Years Of Lead: Five Classic Italian Crime Thrillers 1973-1977
The 1970s were a time of intense uncertainty and instability in Italy. Political corruption and widespread acts of left and right-wing terrorism, alongside a breakdown in social cohesion and a loss of trust in public institutions such as the government and police, created a febrile atmosphere of cynicism, paranoia and unexploded rage. Throughout this period, these sentiments found expression in a series of brutal, often morally ambiguous crime thrillers which tapped into the atmosphere of violence and instability that defined the so-called Years of Lead.
This box set gathers five films from the heyday of the “poliziotteschi” – the umbrella term used to describe this diverse body of films. In Vittorio Salerno’s Savage Three (1975) and Mario Imperoli’s Like Rabid Dogs (1976), random acts of violence committed by vicious young sociopaths threaten the fragile fabric of respectable society. In Massimo Dallamano’s Colt 38 Special Squad (1976) and Stelvio Massi’s Highway Racer (1977), renegade cops battling against red tape and political corruption turn to new and morally dubious methods to dispense justice. Finally, class dynamics are explored in Salerno’s No, the Case is Happily Resolved (1973) as an innocent man finds himself under suspicion for a savage crime committed by a highly respected member of society.
Decried by critics for their supposedly fascistic overtones, the poliziotteschi were in fact more ideologically varied and often considerably more nuanced than such superficial readings would suggest, and proved a huge hit with theatergoers, who responded to their articulation of present-day social concerns.
Details by Film
Savage Three
Streaming Options
Like Rabid Dogs
Colt 38 Special Squad
Streaming Options
Highway Racer
Streaming Options
No, the Case is Happily Resolved
Release Information:
Technical Specifications
Supplements
- Rat Eat Rat, an interview with writer/director Vittorio Salerno and actress Martine Brochard
- The Savage One, an interview with actor Joe Dallesandro
- Poster for Savage Three
- When a Murderer Dies, an interview with cinematographer Romano Albani and film historian Fabio Melelli
- It's Not a Time for Tears, an interview with assistant director Claudio Bernabei
- Music sampler for Like Rabid Dogs
- Original trailer for Like Rabid Dogs
- Always the Same Ol' 7 Notes, an interview with composer Stelvio Cipriani
- A Tough Guy, with editor Antonio Siciliano
- Archival introduction for Colt 38 Special Squad by Stelvio Cipriani
- Original trailer for Colt 38 Special Squad
- Poster gallery for Colt 38 Special Squad
- Faster Than a Bullet, an interview with historian Roberto Curti
- Poster gallery for Highway Racer
- Poliziotteschi: Violence and Justice in the Years of Lead, a new visual essay by critic Will Webb exploring the recurring traits and themes of the genre
- Mother Justice, an interview with writer/director Vittorio Salerno
- Alternate ending for No, the Case is Happily Resolved
- Original trailer for No, the Case is Happily Resolved
- Poster gallery for No, the Case is Happily Resolved
- Booklet featuring new writing by Troy Howarth, Michael Mackenzie, Rachael Nisbet, Kat Ellinger and James Oliver