It also served as another major boost for its temporarily blond star, Franco Nero, who was one of the biggest names in Europe and had already excelled in multiple socially-conscious crime films for Damiano Damiani, though here he delivers one of his most agitated performances. Obviously inspired by American hits like The French Connection and (according to Castellari) Bullitt, it's a tough and engrossing gem that still plays beautifully today, packed with chases (including stellar work by driving legend Rémy Julienne), plot twists, a propulsive score by Guido and Maurizio De Angelis, and great Italian location shooting including striking use of Genoa that put it on the moviemaking map. In a busy year that also saw such classics as Revolver, Tony Arzenta, The Boss, The Violent Professionals, and The Great Kidnapping, this is still one of the best.
After a high velocity pursuit, Commissioner Belli (Nero) nabs a key member of a smuggling ring causing criminal mayhem 
between Genoa and Marseille. However, a transfer ends up getting the prisoner killed, which forces Belli 
to go his superior, Chief Commissioner Scabino (Whitmore), for every possible bit of unsanctioned evidence at his disposal. Belli suspects a powerful, corrupt businessman named Griva (Del Prete) is behind it all, which also means going to a rival criminal gang headed by Cafiero (Rey) to come up with a plan of attack... but at a great personal cost.
A mission statement of sorts of what the poliziotteschi would become for the rest of the '70s, High Crime solidified Nero's status as a crime film icon (which he affirmed in titles like Street Law) and is still one of Castellari's most kinetic films, with the camera barely pausing for a second and the audacious editing bordering in Nicolas Roeg at times. It's also quite ruthless with a few brutal turns along the way, as well as the usual cynicism about a cop's duty to protect the public at high risk for a paltry salary and often facing legal indifference. The supporting cast is also solid with Rey and Whitmore in particular getting standout moments, and it's no wonder this was so popular with action fans who could cope with some of the real-life political upheaval in Europe by seeing Nero doggedly go up against a crime syndicate with a laser-honed precision.
Despite its international success, High Crime has had a very bumpy history on home video with most Americans having to settle for a 1988 VHS from 
Inspired Corporation for many years. That release reflected the U.S version which abbreviates the ending 
to indicate a different, much darker fate for Belli, which is what was usually seen when the film was given revival screenings. Various European and Japanese VHS and DVD editions turned up over the years, while U.S. company Blue Underground had this one slated very early on in its history as a release in 2004. That didn't come to pass (despite bonus features being created at the time), and the film didn't hit Blu-ray until 2022 under very strange circumstances. A StudioCanal release prepped for the U.K. and France was a complete misfire, omitting the entire climax and instead ending with a confusing editorial jump. The U.K. release features English and Italian audio options with English dubtitles; the Italian track sounds pretty rough, and since the film was shot almost entirely in English anyway (including the leads' distinctive real voices), that option is preferable. Also included are three interview featurettes: "A Criminal Conversation" with Castellari, "The Scene of the Crime" with camera operator Roberto Girometti, and "High and Dry: The Stuntwork of Massimo Vanni" with the actor and stunt man. A better, almost simultaneous option came from German label FilmArt, featuring the complete version of the film with German, English, and Italian audio with optional German subs. That disc also features the alternate short ending, an option to play the whole film with that ending, Italian and German credits, an English trailer, and a gallery.
After two decades, Blue Underground's quest to release High Crime finally became a reality with three different options: a three-disc deluxe edition (UHD, Blu-ray, and 20-track soundtrack CD with an alternate mix of one track), standalone Blu-ray, or standalone DVD. The new 2024 scan appears to be from the same excellent source material used for the German release based on framing and color timing, presented here completely uncut and looking the best of all possible options with finer detail and richer blacks. 
The UHD benefits from Dolby Vision bringing out some surprisingly vivid moments of colorful production design that contrast with the dreary exterior scenes, and it's hard to imagine this possibly looking better. As with the German release, the quality dips a bit during the climactic footage missing from the other releases, indicating this was missing from the negative or too damaged to use. Grabs seen in this review are from the Blue Underground Blu-ray; 4K ones will be added as soon as possible. The DTS-HD 
MA 1.0 English and Italian tracks both sound solid, with optional English (SDH or translated), French, and Spanish subtitles. Three commentaries are included, the first recorded in 2004 with Castellari (along with unbilled son Andrea Castellari and Blue Underground's Bill Lustig); it's a great chat loaded with talks about pitching the story to Edmondo Amati, casting Nero, working from various American influences, and making use of the Genoa locales. Interestingly, they all seem to agree the film should have ended with the U.S. option. A new commentary with Nero and Eurocrime!'s Mike Malloy (plus an uncredited Lustig again) is a fascinating look at the film from the actor's perspective, including his decision not to make the sequel (which essentially kicked off Maurizio Merli's career), the role he turned down to make this film, and lots of memories from the set. A third track features Troy Howarth, Eugenio Ercolani, and yours truly, so no comments on that one!
"The Genoa Connection" (25m13s) features interviews with Castellari and Nero obviously shot at the same time as the intended 2004 release, and while there's some unavoidable overlap in spots, it's a very worthwhile piece. Most interesting is the contrast in Nero's demeanor when talking about stepdaughter Natasha Richardson, who has a small role early in the film as an ill-fated child. He's very cheerful and amused about her participation here, but tragically, she died following a skiing accident in 2009 and her presence causes Nero to become extremely choked up on the commentary track. "From Dust to Asphalt" (28m17s) is a recut and improved version of the U.K. Castellari interview by Ercolani, covering his early career and family, his move into filmmaking, and his decision to make the jump to crime films. "Hard Stunts for High Crimes" (19m8s) features Vanni looking back at his inspiration to go into movies thanks to Giuliano Gemma, his youthful athleticism in school that became an asset on the set later on, and the various industry figures who kept him very busy and active in front of the camera. "Framing Crime" (20m33s) is the Girometti interview covering his start in westerns including Castellari's great Johnny Hamlet, his tenure in Africa for RAI, and the gutsy filmmaking that erupted in Italy during the Years of Lead. In "The Sound of Onions" (22m36s), the De Angelis brothers discuss their entry into film scoring with Nino Manfredi in the early '70s, the pop sensibilities they used in their soundtracks including frequent theme songs, and their collaborative creative process including scoring for Terence Hill and Bud Spencer and recording vocals as Oliver Onions and other aliases. Finally in "The Connection Connection" (12m53s), Malloy contextualizes this film within the heritage of William Friedkin's film (and its own European influences) and the parallels to American cop films. Also included are the usual alternate ending, the English trailer, and a 45-image gallery of posters, stills, and home video and soundtrack art.
BLUE UNDERGROUND BLU-RAY
FILMART BLU-RAY
Reviewed on August 7, 2024.
