You Have the Right to Remain Entertained: Castellari’s Rogue Cops and Racketeers Come to Blu-ray

Italy is well known for Giallo horror thrillers and Poliziotteschi (Euro Crime) films of the late sixties and into the seventies -- and one of the most prolific directors of this era has to be Enzo G. Castellari.

Gritty action-packed police dramas of that time were all the rage, and Castellari was quick to monopolize and cash in on the Euro Crime film wave that was gaining popularity all over the world in that era.

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.

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?

Filled with death-defying stunts, multiple shoot-outs, and killer soundtracks from the likes of Italian cinematic legends Goblin, this box set is a welcome addition to your Arrow Video collection and, quite frankly, is long overdue.

Poliziotteschi films now have their own spot in the Arrow catalog with the release of this box set that features two of the best that this era has to offer. Packed like always with special features, this two-disc set will retain your attention and make you want to search for more of this genre of films from this era.

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 art cards

Disc One - 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 Two - 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