“Life is one hell of a lousy road,” protagonist Lieutenant Domenico Malacarne (Luc Merenda) utters in Shoot First, Die Later. It's a downbeat attitude emblematic of Malacarne's fall from grace in this notable Italian poliziottesco drama, as his life spirals from bad to worse.

Directed by Fernando Di Leo, the narrative is set in the gritty streets of Milan. The city serves as a backdrop for Malarcarne's glistening reputation as an ambitious rising star within the police force. However, this “good boy act” is all smoke and mirrors as the officer hides a conflicting secret: he's working with criminals for cash. At first, it's just petty crimes and corrupt dealings. But his involvement becomes more complex when the baddies are keen to explore drug trafficking, a line he doesn't want to cross.

To make matters worse, his father (Salvo Randone), a retired and morally upright police officer, smells a rat. He suspects his son is up to no good, and he's not wrong. Malarcarne becomes entangled in a murder cover-up, triggering an investigation that threatens to expose him and his illicit involvement with the mobsters. As a result, Malarcarne finds himself stuck between a rock and a hard place. With his reputation and morals called into question, he no longer has a grip on the criminal world he was trying to control. It doesn't help that people around him are ending up dead (spoiler alert: there's a cat death that actually hurts more than the human ones) The handheld camera work used during the heightened action scenes further cements Malarcarne's deterioration, as his nature becomes gradually more anxious as his morals start to decay at a rapid rate.

If you're familiar with American noir and crime thrillers, Di Leo's poliziottesco drama will most likely whet your appetite. The signature low light used in Shoot Now, Die Later sets a dreary tone and foreshadows the dangerous situations that Domenico gets himself into, including his relationship with his father becoming strained. Not only this, but our protagonist has an angel and the devil on his shoulder; the light and dark shadows highlight Malarcarne's duality and that internal fight between good and evil. The music by Luis Bacalov and the sound effects of thwacks and punches further intensify the violence that we see on screen.

However, one element that doesn't translate 51 years after the film's release is the violence directed towards women. Sandra (Delia Boccardo), Malarcarne's girlfriend, meets a tragic fate: she is murdered by the mobsters who want to silence Malacarne. Her death is particularly violent, and in the modern day, lacks nuance.

Whilst Shoot First, Die Later may not be the first poliziottesco drama film, you can see why it's praised as one of the best in the subgenre. As Malarcarne says about that lousy road: “Wherever you take it, always leads to a dead end.” Over the course of the film, audiences witness this grim fate unfold.

Limited Edition Blu-ray features:

High-Definition digital transfer from the original camera negative
Optional Italian and English audio tracks, uncompressed mono PCM audio
New audio commentary by film critic Travis Woods
Archival interviews with director Fernando Di Leo and star Luc Merenda
Italian and English trailers
New and improved English subtitle translation for Italian audio and English SDH for English audio
Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Sam Moore
Limited edition of 3000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging

Shoot First, Die Later is available on limited edition Blu-ray from Radiance Films now