‘The Valachi Papers’ Blu-Ray Review – Unsparing Docudrama Is A Highlight For Bronson

Screen legends Charles Bronson (Violent City, Breakout) and Lino Ventura (The Sicilian Clan, Illustrious Corpses) star in The Valachi Papers, a hard-hitting docudrama of the criminal underworld. Sentenced to 15 years in prison, former mob “button man” Joe Valachi (Bronson) turns informant when he learns top Mafia capo Vito Genovese (Ventura) has put a $100,000 contract out on his life. From thievery and extortion to vengeance and murder, Valachi spills the innermost workings of the Cosa Nostra, culminating in his riveting testimony before a Senate subcommittee on organized crime. Directed by action-thriller ace Terence Young (From Russia with Love, Cold Sweat) from Peter Maas’ best-selling book, The Valachi Papers is gripping, shocking…and absolutely true. Also starring Jill Ireland (The Valdez Horses) and Joseph Wiseman (Dr. No), and featuring a marvelous score by Riz Ortolani (The 7th Dawn).

For thoughts on The Valachi Papers, please check out our discussions on The Video Attic:

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Video Quality

The Valachi Papers comes to Blu-Ray with a new digital AVC encoded 1080p transfer in its original OAR. This transfer is not noted as being from a new restoration, which leads us to believe this is derived from the same source that was used for the long out of print Blu-Ray from Twilight Time released five years ago. While there is room for improvement, this looks quite nice for the most part. There are minor specks of print damage that pop up, but overall clarity and detail is very solid. 

The picture exhibits a bit of softness in long shots, which can most likely be chalked up to the source material, but this does not prove to be a major issue. There are numerous interior shots of the courtroom, prison  and various other locations that are packed with little details that are easily noticeable thanks to this transfer. Skin tones are natural and consistent with subtle facial details easily discernible  in closeup. Colors have a nice saturation and do not present with any unnatural hues. Black levels hold up favorably with very little in the way of crush. Digital noise also does not present as an issue here. Kino Classics has made this one more widely available with a good presentation again after some time away. 

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray disc comes with a perfectly good DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track in English with optional English subtitles. You will not find much in the way of age-related wear and tear anywhere throughout this one. Environmental sounds such as car noises or gunshots are rendered accurately alongside everything else. The score sounds great throughout the duration of the film as it establishes a notable atmosphere for the story. There is never a moment where it threatens to trample the dialogue, as the track maintains a good balance so that information comes through clearly. Kino Classics has delivered a fine audio presentation for this film.  

Special Features

• Audio Commentary: Film Historian Paul Talbot, the Author of the BRONSON’S LOOSE! Book, provides an entertaining and informative commentary track in which he discusses the history behind the real-life figures, how the film goes about telling the story, the reasons for changing the names of characters or minimizing certain roles, the careers of the creative figures involved, the legacy of the film and more. Talbot is a wealth of knowledge, and you gain so much from listening to this track.  

• Radio Spot: A minute-long radio spot is provided here. 

• TV Spots: A minute-and-a-half collection of TV spots are provided here. 

• Trailers: There is a German Trailer (3:35) and an English Trailer (3:23) provided for The Valachi Papers. There are also trailers provided for Farewell Friend, Rider On The Rain, Violent City, Cold Sweat, Chato’s Land, Mr. Majestyk, Breakout, Breakheart Pass, The White Buffalo, Cabo Blanco, Murphy’s Law, The Sicilian Clan, A Pain In The Ass and Illustrious Corpses. 

Final Thoughts

The Valachi Papers provides Charles Bronson with a role that makes good use of his acting abilities. Bronson has played a lot of tough guy roles over the years, but this is not exactly more of the same in that regard. Joe Valachi is no badass despite being in the thick of criminal activities for much of his life. The character-driven approach to showing the inner-workings of the enterprise and what everyone has at stake proves to be quite effective. The pacing can be a bit lethargic in a few stretches, but overall this story keeps you involved until the end. Kino Classics has given this feature a new Blu-Ray featuring a strong A/V presentation and a great commentary track. Fans of Bronson will want to make sure this is in their collection. Recommended 

The Valachi Papers will be available to purchase on Blu-Ray on November 15, 2022. 

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Kino Classics has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.