If you think the legal system is a mess today, take a trip back to 1970s Palermo, where the line between the badge and the bullet is thinner than a piece of cheap deli ham. Director Damiano Damiani (Amityville II: The Possession) drops us into a world where justice isn’t just blind; she’s been paid off and left in a ditch.

Martin Balsam is Captain Bonavia, a cop who has spent so long staring into the abyss of Sicilian corruption that he’s finally decided to blink. He’s tired of the rules letting the big fish swim free, so he plays a dangerous card: he releases a total nutjob from the asylum just to watch him take a shot at a local construction mogul. When you’re dealing with guys who pave over bodies with concrete, Bonavia figures a little insanity is the only way to get a result.

Ben Gazzara was approached to play this role, but turned it down. Years later, Martin Balsam thanked Gazzara, as the role had given his career a fresh start.

But things don’t go according to plan. Instead of a clean hit, the plan goes south, and now Bonavia has a shadow: Franco Nero. He plays District Attorney Traini, an idealistic young gun who still believes the law actually means something. Balsam is the weary soul who’s seen too much and Nero is the sharp-suited crusader who thinks he can fix it. Their chemistry turns a standard procedural into a psychological warzone.

You can’t talk about this flick without mentioning the score. Riz Ortolani cooks up an innovative mix of jazz, pop and electric guitar that keeps your nerves on edge.

This Radiance Films release has a 2K restoration presented with Italian and English audio options; new interviews with Nero, Michele Gammino, editor Antonio Siciliano and music expert Lovely Jon about Riz Ortolani’s score; an image gallery; a reversible sleeve featuring designs based on original posters; a limited edition booklet featuring archival interviews with Damiano Damiani and it’s all presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings. You can get it from MVD.