High Crime (4K UHD Review)

Reviewed by: Tim Salmons
Review Date: Sep 10, 2024
Format: 4K Ultra HD

Director

Enzo G. Castellari

Release Date(s)

1973 (August 27, 2024)

Studio(s)

Fida Cinematografica (Blue Underground)

Film/Program Grade: B
Video Grade: A-
Audio Grade: A-
Extras Grade: A

Review

The Italian action and crime films of the 1960s and 1970s, known collectively as poliziotteschi, were often akin to their gialli counterparts in terms of their extremism. Featuring over-the-top violence and performances, they often paralleled or even mimicked what was going on in British and American filmmaking at the time. In the case of the 1973 Italian/Spanish co-production High Crime (aka La polizia incrimina la legge assolve), shades of The Godfather, Dirty Harry, and most obviously The French Connection, are definitely visible in this high octane crime thriller, executed Euro-style. The results were hugely successful in the film’s home territory, while also adding another feather in the long and varied career cap of Franco Nero.

Vice Commissioner Belli (Nero) is on the case in Genoa, hell-bent on bringing down a group of drug dealers one way or the other. Unfortunately, every case he and his men build up against various suspects is thwarted when they continuously wind up murdered. Frustrated but determined, Belli, who neglects everyone in his personal life, including his girlfriend Mirella (Delia Boccardo) and his daughter Anita (Stefania G. Castellari), continues hunting down more potential suspects who will spill the beans on a new crime organization in the city, led by Umberto Griva (Duilio Del Prete). Belli’s superior, Commissioner Scavino (James Whitmore), presses him that he needs hard evidence that will hold up in court, even turning to former mob boss Cafiero (Fernando Rey) for advice. However, as he gets closer to the truth, things begin to get more and more deadly, and ultimately, personal.

High Crime was shot by director of photography Alejandro Ulloa on 35 mm film, finished photochemically, and presented in the aspect ratio of 1.85:1. Blue Underground debuts the film on Ultra HD from a “brand-new 2024 Dolby Vision HDR 4K master,” graded in High Dynamic Range for both Dolby Vision and HDR10, and presented on a double-layered BD-66 disc. It’s another high quality presentation from Blue Underground with a bitrate sitting primarily between 70 and 100Mbps. Medium levels of grain are handled well enough with an enormous jump in fine detail. The final reel looks as if it was sourced from a later generation element, appearing more uneven in spots in terms of detail and color, but also with a slight warp. However, the rest of the presentation is stable and clean. The HDR grades boost the film’s palette well enough, though the results are a little mixed at times, particularly when it comes to flesh tones. The majority of the presentation is organic and pristine, though a triple-layered disc might have improved things even further, allowing everything to breathe a little more.

Audio is included in English or Italian mono DTS-HD Master Audio with optional subtitles in English SDH, French, Spanish, and English for the Italian audio. The English dub is a cleaner, more balanced track with plenty of support for the various elements, with a little extra muscle for the score and sound effects. The Italian track is thinner with obvious hiss, and dialogue isn’t quite as pronounced. Both tracks are fine choices, but I found myself enjoying the English dub more.

The Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD of High Crime sits in a clear Amaray case alongside a 1080p Blu-ray, a CD soundtrack featuring Guido and Maurizio De Angelis’ score for the film, a card with a CD track listing, and an insert featuring new artwork on the front and artwork from the French, Spanish, and Italian theatrical posters for the film, with the English language High Crime title, on the reverse. Everything is housed in a slipcover featuring the same new artwork. The following extras are included on each disc:

DISC ONE (UHD)

Audio Commentaries:
- Audio Commentary with Enzo G. Castellari, Andrea Girolami, and William Lustig
- Audio Commentary with Franco Nero, William Lustig, and Mike Malloy
- Audio Commentary with Troy Howarth, Nathaniel Thompson, and Eugenio Ercolani
Alternate Ending (UHD w/HDR – 2:52)
Theatrical Trailer (HD – 4:17)

DISC TWO (BD)

Audio Commentaries:
- Audio Commentary with Enzo G. Castellari, Andrea Girolami, and William Lustig
- Audio Commentary with Franco Nero, William Lustig, and Mike Malloy
- Audio Commentary with Troy Howarth, Nathaniel Thompson, and Eugenio Ercolani
Featurettes:
- The Genoa Connection (HD and Upscaled SD – 25:13)
- From Dust to Asphalt (HD – 28:17)
- Hard Stunts for High Crimes (HD – 19:08)
- Framing Crime (HD – 20:33)
- The Sound of Onions (HD – 22:36)
- The Connection Connection (HD – 12:53)
Alternate Ending (HD – 2:52)
Theatrical Trailer (HD – 4:17)
Poster & Still Gallery (HD – 43 in all)

DISC THREE (CD)

The Life of a Policeman (with Greetings from Maurizio & Gudio de Angelis and Enzo Casellari) (3:34)
The Life of a Policeman (2:48)
Chicca (6:15)
To the Sea (1:13)
Gangster Story (1:23)
The Life of a Policeman #2 (1:56)
The Lebanese (2:26)
Killer in the Factory (:49)
Party in Genoa (3:52)
Gangster Story #2 (6:00)
The Life of a Policeman #3 (2:55)
The Story Begins (3:35)
Rock at the Point (4:20)
Belli’s Daughter (1:29)
Gangster Story #3 (2:32)
The Life of a Policeman #4 (2:55)
The Lebanese #2 (1:42)
Fashion House (4:24)
Gangster Story #4 (2:11)
The Life of a Policeman #5 (2:46)

Three newly-recorded audio commentaries are provided. The first features director Enzo G. Castellari, his son Andrea Girolami, and William Lustig. The second features Franco Nero, William Lustig, and filmmaker Mike Malloy. The third and final track features film historians Troy Howarth, Eugenio Ercolani, and Nathaniel Thompson. The Genoa Connection contains vintage interviews with Enzo G. Castellari and Franco Nero while From Dust to Asphalt features a new interview with Castellari. Hard Stunts for High Crimes is a new interview with actor and stuntman Massimo Vanni, Framing Crime is a new interview with camera operator Roberto Girometti, and The Sound of Onions offers new interviews with composers Guido and Maurizio De Angelis. The Connection Connection is a new visual essay by Mike Malloy about the influence of The French Connection on High Crime and how it fed the appetite for crime films in Europe. The Alternate Ending is a more downbeat conclusion, giving the film a little more finality, had it remained. The Theatrical Trailer is an HD reconstruction while the Poster & Still Gallery contains 43 images of posters, press materials, lobby cards, production stills, and home video artwork. Last is a CD soundtrack featuring 20 tracks of Guido’s and Maurizio De Angelis’ score.

It’s worth noting that the StudioCanal Region B Blu-ray release includes an introduction by and an interview with film historian Jean-Baptiste Thoret, as well as a DVD copy of the film.

High Crime is one of the more entertaining and fast-moving Eurocrime films of the 1970s, and Blue Underground’s UHD presentation, while not 100% perfect, is the best way to enjoy it on home video. For fans of over-the-top European genre cinema, this one comes recommended.

- Tim Salmons

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