6.8 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Harry Mitchell, an L.A. manufacturer with a fancy car, a nice house, and a wife running for city council, has his life overturned when three hooded blackmailers appear with a video tape of Harry and his young mistress. He's been set up, and they want $100,000. To protect his wife's political ambitions, Harry won't go to the police; instead, he shines them on and then doesn't pay. They up their demands, so he goes on the offensive, tracking them down and trying to turn one against the other. Their sociopathic leader, Alan, responds with violence toward the mistress and menace toward Harry's wife. Will Harry let up and pay off Alan or can he find some other solution?
Starring: Roy Scheider, Ann-Margret, Vanity, John Glover, Robert TreborThriller | Insignificant |
Crime | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
John Frankenheimer's "52 Pick-Up" (1986) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on it include new program with composer Gary Chang; new audio commentary by critics Steve Mitchell and Edwin Samuelson; and vintage promotional materials for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, 52 Pick-Up arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.
52 Pick-Up made its high-definition debut in 2015 with this release from Kino Lorber. The reissue is sourced from the same old master that was supplied by MGM but the technical presentation is different. How? The previous release had improper gamma levels, this release has the gamma levels set differently. Unfortunately, I have to report that now a lot of the darker areas look too dark and produce crushing, so there is actually quite a bit of extra detail that is visible on the previous release but not on this release. This is an ongoing issue on newer Kino Lorber releases, too. For some reason, the encoder flattens darker areas because specific presets are not done right. The current master has plenty of limitations as well. For example, while pleasing, delineation, clarity, and depth are not as good as they need to be. Highlights and darker nuances fluctuate quite a bit and most wider panoramic shots look notably dated. Colors are stable. However, this is another area where substantial improvements can be made. Image stability is good. I noticed some small blemishes popping up here and there, but there are no large cuts, warped or torn frames to report. My score is 3.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.
Gary Chang's electronic soundtrack does some very special things to enhance the film's unique atmosphere. The music sounds good but not great. In several areas, it feels like the dynamic field should be quite a bit bigger and capable of producing better contrasts. I have to speculate that if in the future the film is fully redone in 4K and the audio remastered, the main improvements will be in this area, where dynamic contrasts will be superior. The dialog is clean and easy to follow.
52 Pick-Up is John Frankenheimer's only contribution to L.A. noir. However, perhaps somewhat surprisingly, the film is without a doubt one of the most effective promotional pieces for the fictitious genre. I am a pretty big fan of it. This release from Kino Lorber is sourced from the same old master that was used for the label's original out-of-print release but the technical presentation of the film is different. Also, the release has exclusive new bonus features. Should you purchase it? If you already have the previous release, no. Hopefully, in the future, 52 Pick-Up will be fully restored in 4K and made available on 4K Blu-ray. RECOMMENDED. (While not an L.A. noir film, thematically and stylistically Special Effects is very similar to 52 Pick-Up, so if you do not have it yet, track down a copy for your library).
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