• List Price: $99.95  
• Your Price: $99.95
• In Stock: -1

You must login to place orders.




Not purchasing for a business? See our consumer site.

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. Featuring an impressive line-up of Euro-cult stars, including Joe Dallesandro (The Climber), Ivan Rassimov (Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key), Maurizio Merli (Violent City) and Enrico Maria Salerno (The Bird with the Crystal Plumage), this collection of stylish, hard-hitting Euro-crime thrillers showcases the range and breadth of the genre and is a must-have for newcomers and grizzled veterans alike.

Media

Watch trailer »

Watch official trailer »

Bonus Materials

• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentations of all five films, restored from the original camera negatives, including a brand new 2K restoration of Colt 38 Special Squad exclusive to this release
• Original lossless mono Italian audio
• Original lossless mono English audio on Colt 38 Special Squad
• English subtitles for the Italian soundtracks
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack on Colt 38 Special Squad
• New visual essay by critic Will Webb
• Interview with director Vittorio Salerno and actress Martine Brochard on Savage Three
• Interview with actor Joe Dallesandro on Savage Three
• Interview with cinematographer Romano Albani and historian Fabio Melelli on Like Rabid Dogs
• Interview with assistant director Claudio Bernabei on Like Rabid Dogs
• Like Rabid Dogs music sampler
• Interview and introduction by composer Stelvio Cipriani on Colt 38 Special Squad
• Interview with editor Antonio Siciliano on Colt 38 Special Squad
• Interview with historian Roberto Curti on Highway Racer
• Interview with director Vittorio Salerno on No, the Case is Happily Resolved
• No, the Case is Happily Resolved alternate ending
• Trailers
• Poster galleries
• Reversible sleeves featuring original artwork for all five films
• Booklet featuring new writing by Troy Howarth, Michael Mackenzie, Rachael Nisbet, Kat Ellinger and James Oliver

Sales Points

• Hyperviolent, 70s Italian Crime films for fans of Bullitt, Dirty Harry, Falling Down, The Fugitive and Romper Stomper
• Limited Edition of only 4000 units in North America

Press Quotes

Arrow's Years of Lead may not exactly be offering Oscar worthy outings in this set, but in a way that actually may be a better way to understand the idiom, since Poliziotteschi frequently featured gritty storylines and unvarnished characters. As with most Arrow releases, technical merits are solid and the supplementary package very enjoyable. Recommended.

     —Blu-ray.com

Arrow's Years of Lead set does an amazing job of reflecting all of the many facets of what a what a 'crime' movie is

     —Nerdist

Arrow Video once again does what it does so well with boxed sets like these: highlight films that many don't know about or have forgotten. In the case of Years of Lead, many are bound to discover a set of important films with excellent presentations that will drive them to want to see more of them. Here's hoping that a second volume is not far in the offing. For fans of Italian genre cinema, this set comes highly recommended.

     —The Digital Bits