The Italian Connection (1972) 1080p RM4K Radiance BluRay x265 10b...

In the 1970s the crime film flourished in Italy as the country went through years of political and social unrest, the so-called ‘Years of Lead’. Italian movie producers would capitalise on these times by producing cheap, violent movies about national organised crime and corruption, establishing the genre of the poliziotteschi. One of the most celebrated poliziottesco directors was Fernando Di Leo, a director as concerned with telling entertaining stories as he was with creating socially relevant backdrops.

In Di Leo’s The Italian Connection, the New York mob dispatch two hitmen to apprehend pimp Luca Canali, who they believe to have stolen a shipment of heroin. The local mob also join the hunt, but despite being outnumbered Luca refuses to go quietly and fights back against his pursuers, leading a thrilling series of chases and shootouts, and a trail of bloody destruction. A noted influence on Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, this is the poliziottesco at its most entertaining and action-packed.

Second part of Fernando Di Leo's Milieu Trilogy, along with Caliber 9 and The Boss.

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Extras include:

...And a Tiny Bullet for a Tiny Kitten - A new visual essay by Howard S. Berger on Di Leo’s use of deadpan farce and absurdism in his social critiques of post-war Italy in his milieu trilogy (NOTE: heavy spoilers for Di Leo's Caliber 9, The Boss and The Italian Connection)

The Roots of the Mafia - this archival documentary takes a closer look at the mafia and its presence in Italy and how its image and activities are reproduced in Fernando Di Leo's films.