Illustrious Corpses | Limited Edition | Blu-ray

The poliziotteschi sub-genre of Italian cinema, represents a set of crime thrillers often revolving around lone rogue cops or criminals and largely produced in the 60s and 70s. While these films were notable for their exploitation styling first and foremost, many were deeply concerned with the politics and machinations of justice in Italian society.

Director of heartbreaking works Salvatore Giuliano and Many Wars Ago, Francesco Rosi spent his career examining the ways in which crime, corruption, and politics affected the lives of his countrymen.

Illustrious Corpses is a fascinating, twisty mystery thriller, featuring the always commanding presence of Lino Ventura as Inspector Amerigo Rogas. Smaller roles for Renato Salvatori and Fernando Ray, as well as Max von Sydow, give the film plenty of character along the way making this something of an unheralded gem in the genre.