Director: Francesco Rosi
Screenplay: Francesco Rosi and Lino Jannuzzi with the collaboration of Tonino Guerra
Starring: Gian Maria Volonté, Rod Steiger, Vincent Gardenia, Silverio Blasi, Charles Cioffi, Larry Gates, Magda Konopka, Jacques Monod, Dino Curcio, Karin Peterson, Edmond O’Brien (billed as Edmund)
Country: Italy, France, USA
Running Time: 110 min
Year: 1973
BBFC Certificate: 18
In the 1960s and 1970s, Italian director Francesco Rosi made classic movies that focused on postwar Italy. Three of these films looked at the lives and deaths of three very different yet charismatic real people. These films were 1962’s Salvatore Giuliano, following the criminal career of a Sicilian bandit, 1972’s The Mattei Affair, which explores the life and mysterious death of an Italian businessman, and the subject of this review, 1973’s Lucky Luciano.
The based-on-fact crime drama follows the titular character, Charles “Lucky” Luciano (Gian Maria Volonté), after he is released early from a US prison and deported to Naples. Based on the real-life of the ruthless Sicilian-American gangster who had earlier risen to the top of the mafia as kingpin after taking out his rivals for power, the film follows Luciano as he controls the underground drug trade after arriving back in Italy and his efforts – and powerful US support – to avoid prosecution.
Federal Bureau of Narcotics agent Charles Siragusa, played by himself, is brought in to try to take down Luciano and we follow hisefforts as he enlists informant Giannini (Rod Steiger) to try to topple Luciano’s transatlantic criminal empire.
Right out the bat, there is an almost documentary feel to the way the movie is filmed, with the camera almost observing at times through some very interesting camera angles. It is one of the most visually arresting films I’ve seen for some time, mostly due to the way it is shot by Pasqualino De Santis. The look of the film is also helped no end by extensive on location filming in Italy and New York.
The style of filming extends to the violent sequences, with some of these – though not all – shot in an almost matter of fact way, flashes of violence unfolding out of the blue at times and at others when tension has been achingly built up. Some of the setpieces, including rivals being taken out by Luciano, are also particularly grisly and violent. One such sequence, the ‘Night of the Sicilian Vespers’ is a highly stylised sequence, full of slow motion, smoke and shadow. It’s highly effective.
Lucky Luciano is also a film that provides a feast for the ears just as much as the eyes. The soundtrack vividly brings the world of Luciano to life and this is supported by a fantastic score by Piero Piccioni, which is at times pulsating, such as during the opening titles, and at others evocative of the period.
Director Rosi, as the disc’s extras explain, was interested in exploring post-war Italy in his movies, and he succeeds here, exploring the power of the titular character and the lengths he will go to in maintaining his criminal empire without glamourising Luciano or his counterparts.
The script, which Rosi co-wrote with, amongst others the great Blow up (1966) and Amarcord (1973) screenwriter Tonino Guerra, uses research to focus on the known facts in the case rather than side with any of the characters. It was an approach Rosi had taken for The Mattei Affair and Salvatore Giuliano and, as with those two films, it works brilliantly.
Luciano is wonderfully played by the great Volonté, who shines throughout showing two sides of the man, a charismatic individual who takes people along with him and the darkest of sides as he grabs more power through murder and fights to maintain his criminal empire, though we mostly see the impact of Luciano on others rather than his direct actions.
Volonté is supported by a terrific cast that includes a memorable turn by Steiger as the informant, Edmond O’Brien as a Commissioner and, most remarkably FBI agent Siragusa, who plays himself in a film in which he also served as technical consultant. Siragusa has an almost unrelenting mission to bring down Luciano building to a memorable climax.
In closing, Lucky Luciano is a gripping crime biopic that benefits hugely from the approach director Francesca Rosi and his collaborators took to film it in a documentary style. It’s brilliantly acted, well paced and beautifully shot and scored.
Film: 
Lucky Luciano is released by Powerhouse Films on their Indicator label on limited edition 4K UHD and Blu-ray on 19 October 2026. I viewed the 4K edition. The picture quality of the restoration, carried out in 2013, is fantastic. Detail is incredible and really fine, the colour scheme is natural and it’s a pleasing transfer all round. It also sounds great. Please note that images were not provided for the review so they are not reflective of the quality of the image on the disc, which is excellent.
Three versions of the film are included. Each are essentially the same film but they feature a unique mix of English and Italian language opening titles, end credits and captions as well as a unique blend of Italian and English dialogue.
Special features:
4K restoration from the original negative
Three presentations of the film all running for 110 minutes: the Italian theatrical version, the US theatrical version, and the international theatrical version
Original mono audio
Francesco Rosi on ‘Lucky Luciano’ (1973, 4 mins): extract from the French television programme 24 heures sur la Une
Documenting Power (2026, 25 mins): critical appreciation by Gaetana Marrone, author of The Cinema of Francesco Rosi
Original Italian theatrical trailer
Image gallery: publicity and promotional materials
New and improved English translation subtitles
New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Limited edition exclusive 36-page booklet with a new essay by Pasquale Iannone, an archival news report on the real Charles ‘Lucky’ Luciano, an archival interview with director Francesco Rosi, and film credits
World premiere on 4K UHD and UK premiere on Blu-ray
Limited edition of 6,000 copies (4,000 4K UHDs and 2,000 Blu-rays) for the UK and US
The highlight of the disc is the new 25-minute overview of the film with Gaetana Marrone, which puts the film in the context of The Mattei Affair and Salvatore Giuliano, other films with similar approaches, shot in a docudrama way and directed by Rosi. Marronehighlights the research that would go into creating the scripts, some of those behind the camera and the actors. We hear about Rosi’s career defined by trying to understand postwar Italy, the techniques he used and his run ins with the mafia. This and much more is covered in a fantastic appreciation.
The four minute piece with Rosi features some interesting comments from the director about why he decided to make the film and some background to the real life story that it was based on. There is also a discussion of some of the murder sequences. It is a short but welcome inclusion.
The theatrical trailer runs for just over a minute and shows some of the more thrilling elements of the film mixed in with a few brief moments of dialogue that give a flavour of the story.
The image gallery contains a treasure trove of more than 80 publicity images including black and white and colour stills, lobby cards, press books in different languages and posters.
The 36-page booklet is typically strong from Indicator and beautifully appointed. A new essay by Pasquale Iannone provides a fantastic overview of the film and its production, and is great. Archival pieces follow: an article on Luciano’s death, and a contemporary interview with Rosi on the film, both of which are welcome inclusions.
In closing, the Indicator release of Lucky Luciano is strong thanks to a really great new appreciation on the disc, a typically high quality and richly detailed booklet and a wonderful transfer. It’s a film and disc that is easy to recommend for fans of Italian film or based on fact slices of cinema. If you enjoy this one I would also highly recommend the director’s Salvatore Guiliani and The Mattei Affair.
Disc/Package: 