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 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), 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 making their high definition debuts with stunning new restorations in this feature-packed box set from Arrow!
2-DISC LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS –
Brand new 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
Newly translated English subtitles for the Italian soundtracks
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtracks
New audio commentaries on both films by critics Adrian J. Smith and David Flint
Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the films by Roberto Curti and Barry Forshaw
Limited edition packaging with reversible sleeves featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Colin Murdoch
Twelve double-sided, postcard-sized lobby card reproduction artcards
DISC 1 – THE BIG RACKET
The Years of Racketeering, a new video interview with co-writer/director Enzo G. Castellari
Violent Times, a new video interview with actor Fabio Testi
Angel Face for a Tough Guy, a new video interview with actor Massimo Vanni
King of Movieola, a new video interview with editor Gianfranco Amicucci
The Great Racket, a new 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 new video interview with co-writer/director Enzo G. Castellari
Drug Squad, a new video interview with actor Fabio Testi
The Drug Dealer, a new video interview with actor Massimo Vanni
How They Killed Italian Cinema, a new video interview with editor Gianfranco Amicucci
A Cop on the Set, a new video interview with retired poliziotto and criminologist Nicola Longo
The Eardrum Busters, a new appreciation and career retrospective of composers Goblin by musician and disc collector Lovely Jon
Theatrical trailer
Image gallery
