Wake Up and Kill(1966)

Arrow Video Blu Ray Release

Director: Carlo Lizzani

Rating: Unrated

"Wake Up and Kill"(aka "Wake Up and Die") tells the story of infamous criminal Luciano Lutring. Lutring was a jewelry thief during the 1960s in Italy, France, Amsterdam, and other places around the world. After meeting the love of his life Candida, more pressure is put on him to steal, because he wants to impress her with riches. Candida heavily disapproves of the criminal activity, but it is hard for her to leave the life she is leading with him. She then begins to realize that the only thing she can do is help the police find her husband, but she does not know how to do this without Luciano's life being taken.

The movie stars Robert Hoffman as Luciano, Lisa Gastoni in her Golden Globe winning performance as Candida, Gian Maria Volonté as Inspector Moroni, and Claudio Camaso as Franco. 

"Wake Up and Kill" was a total shot in the dark for me, as I had never heard of the film before seeing it on Amazon. The plot was intriguing enough in text, so I felt like the movie was worth a chance. I'm so glad for trying it though, because this film is a criminally underrated masterpiece. Even with a long running time of over two hours, there was not one moment where I was anything less than engrossed with what was happening. The main success of this film is the emotion and intensity that the cast and Lizzani's direction enabled. There is not an abundance of action, and there is not a lot of excess throughout, but there is the constant threat of Lutring being caught, which keeps the viewer on the edge of their seat. The film is also much more than a crime flick, and the focus of Lutring and his wife really helps the viewer form an emotional connection. While it is apparent that their marriage is not healthy at all, there is still a lot of power in seeing how far Candida would go to protect her troubled husband. Every member of the cast gave Oscar worthy performances, because their emotion and characterization were beyond authentic. Hoffman became Luciano, and it was amazing to me that he was able to portray the decay of his character. Gastoni excelled as Candida, because she depicted the pain and stress that the wife of a gangster would be under in a convincing manner, and she made the audience care about her. Stylistically, this movie was quite flawless. There were amazing heist and car chase scenes, the cinematography was beautiful, and the score was very effective at portraying the emotions the characters were feeling. The ending was extremely suspenseful, and it left the viewer at an abrupt conclusion. As a viewer of this film, there was nothing I would change about it, because it was very enjoyable and beautifully made. The only thing that could have been improved was the title. I understand that "Wake Up and Kill" was a way to draw in audiences, but there was so much more substance and complexity to the story than this name suggests. 

Full View of Blu Ray Release

The version of the movie that I purchased was Arrow Video's release. This two disc set includes Blu Ray and DVD transfers, which feature the uncut Italian and shortened English versions of the movie. I watched the Italian cut on Blu Ray, and I have to say I was very impressed by the overall look. There were occasional specks throughout, but for the rarity of this film, this was more than acceptable. Most of the picture was clear as can be, and the sound was great too. The special features were quite scarce, with only a trailer being on the disc. While this was a little bit disappointing, I would not discourage buying the set, because it is still the definitive way to own this wonderful movie. The booklet that was included with the film was extremely interesting, and it gave information about the fact vs. fiction of the movie, Lizzano's career, more about Lutring's life, information about the cast and crew, a description about the restoration process of the film, etc. The reversible artwork for the sleeve is also very well done, and it adds to the physical appeal of the package. I would definitely recommend buying this copy of "Wake Up and Kill," because I think that it is great that a company like Arrow would take this little known movie, and make it available to the public. 

I cannot recommend "Wake Up and Kill" enough, because it is a very engrossing crime-drama that will leave an impact on its viewer. I am so glad that I was able to experience this film, because it gave me even more appreciation of Italian cinema, which I had already loved. All cinephiles should view this movie at some time, because it is a hidden treasure that needs to be uncovered. 

Grade: 10/10

Blu Ray Grade: 8/10