DVD released: March 13th, 2012
Approximate running time: 96 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Letterboxed Widescreen
Rating: NR
Sound: Dolby Digital Mono Italian, Dolby Digital Mono English
Subtitles: English
DVD Release: Raro Video
Region Coding: Region 0 NTSC
Retail Price: $19.98

Synopsis: Three jaded young men, who all come from affluent families, go on crime spree that leaves a trail of murder and mayhem behind them.

Young, Violent, Dangerous was directed by Romolo Guerrieri, who’s other notable films include, The Sweet Body of Deborah, Ring of Death and The Double. The screenplay for Young, Violent, Dangerous was written by Fernando Di Leo, a filmmaker in his own right, who is most known for directing Poliziotteschi film’s like, Caliber 9 and Live Like a Cop Die Like a Man. Other key collaborators on Young, Violent, Dangerous include cinematographer Erico Menczer (Beatrice Cenci, The Cat O’ Nine Tails) and composer Gianfranco Plenizio (The Sensuous Nurse).

Content wise, though this film bears many of the elements that one would expect from the Poliziotteschi film. The end result is far from being an atypical example of the genre. And while crime is one of the main focal points in this film’s narrative. The crimes that are being committed by this film’s three protagonists are merely props to further move the narrative forward and drive home this film’s message, ‘Youth’s gone wild due to lack of parental guidance’.

Tone wise, there is a relentless ferocity that is quickly established that does not let up, even for a millisecond. And in a film that features many disturbing moments, the one scenes that stands out more than any other. Is a scene that involves a young woman, who is tied up by the three  jaded young men and left that way until she is discovered by the police.

There is a predictability to the events which unfold, even though there appears to no rhyme or reason for why these three angry youths are choosing their victims and their crimes. Thankfully this minor short coming does not prove to be that crucial, since the film’s brisk pacing ensues that there is never a dull moment.

The trio of actor who portray jaded young men are all very good in their respective roles, especially  Stefano Patrizi (Conversation Piece, Murder Obsession) Mario Farra, the ringer leader of this trio. Another performance of note is Eleonora Giorgi (Inferno) in the role of this main female character. The one performance that is most lacking is Tomas Milian (Almost Human) in the role of the police Commissioner.

The DVD:

Raro Video presents Young, Violent, Dangerous in a letterboxed widescreen that retains the film’s original aspect ratio. For a non anamorphic image, this transfer looks pretty good, all things considered. Colors and flesh tone look accurate, black and contrast levels look consistently good, details generally look crisp. Also there are some issues related to compression.

This release comes with two audio options, a Dolby Digital Mono mix in Italian and a Dolby Digital Mono mix in English. Both audio mixes sound clear and balanced throughout. Also included with this release are removable English subtitles that are easy to follow and error free.

Extras for this release include a interview with director Romolo Guerrieri  titled ‘Ragazzi Fuori’ (16 minutes 53 seconds – 4:3 full frame, in Italian with English subtitles). Topics discussed in the interview include, critical reactions to his films, violence in cinema, Fernando Di Leo (he wrote the screenplay for Young, Violent, Dangerous), the cast and how Italian cinema has changed since the 1970′s. Other extras include two text based extras, a bio and a filmography for Romolo Guerrieri . It should be noted that a PDF file that was to include a essay about the film, is nowhere to be found on the disc that I viewed for this review. Overall Young, Violent, Dangerous gets a serviceable audio / video presentation from Raro Video.