Weapons Of Death

Mario Caiano's 1977 poliziottesco Weapons Of Death (Napoli Spara!) has been released on Blu-ray and in 4K UHD by Studio Canal. It's set in Naples., where Commissario Belli (Leonard Mann) hunts the vicious camorristi Santoro (Henry Silva). This somewhat unconventionally structured cop movie blends vicious gang violence and grindhouse sensationalism with sentimental comedy mostly centred around the antics of a delinquent street kid, Gennarino (Massimo Deda).

Made with an international cast, Weapons Of Death was dubbed for different audiences. The two versions of the audio presented are the original Italian dub and the English version (which can become obviously out of sync in places). Caiano's use of open spaces (his background in making westerns shows), carefully constructed interiors and cluttered street scenes along with the detail and movement in the action sequences benefit a lot from the 4K format. When it comes to those the Blu-ray lack a little bit of the clarity.

When it comes to the special features there is an audio commentary over the English version of the film by film historian and maker Steve Mitchell, historian Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson from Mondo Digital. They have a fairly entertaining conversation with a bit of an American slant to it.

Next is Napoli Spara! The Brutal World of the Poliziotteschi: a video essay by Will Webb. It is an informative little documentary on the genre, but be warned: it contains spoilers, so don't watch it first. There are two interviews: one is with Leonard Mann and the other is an archive interview with Mario Caiano. Mann is an engaging interviewee and Caiano has a number of interesting stories. Rounding it off is a rapid fire introduction to the film by the film historian, critic and director Jean-Baptiste Thoret; a stills gallery; and an English language trailer which is a little piece of fun.

Reviewed on: 20 Jul 2026