A Man Called Sledge Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

A Man Called Sledge Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 25, 2016

Vic Morrow's "A Man Called Sledge" (1970) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Swiss label Explosive Media. The supplemental features on the disc include original trailers for the film; extended/alternate footage; and promotional materials. In English or German, with optional English and German subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Sledge

The famous bandit Sledge (James Garner, The Americanization of Emily, The Fan) meets an old man (John Marley, Faces) who tells him about a large load of gold worth $300,000 that is transported from a mine to a prison fortress. Sledge gathers his men and together they decide to steal the gold but are quickly forced to change their plan after they realize that it is guarded by forty heavily armed soldiers.

The new plan is so ambitious that even Sledge’s right-hand man Ward (Dennis Weaver, Duel at Diablo) doubts that it would work. They will have to get inside the fortress and steal the gold after it is deposited in a massive safe, which is placed next to the cells where some of the area’s biggest bandits are kept. The plan can only work if the bandits are released so that in the ensuing chaos Sledge and his men can find a way to exit the prison alive.

Vic Morrow’s western A Man Called Sledge is a rather unusual project. It teams up a number of big American stars and it seems like it actually wants to replicate some of the qualities that define the classic American noir films. For example, there is an obvious sense of fatalism that permeates the film, and every single character, including Sledge, has some flaws that essentially blur that clear line that separates the “good” guys from the “bad” guys. Furthermore, there is hardly any of the visual glamour that is so prominent in the European spaghetti westerns from the same era. Here the few panoramic vistas emerge naturally, not as carefully framed highlights whose role is to enhance the intended period vibe.

These subtle changes make the film’s otherwise fairly straightforward story a lot more intriguing. Indeed, it is not that difficult to figure out how the film would end, but there is a lot that happens between Sledge and his men that can surprise plenty of viewers. They have the freedom to make unorthodox decisions and even question each other’s logic when the film seems largely reluctant to do so. A lot of these men also do not feel that friendship and loyalty are worth much and as a result their unity always looks questionable. The uncertainty that emerges is refreshing and gives the film a huge dose of credibility.

Many of the secondary characters are actually played by prominent Italian actors. The beautiful Laura Antonelli is Ria, who is madly in love with Sledge but fears that she won’t be able to grow old with him. The great Laura Betti, who worked with many of Italian cinema’s greatest masters, can be seen in a couple of scenes. Bruno Corazarri is one of the bandits.

The film was lensed by cinematographer Luigi Kuveiller, whose credits include such cult hits as Elio Petri’s A Quiet Place in the Country and Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion, Lucio Fulci’s A Lizard in a Woman's Skin, and Dario Argento’s Deep Red.

The catchy song "Other Men's Gold" that is heard multiple times throughout the film is sung by Stefan Grossman.

A Man Called Sledge Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.40:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Vic Morrow's A Man Called Sledge arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Swiss label Explosive Media.

There are a few very tiny scratches and blemishes that pop up here and there as well as some extremely light fading and color instability during a couple of sequences, but the film has a very pleasing organic appearance. To be clear, there are no traces of compromising degraining and sharpening adjustments. Colors also have not been digitally boosted. Contrast levels remain stable. There are a few sequences where the brightness levels fluctuate a bit, but these fluctuations pop up quickly and only where the light fading emerges. Image stability is good, though a few shaky transitions can be spotted. Finally, there are no basic encoding anomalies to report in our review. So the master that was used to source the release was obviously prepared a while ago, but it has very good organic qualities. My score is 3.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to access its content regardless of your geographical location).

A Man Called Sledge Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0 and German LPCM 2.0. Optional English and German subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they split the image frame and the black bar below it.

The original English track is quite good. During the shootouts sharpness and clarity are rather impressive, but overall depth can be rather modest. It does appear, however, that this is a production limitation, as many of the mass scenes are shot in wide open spaces. The dialog is clean and easy to follow. There are no audio dropouts or digital distortions to report in our review.

A Man Called Sledge Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer Galerie - original trailers for A Man Called Sledge. In English and German, not subtitled. (7 min).

• Vorspann Varianten - extended/alternate opening footage. In English, not subtitled. (11 min).

• Bildergalerie - a gallery of original promotional materials for A Man Called Sledge from around the world. With music. (3 min).

• Cover - reversible cover.

A Man Called Sledge Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

James Garner plays a fearless bandit who decides to steal a large load of gold from a heavily guarded prison fortress in the noirish western A Man Called Sledge. Currently, the film is available on Blu-ray only via the excellent Swiss label Explosive Media, which continues to release great classic westerns and action films with very attractive price tags. Consider adding it to your collections, and also explore the label's wonderful catalog, which is full of similar gems. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.