Directed by George P. Cosmatos (Tombstone; Cobra; Rambo 2) and starring Richard Burton, Marcello Mastroianni and Leo McKern, Massacre In Rome (Rappresaglia) depicts one of the Second World War's worst atrocities, which took place in Nazi occupied Rome sparking a searing political outrage: did the Vatican, then led by Pope Pius XII (referred to by some as 'Hitler's Pope'), kowtow to Nazism?

After Italian Partisans killed 33 German soldiers by exploding a roadside bomb, Hitler ordered the immediate execution of 10 Roman citizens for each dead soldier. When the Vatican withdrew from the matter, a deadly confrontation ensued between a priest, Father Pietro Antonellli (Mastroianni), and a Nazi Officer, Lt. Col. Herbert Kappler (Burton), who had been ordered to administer what would become one of the most heinous war crimes: the massacre of 335 civilians.

Director Cosmatos and writer Robert Katz (The Cassandra Crossing) crank up the tension in this nerve-wracking dramatisation of Katz's own, highly contentious, 1967 bestseller 'Death in Rome' in which he blamed Pope Pius XII for the massacre; and for which the author was sued, upon the film's release, by the Pope's heirs and sentenced to jail. The controversy continues to this day as the present Pope, Benedict, has recently declared Pius XII 'venerable', the first step towards Sainthood.

Featuring cinematography by Marcello Gatti (The Battle Of Algiers) and music by Ennio Morricone, Massacre In Rome is a tense and compelling historical war drama that raises complex questions about morality during wartime and the nature of rebellion, heroism and sacrifice.

Massacre In Rome (cert. 15) will be released on UK DVD by Argent Films on 29th March 2010 at the RRP of £12.99. The disc will feature a restored print but no extras have been listed.