The Boss – Raro Video/Radiance

Director: Fernando Di Leo
Screenplay: Fernando Di Leo (based on Peter McCurtin’s novel Mafioso)
Starring: Henry Silva, Richard Conte, Gianni Garko, Antonia Santilli, Corrado Gaipa, Marino Mase, Howard Ross, Claudio Nicastro, Gianni Musy
Country: Italy
Running time: 109 mins
Year: 1973
BBFC certificate: 18

Director Fernando Di Leo carved out much of his movie career as a screenwriter, penning around 50 films, including uncredited work on such classics as the first two films in Sergio Leone’s celebrated Dollars Trilogy. Yet he also directed almost 20 films himself, including crime noirs, a number of which are starting to find a new life through boutique Blu-ray releases in the UK.

Arrow previously brought us Milano Calibro 9, 88 Films have brought us Blood and Diamonds, and now Radiance are distributing the Raro Video release of 1973’s The Boss, also known as Murder Inferno. The film is the third part of Di Leo’s ‘Milieu Trilogy’, the previous two being that aforementioned Milano Calibro 9 and The Italian Connection, which were both released in the previous year, and which were packaged together with The Boss and Rulers of the City in a Raro Video Blu-ray boxset in the US some years ago.

The Boss follows mob enforcer Nick Lanzetta (Henry Silva) who assassinates key members of a rival gang and becomes embroiled in a Mafia war between the two sides. The opening pre-credits sequence is excellent, the tension building as we follow Lanzetta on a hit taking out ten rival gang members in one explosive swoop using a grenade launcher attachment on his rifle as they watch an adult film. Despite some ropey effects – the mannequins used for the bodies of the gang members when the explosions go off are a little too visible – it’s a phenomenal way to open the film.

The rival gang retaliate by kidnapping Rina (Antonia Santilli) the daughter of Lanzetta’s associate Don Daniello (Claudio Nicastro). Gang boss Don Corrasco (Richard Conte) is convinced by Lanzetta of the best way to get Rina back and that attempt is put into motion. That’s the opening act in a nutshell and what follows are the efforts to rescue Rina, the escalating war between the rival crime families and the police closing in. As the plot develops, Lanzetta is increasingly in the crosshairs as the pot (the gang warfare) simmers before inevitably boiling over into violence.

For the most part we’re in character study territory, in its broadest sense, as we get to know Lanzetta, his compatriots and rival gang members, learning their ticks and motivations. These sections are the thrust of the film, interspersed with moments of brutal violence like that vicious opening, an attack on Lanzetta’s home and the tense, nihilistic finale as double cross after double cross takes place with a hefty dose of violence, before a cliffhanger that sets up a sequel that never materialised.

Problematic though is the treatment of Rina, she’s treated with a huge amount of misogyny and very much filmed with a male gaze, spending large amounts of time partially clothed or nude and not treated as a rounded character. These scenes are certainly a product of the time and difficult to stomach in 2024. Former model Santilli, who appeared in just 12 films in a three year movie career in the early 1970s, makes the most of the part though when she’s given a chance to in several scenes. The rest of the cast is also strong, headlined by Silva and Richard Conte, who had just appeared as Emilio “The Wolf” Barzini in The Godfather. Silva, in particular is on top form, equal parts cold, calculated killer, and headstrong leader as he takes hold of the situation once Rina has been kidnapped.

The plot unfolds at a very deliberate pace and aside from the misogyny, one of the criticisms I’d label at the film is its pacing – the film, for me, would have been stronger had a few minutes been shaved off here and there. It’s always engaging and watchable, just a bit too laboured at times. The score by Argentine-born Luis Bacalov is very Seventies, bouncing between tension building and funky. It’s a memorable score and one you get a sense of from the brilliant opening pre-credits sequence which lays the foundations for the themes of the music that will follow.

So there is much to admire in The Boss aside from some very problematic and tough to watch moments when viewed through a 2024 lens, and pacing issues. There are some excellent performances, an engaging plot, a good score and a story that is bookended by that explosive opening and a wonderful final act, infused with violence and double crosses.

Film:

The Boss is the latest Raro Video release that Radiance are distributing in the UK. It’s out on limited edition Blu-ray on 29th April 2024. The 2020 4K restoration is a treat. The colours feel natural, there’s not a blemish to be seen outside of title sequences and the picture overall is incredibly strong and detailed. The Italian audio and accompanying subtitles are also great. The release contains two versions of the film, the full length Italian theatrical cut, and the slightly shorter English export version.

Limited edition special features:

2020 4K restoration of the original negative, presented in the original Italian version and the shorter English export cut, on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK

Uncompressed mono PCM audio

Audio commentary by critic Rachael Nisbet

New interview with Fernando Di Leo biographer Davide Pulici

Archival documentary Mafia Stories featuring stars Gianni Garko, Pier Paolo Capponi, producer Armando Novelli and director Fernando Di Leo among others (24 mins)

Original trailer

Image gallery

Reversible sleeve featuring artwork based on original posters

New and improved English subtitle translation

Limited edition booklet with new writing by Italian crime expert and scholar Giulio Olesen and an archival interview with Di Leo

Limited edition of 3000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with limited edition booklet and reversible sleeve

The audio commentary by Rachael Nisbet is essential listening – it’s a quite remarkable and wonderful track that packs so much information into the film’s running time, with very rare moments of silence. We get an encyclopaedic almost forensic level of detail, from the type of gun and grenade launcher used in the opening to details of some of the locations and other films they featured in. Nisbet takes a look at the plot and the characters, the novel the film was based upon and provides biographical detail of some of the actors. She also outlines some of the historical and social context of the time, including details about the Mafia and why the two rival gangs are feuding. It’s a truly fabulous commentary that is worth the price of admission alone.

Mafia Stories featured in the original US Raro release of the film, and is worth watching after you’ve seen the movie, as it gives away some plot details.
It starts with a little bit of commentary on Mafia films in general, before we get recollections of the making of the film, and some of the other stars and crew who aren’t interviewed. There’s some nice memories, including some comments on the treatment of Santilli’s character.

The new interview with Fernando Di Leo biographer Davide Pulici is another strong extra. It takes a look at the original novel from the which the film is based, and its author, the director and his inspirations and his own take on the noir film, comparisons to the other two films in the Milieu Trilogy and the plot. There’s a lot to take away – I particularly enjoyed the comparisons to the novel – and together with the commentary, this provides a top class overview of the film and is an excellent interview in its own right.

The photo gallery features almost 20 images, which include a number of posters, lobby cards and the German pressbook.

The original three-minute trailer rounds out the package, reminding viewers that it follows Milano Calibro 9 and The Italian Connection.

I wasn’t provided with the booklet but those on previous Raro Video releases released by Radiance have been excellent.

The Boss is a generally strong mafia thriller, marred by some dated elements and which could would have benefited from a tighter script. Its opening and closing moments alone though make it well worth your time, as do some of the performances, particularly Silva in the lead role. The film is well served in an excellent Raro Video disc distributed by Radiance Films, which contains a quality presentation, including a 2020 4K restoration from the original negative, and a trio of very informative extras, two of which are new to this edition, including an outstanding commentary.

Disc/Package: