Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

A Breed Apart Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 22, 2023

Philippe Mora's "A Breed Apart" (1984) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Shout Factory. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new program with the director; new audio commentary with the director and critic Nathaniel Thompson; vintage trailer; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Multi-millionaire J.P. Whittier (Donald Pleasance) invites veteran climber Mike Walker (Powers Boothe) to his lavish mansion and offers him a lucrative deal. If Walker goes deep into the Blue Ridge Mountains, climbs a famous rock, and brings him back two extremely rare bald eagle eggs, likely the last of their kind, he will get paid $150,000. The money is more than enough for Walker to make an old dream come true -- travel to China and climb another famous, much bigger rock.

Walker agrees to do the job and soon after arrives in the area where the eggs are supposed to be. However, after quickly melting the heart of the owner of the only deli in the area, Stella Clayton (Kathleen Turner), he discovers that the eagle’s nest is somewhere on a private island guarded by a nature-loving, former military man-turned-recluse named Jim Malden (Rutger Hauer). Because Malden does not like poachers and outsiders in general, Walker uses his best acting skills to earn his trust, and after learning the exact location of the eggs, at the right time proceeds to steal them. But a few unexpected developments force Walker to begin improvising and then question whether what he has agreed to do for Whittier is worth it.

In an exclusive video introduction, director Philippe Mora declares that he is very proud of how Breed Apart turned out and adds that his film’s environmental message was way ahead of its time. The first part of his statement is very easy to validate for two reasons. First, Mora does sound very sincere and in another exclusive program that is included on this release his love for Breed Apart becomes even more apparent. The second part is debatable. It is not because the message that emerges from Breed Apart is questionable but because there were several other genre films before it that had raised similar concerns and a few were even Australian. It is true that they were emphasized differently in different stories, but they were virtually unmissable. Some of these films are Wake in Fright (1971), Day of the Animals (1977), and Long Weekend (1978).

There is one other interesting similarity that is worth pointing out as well. More than a decade earlier, John Boorman directed the classic thriller Deliverance (1972), which rightfully or not appears to be the spiritual godfather of A Breed Apart. Why? Soon after Walker meets Malden, the latter humiliates some local poachers and they decide to take him out. When the poachers arrive on the private island heavily armed and determined to hunt down their target, they are outsmarted and the roles are reversed. In A Breed Apart, Malden even looks like a variation of one very famous character from Deliverance. (Arguably the most repulsive poacher is played by a predictably terrific Brion James).

The leads are solid, but it does feel like Turner’s part could have been managed better. Her romantic experiences with Walker and Malden are a bit too sugary for a film whose environmental aspirations are supposed to be genuine.

The greatest strength of A Breed Apart is the truly outstanding visuals from North Carolina. Mora shot A Breed Apart at Chimney Rock State Park, the picturesque town of Lake Lure, and the surrounding areas, and the authentic mountain ambience that emerges is just stunning. It is immediately clear that the camera has entered a truly different place where Morth Nature is fully in control and life has a unique rhythm.

The somewhat unusually moody soundtrack was created by Maurice Gibb, one of the members of the legendary group Bee Gees.

*Shout Factory’s release of A Breed Apart is sourced from an exclusive new 2K master that was struck from an interpositive. The version of the film that is included on the release is approximately 101 minutes long.

A Breed Apart Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, A Breed Apart arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Shout Factory.

The release is sourced from a very beautiful exclusive new 2K maser that was struck from an interpositive. I will mention first the two areas where I think some minor improvements could be made. Ideally, a few darker areas should reveal slightly better nuances. However, 2K master handles darker areas very, very well, so you will not see any troubling examples of serious black crushing. Second, I noticed a few blemishes that could have been removed. However, this is a cosmetic improvement that I think is irrelevant given how great the presentation is. The rest looks either very good or excellent. For example, delineation, clarity, and depth remain very pleasing throughout the entire film. Density levels are great, too. Image stability is outstanding. What about color balance? It is very convincing. I think that a few areas could have used slightly more prominent blues, but blues, greens, browns, and blacks and wonderfully balanced. As a result, the entire film has a very convincing 1980s appearance. All in all, this release offers a very fine organic presentation of A Breed Apart. (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).

A Breed Apart Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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.

I did not encounter any technical anomalies to report in our review. I had the volume of my system turned up quite a bit because I found Maurice Gibb's soundtrack quite unusual but very effective and was most impressed with the dynamic contrasts. On the other hand, I must make it clear that the film's soundtrack does not produce any truly memorable moments. Clarity, sharpness, depth, and balance are excellent.

A Breed Apart Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Introduction - an excursive new introduction by director Philippe Mora. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Trailer - a remastered vintage trailer for A Breed Apart. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Interview with Director Philippe Mora - in this exclusive new program, director Philippe Mora recalls how A Breed Apart came to exist and what it was like shooting it in North Carolina. (Initially, the plan was to have the film shot in New Zealand). There are some very interesting comments about the casting choices that were made and the bald eagle that was used in the film. In English, not subtitled. (8 min).

• Commentary - this exclusive audio commentary was recorded by Philippe Mora and critic Nathaniel Thompson. I listened to the entire commentary and found it very interesting. Director Mora discusses in great detail how A Breed Apart materialized, the specific themes that he wanted to channel through it, the home video distribution of the film, the casting choices that were made, Maurice Gibb's unusual soundtrack, etc.

A Breed Apart Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It is clear that A Breed Apart was a very personal project for Philippe Mora, though I cannot say that what mattered the most to him in it is the reason I enjoyed it. A Breed Apart is a small film and it would be impossible to rank it among Rutger Hauer and Powers Boothe's best films, but it is very well made and quite atmospheric. I think that in some ways it is rather similar to John Boorman's cult classic Deliverance. Shout Factory's release is sourced from a very solid exclusive new 2K master and features a new commentary and program with Mora. RECOMMENDED.