ADDITION: Raro Films - Region FREE - Blu-ray January 16': Raro's source comes from Medusa and they have transferred in 1.78:1 opening up the frame and showing more information on all 4 sides but the edges are a bit frayed. It's a little less robust, slightly brighter but not extensively different in the large scheme of things although I always applaud a choice. It looks pretty decent in-motion.

Raro offer a strong audio transfer - DTS-HD Master (24-bit) for both Italian and English tracks. It seems to get the most out of Ennio Morricone (A Bullet for the General, Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!, Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion, U Turn, Stay As You Are etc. etc.) edgy score. It is region FREE.

I like the 27-minute the Road to Ruin documentary with Franco Nero, Corinne Cléry and David Hess as well as writer Neri Parenti. There is also an 8-page liner notes booklet with essay by Bret Wood.

NOTE: I don't think this is available from Amazon in the US but is from the Kino site, but even cheaper from Amazon in Canada (with the very low CAN $ exchange rate.) I think the Raro is the one to own, but eitehr might suffice. Good to have the choice.

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ADDITION: 88 Films - Region 'B' - Blu-ray January 16': The Blu-ray transfer is imperfect but looks quite effective beside the SD - which has a tendency to look green-ish. The 1080P is pretty crisp - with a touch of waxiness and colors are bright appealing. It's a shade unstable at the reel-shifts but overall I think it looks reasonably impressive in-motion with minor niggling inconsistencies related to the source.

NOTE: The DVD had the English title and credits where the Blu-ray has the Italian.

We are given the option of linear PCM 2.0 channel tracks at 1536 kbps (16-bit) in either English or Italian (with optional English subtitles). There is plenty of aggression and car noises that burst through with depth. A positive would be the edgy score by Ennio Morricone (A Bullet for the General, Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!, Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion, U Turn, Stay As You Are etc. etc.) and adds a positive notch to the production and overall tense atmosphere. The Blu-ray disc is region 'B'-locked.

We don't get that good featurette from the Blue Underground DVD but thee are some supplements including a lengthy trailer reel with Children of the Corn, Don't Go Into the Woods, Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers, Live Like a Cop, Die Like a Man, Mother's Day, Slaughterhouse, Transcers, Splatter University and the package itself has a reversible sleeve with alternative art, and includes a collectible 300gsm original poster post card as well as a liner notes booklet.

The film? - I've always liked Franco Nero who has immense appeal with genre fans for his work, be it Spaghetti westerns (Django) or semi-exploitation films like this. He is pretty much the perfect actor for these roles (and he can act!). Yes, this film has some strange attraction and although obvious and ruthless at times - it is still entertaining with a less-expected ending. As long as you you don't have your hopes too high - this film has enough appeal to recommend and the Blu-ray is the way to watch it. I suggest giving this a chance - it has an odd, but persistent, genre-specific appeal.

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ON THE DVD: Undoubtedly a direct duplicate of the Anchor Bay/Starz release from July 2002 (HERE). It's getting a re-issue under the Blue Underground label. The image is fairly clean, progressive, anamorphic and transferred onto a dual-layered disc. Detail and colors are strong - in fact I have no prominent issues with the way this disc looks. Audio offers a 'partial' DUB (into English) as some of the original was already in English. This is obviously not perfect and probably very unsatisfactorily for some. We've come to expect this from some Italian films with mismatched language audio so subtitles would have been a decent addition to augment the dialogue. In a strange way it adds to the films Euro-trashy appeal and I wasn't overly deterred.

Supplements include a trailer and a 17 minute featurette - "The Devil Thumbs a Ride" with an initial warning that it includes spoilers to the film (which should be watched first). David Hess, Franco Nero, and Corinne Clery give input into the production and it can be a bit amusing.