A Man on His Knees Blu-ray Review – 4K Restoration and Bonus Features

A Man on His Knees (Un uomo in ginocchio) is an Italian crime drama from director
Damiano Damiani (The Case is Closed, Forget It). One of Damiani’s last great films and one of the last great films from Italy before the collapse of their film industry and many of the directors moved to television work in the 1980s, the story follows ex-con Nino Peralta (Giuliano Gemma, Tenebrae) who runs a drinks kiosk. When a friend tells Nino he has been added to a mafia hit list of eight men for supposedly being witness to a crime, Nino tracks down the hitman and tries to work with him to clear his name and save himself from the mafia Don who wants him dead. Naturally, this proves far more complicated and dangerous than it appears.

The first half of A Man on His Knees is a suspenseful mystery and thriller, with a lot of the things one would expect from a mafia crime drama – violent hits, mysterious assassins, and cat and mouse chases. Then we get into part of the film where Nino begins to work with the hitman tasked with killing him, and some more comedy comes into play, but a dark comedy. The denouement shifts the film into a strange area where, there is a shocking twist of events, but the story arc speeds up as if Damiani, who also co-wrote the film with Nicola Badalucco, realizes he is running out of time and needs to wrap things up. This is disappointing as some things could have played out a bit longer, and Nino’s actions are also a little questionable in the end. The film wraps up with a typically cynical ending for Italian crime cinema in the 1970s. Gemma and the supporting cast are excellent in this film, giving riveting performances.

Purchase A Man On His Knees (Limited Edition) [Blu-ray] on Amazon.com

The Video

A Man on His Knees is taken from a new 4K restoration from the original camera negative and arrives on Blu-ray for the first time worldwide in this Radiance release in a 1.85:1 AVC 1080p encodement. Apart from a few frames scattered throughout where some transparent tramlines, this a clean and organically filmic transfer with consistent levels of grain, lots of texture, and the sort of subdued color palette one expects from these Italian crime films of the era.

The Audio

The original Italian audio for A Man on His Knees is presented in LPCM 2.0 mono. The audio is taken from the original audio negative, and it sounds quite clear and dynamic for a mono track, especially when compared to some of the mono tracks of Hong Kong films from the same era, just as an example.

The Supplements

Most of the on-disc bonuses are archival interviews well worth watching, but there is one new interview with author Alberto Pezzotta examing Damiani’s depictions of the mafia on the screen.

Bonus Features:

• Alberto Pezzotta (1080p; 00:23:44) – In this newly filmed interview, Alberto Pezzotta, author of Regia Damiani, discusses A Man on His Knees in the context of depictions of the mafia on screen, the production, and its place with Damiani’s career. Filmed exclusively for Radiance in June 2024.
• Giuliano Gemma (1080p; 00:08:45) – In this archival interview, Guiliano Gemma discusses his experiences making A Man on His Knees, his relationship with Damiani, and his feelings about the film.
• Tano Cimarosa (720p; 00:08:59) — In this archival interview, actor and director Tano Cimarosa reflects on his time working with Damiano Damiani.
• Mino Giarda (720p; 00:20:41) – In this archival interview, assistant director Mino Giarda recalls his time working with Damiano Damiani.
• Trailer (1080p; 00:03:15)
• Booklet with new essay, “The Impenetrable Web of the Mafia” by Roberto Curti, film credits, information on the transfer, and production stills.

The Final Assessment

A riveting and gritty crime drama from Damiani that has been wonderfully restored in 4K and presented on Blu-ray by Radiance who continue in their short time to resurrect some cinematic gems for cineastes to reexamine. This is highly recommended for fans of Italian cinema and crime dramas.

A Man on His Knees (Limited Edition) is out on Blu-ray September 24, 2024 from Radiance

Purchase A Man On His Knees (Limited Edition) [Blu-ray] on Amazon.com

• Rating Certificate: Not Rated
• Studios & Distributors: Rizzoli Film | Radiance
• Director: Damiano Damiani
• Written By: Nicola Badalucco | Damiano Damiani
• Run Time: 110 Mins.
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Video Format: AVC 1080p
• Primary Audio: Italian LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Subtitles: English
• Street Date: 24 September 2024