*Indicates that the title is also available to rent or buy in streaming format on various digital platforms.
“The Iron Prefect” (1977, Radiance Films) In pre-World War II Italy, the Fascist government sends its most unyielding public servant to break the Mafia’s grip on a region of Sicily, which he carries out with ruthless efficiency. Though the presence of popular action star Gemma as real-life “Iron Prefect” Cesare Mori, suggests that Pasquale Squitieri’s film will be a brawny bullet fest, the end result hews closer to a more stately-paced and lavishly appointed take on two-fisted social reformer stories of the period like “Serpico” or “Report to the Commissioner,” with an emphasis on the perils that occur when irresistible forces meet immovable objects in the political/social field. With Claudia Cardinale (Squitieri’s longtime SO), Rik Battaglia, and Francisco Rabal among the better-known cast members; Radiance Films’ Limited Edition Blu-ray features a 2K restoration along with a mix of archival interviews (Squitieri, Gemma) and new material (an appreciation of Gemma by “Repo Man” director Alex Cox) as well as liner notes that detail Mori’s crimefighting efforts.
