the climber

Joe Dellesandro was a perfect fit for the Warhol factory's foray into feature films. His androgynous looks and junkie physique were embodied the glam-rock era mixed with a seedy street-level authenticity you just couldn't fake. After a moderate success with Paul Morrissey's back-to-back horror films Flesh for Frankenstein and Blood for Dracula, Dellesandro was "farmed out" so to speak for other European producers looking to take advantage of his American underground cache.

The Climber is a rather traditional Italian gangster story of an ambitious young thug, Aldo (Dellesandro), with dreams of toppling the local bosses and starting an organization of his own. Of course, as a foreigner in a country where "family" means everything, the odds are against his success. But Aldo pushes his way into the local clubs and restaurants, demanding protection payments and horning in on drug trade. Eventually, he and his upstart band of followers intimidate their way to the very top, leaving a trail of dead bodies their competition can't help but follow.

Director Pasquale Squitieri drenches his movie in New York-style swagger that's different from other Italian crime movies of the era. A recurring theme song full of gritty guitars and an irresistible beat announces every important moment like cinematic chapter headings. And Dellesandro, probably better suited to supporting characters than a lead, uses his fish out of water looks to good effect, creating an upwardly mobile henchman who rises far above his station and eventually pays the price.

The similarities to Brian De Palma's Scarface are rather striking (right down to that aforementioned score), but, then again, the gangster genre only has so many paths to follow. Squitieri's film isn't as down and dirty as it would like to be. Aldo's career takes quite a while to take off, bogged down by some romantic foreplay with beauty Stefania Casini (Suspiria). But once he begins recruiting local talent, made up mostly of dirt-bike mechanics who wield their motorized transportation as lethal weapons, its a fun ride downhill toward the expected tragic conclusion.

Arrow Video's Blu-ray / DVD combo looks just tremendous and includes an especially information sit-down interview with Dellesandro who's not afraid to turn over a few rocks about the production and his career itself. The film is presented Italian-subbed and English-dubbed with a brand new 4K transfer from the original negative. A reversible sleeve with original and newly commissioned artwork goes along with a collectible booklet featuring new writing on the film by Roberto Curti, who really knows his stuff.