Goodbye & Amen

CIA operative John “Dan” Dannahay (Tony Musante) finds his mission to stage a coup against an African president in jeopardy upon learning there’s someone leaking information within his team and when a crazed man (John Steiner) kills two people and takes a business mogul’s wife (Claudia Cardinale) and her lover hostage in a Hilton hotel in Rome. Threatened with demotion and ruin, and an American Ambassador (John Forsythe) who openly despises the CIA suspecting something, Dannahay scrambles to find a way to take out the volatile gunman, ferret out the traitor to the planned coup, and keep his organization’s various operations a secret.

Italian auteur Damiano Damiani took a brief detour from Mafia films and made this taught Thriller blending suspense, intrigue, and politics. I enjoyed Goodbye & Amen very much from beginning to end, the pacing and timing of everything synced up really well, and a nice balance between storytelling and character development. The first key thing that struck me was Damiani using a kind of fake-out on the audience in the first 20 minutes or so, making it look like we’re about to see the story of an ambitious CIA agent’s plot to overthrow an African nation’s government, and then quickly reveals the plot is actually the agent having to stop a madman holding hostages and killing people in a swank hotel before he can begin his coup plans. 

Red herrings usually weren’t part of Damiani’s style, but his usage of letting viewers believe he’s telling one story when in fact it’s something totally different is done very expertly and well. Even though the Mafia isn’t a presence at all in the film, Damiani does seem to present the CIA as a Mafia-like organization with all the distrust, betrayal, constant jockeying for power and position, and secret ambitions among the elite of the group with the agents presented.

While politics and power play an important role in the first 20 minutes to half hour or so, they quickly take a back seat to an intense cat and mouse game, showcasing Damiani’s other favorite motif, that maybe sometimes it’s not the people in high positions or positions of authority that are at the center of things.

Tony Musante, an American actor of Italian heritage, does a very good job as CIA operative “Dan” Dannahay. Musante portrays Dannahay in the way audiences have to come to expect a CIA agent to be: ambitious, ruthless, and willing to destroy anyone who gets in his way. That his decision to tackle the crisis head-on is more to keep rivals from seeing him put out to pasture makes him all the more deplorable. While she’s mainly the damsel to be rescued, Claudia Cardinale still gives a solid performance as Aliki De Mauro. The frustrated wife of a businessman, Aliki finds her release in an up-and-coming actor who she coaches in reciting English dialogue. When the two are taken hostage, Cardinale has Aliki never break into total hysterics and keep her cool, not showing fear to the gunman.

John Steiner, the famed Brit expat actor who made his name in Italy, steals the show as the chaotic mystery man who becomes the center of attention when he kills two random people and takes two others hostage in a Hilton hotel. Steiner adds layers of complexity as he remains silent on his identity, why he’s doing what he’s doing, what his demands are, and a plan of escape since both the police and government security are waiting to either arrest or kill him. Iconic American character actor John Forsythe gets to go against type as the honest American Ambassador Carson. A teacher prior to entering politics, Carson made it clear he was not fond of the CIA had so much leeway in authority, and that had he more influence, put the organization on a tethered leash. He becomes very intrigued by the hostage situation, especially after the unknown gunman requests an audience with him. Whether Carson finds out what he always wanted to know remains speculative.

The Vital Stats: The Blu-ray:
Goodbye & Amen comes in a clear tall Scanavo case featuring newly commissioned artwork and original poster art. The film has been recently restored in 2K from the original negatives and runs 110 min. The disc is Region A and B, playable in most players.  Also included is an 18-page booklet featuring a piece by Lucia Rinaldi

Goodbye & Amen has benefited greatly from Radiance’s new restoration and presentation. The film had previously only seen DVD releases from Italy’s Mustang Entertainment and CineKult labels with adequate quality. The picture is clear and crisp, with only minor signs of age and/or damage. Colors like blue and red pop with nice clarity and colors like brown and white look strong. The color black and black levels even out nicely with the other colors, not too strong and not too invasive. Grain is present in the film, but like with many Radiance transfers thus far, grain evens out nicely and isn’t distracting or invasive. Some of the hotel room scenes have a soft light touch that add a nice 70’s vibe to said scenes. While nothing too spectacular stands out, the visuals of the Blu-ray as a whole are solid-looking.

Goodbye & Amen comes with two audio options: Italian and English. The Italian track has the better quality of the two, dialogue and music cues coming off clear, strong and evenly, little to no volume adjustment necessary. Minor to no hiss at all present within the film, and minor to no distracting pops. The English track unfortunately isn’t in good shape. Radiance Films put a disclaimer when choosing a playing option that the English track was severely damaged and that the quality of the material prevented a restoration from being attempted. Luckily, the track does exist in its entirety, but sadly the sound goes up and down quite a bit, some scenes coming in quite clear, others the audio dropping to total silence or having big chunks of hissing and popping in them. Some scenes do revert to Italian with English subtitles. More of a curio rather than an actual full viewing option, Radiance was pleased to be the first to release the track on home media since its original theatrical run in 1977.

Two subtitle options are available to choose from, one that translates the Italian audio track, and a deaf & hard of hearing one for the English dub track. Claudia Cardinale loops her dialogue in both the Italian and English audio, so audiences will hear her voice no matter which option they choose. Tony Musante, John Forsythe, and John Steiner looped themselves for the English dub.

• Audio Commentary featuring Nathaniel Thompson and Howard S. Berger 
  The two critics and Euro Crime experts discuss the film, its association to the Euro Crime genre, and cast and crew info. Mr. Thompson and Mr. Berger may get a little dry at times, but a lot of the information they present is worth listening to.
• Antonio Sicilliano Interview (HD 39 min.)
  The veteran film editor discusses and describes his beginnings in the film business, how he met Damiano Damiani and became his go to editor, and his work on Goodbye & Amen. Shot for Radiance in association with Freak-O-Rama Productions in 2023. In Italian with English subtitles. Spoilers, so watch after viewing the film. A very fascinating interview, including some heartwarming moments that Siciliano shares about Damiani.
• Wolf’s Instinct – Wolfgango Soldati (SD 23 min.)
  Soldati, who played the role of Harry Lambert, discusses his experiences of working on Goodbye & Amen, and his interactions with some of the cast and crew. Filmed by Cinema BIS Communication in association with Nocturno Cinema and CC Home Video in 2013. In Italian with English subtitles. Major Spoilers, recommend viewing after seeing the film. Soldati’s uncomfortable experience with the film is an interesting contrast to the stories told by Antonio Siciliano, showing how different methods of acting and filmmaking can sometimes clash. Still a worthwhile watch for recollections of a key cast member.

Damiani shows audiences he can do more than just Mafia stories with Goodbye & Amen, mixing his intricate storytelling and complex characters very well in this riveting Thriller about corruption in the world of politics and covert agencies like the CIA. It’s unusual Damiani didn’t do more films of this kind in his career as his style compliments the stories he’s telling very nicely, keeping his viewers on the edge of their seats wondering what revelation is going to come of the intense hostage situation. There’s no filler whatsoever, Damiani keeping viewers interested and invested throughout, and his cast of characters elicit the right set of feelings. While certainly not as compelling as his Mafia stories and characters, Damiani nonetheless unveils the seedy underbelly of the world of spies, politicians, and other people with the same amount of ease and authenticity his other work has. I highly, highly recommend this Blu-ray, and while the primary audience will be Damiani fans, and the fans of this particular type of film, general film fans should take a look as there will definitely be something to pique their curiosity and interest. Highly Recommended.