Two classic Italian crime thrillers from Enzo G. Castellari in this fully loaded special edition 2-Disc set!

Over a long and wide-ranging career, director Enzo G. Castellari (Keoma, The Inglorious Bastards) helmed some of the most infamous of all the poliziotteschi - the gritty, action-packed crime films that proliferated in Italy throughout the 70s. Buckle up for a heart-stopping thrill ride through the seedy underbelly of Italian society in two of his most celebrated thrillers!

In 1976's The Big Racket, Inspector Nico Palmieri (Fabio Testi, What Have You Done to Solange?) is hot on the heels of a gang of ruthless racketeers. Realizing he's not going to get anywhere within the confines of the law, Nico recruits a crack squad of civilians to dole out their own brand of justice. Then, in 1977's The Heroin Busters, rule-flouting cop Fabio (Testi) goes deep undercover, chasing a globe-trotting ring of drug-smugglers suspected to be operating out of Rome. But can he and Mike Hamilton (David Hemmings, Deep Red), an Interpol agent with a hair-trigger temper, stay one step ahead of the criminals long enough to bring them down from the inside?

Featuring death-defying stunts, explosive shoot-outs and a pair of addictive, toe-tapping soundtracks courtesy of the De Angelis brothers (Torso) and legendary prog rock group Goblin (Suspiria), these two films represent the crème de la crème of the Italian crime thriller, both with stunning restorations in this feature-packed box set from Arrow!

Media

Bonus Materials

• 2-DISC SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS
• 2K restorations of both films from the original 35mm camera negatives by Arrow Films
• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentations
• Original Italian and English front and end titles
• Restored original lossless mono Italian and English soundtracks
• Optional English subtitles for the Italian soundtracks
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtracks
• Audio commentaries on both films by critics Adrian J. Smith and David Flint
• Reversible sleeve featuring newly commissioned artwork by Colin Murdoch
• DISC 1 – THE BIG RACKET
• The Years of Racketeering, a video interview with co-writer/director Enzo G. Castellari
• Violent Times, a video interview with actor Fabio Testi
• Angel Face for a Tough Guy, a video interview with actor Massimo Vanni
• King of Movieola, a video interview with editor Gianfranco Amicucci
• The Great Racket, an appreciation and career retrospective of composers Guido and Maurizio De Angelis by musician and disc collector Lovely Jon
• Theatrical trailer
• Image gallery
• DISC 2 – THE HEROIN BUSTERS
• Endless Pursuit, a video interview with co-writer/director Enzo G. Castellari
• Drug Squad, a video interview with actor Fabio Testi
• The Drug Dealer, a video interview with actor Massimo Vanni
• How They Killed Italian Cinema, a video interview with editor Gianfranco Amicucci
• A Cop on the Set, a video interview with retired poliziotto and criminologist Nicola Longo
• The Eardrum Busters, an appreciation and career retrospective of composers Goblin by musician and disc collector Lovely Jon
• Theatrical trailer
• Image gallery

 

Cast & Crew

Actors:

•       David Hemmings
•       Fabio Testi
•       Glauco Onorato
•       Marcella Michelangeli
•       Orso Maria Guerrini
•       Renzo Palmer
•       Sal Borgese
•       Vincent Gardenia

Director: Enzo G. Castellari

Additional Details

Label: Arrow Video

Genre: Action/Adventure

Language: Italian

Run Time: 198 mins

Region: A

Release Date: 02/06/24

UPC: 760137143062