7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A psychotic small-time criminal realizes that the everyday robberies, rapes and murders he commits aren't making him all that much money, so he figures to hit the "big time" by kidnapping the daughter of a rich man.
Starring: Tomas Milián, Henry Silva, Laura Belli, Gino Santercole, Mario PiaveHorror | 100% |
Foreign | 95% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Crime | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
None
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Umberto Lenzi's "Almost Human" a.k.a. "The Executioner" (1974) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Code Red. The supplemental features on the disc include an exclusive video interview with the Italian director and a gallery of trailers. In English, without optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
The brute
Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Umberto Lenzi's Almost Human arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Code Red.
The release is sourced from a good new remaster that was color-corrected in the United States. I like it, but I must point out that it is not quite as impressive as the one that was used for the recent release of Enzo G. Castellari's Street Law.
Overall the film looks very healthy and there are no traces of problematic digital work. Depth and density are good, but there are some minor yet noticeable fluctuations that are not part of the original cinematography. Also, some light black crush occasionally sneaks in and as a result some random scenes could appear a bit thicker and even flatter than the rest of the film. But there are still a variety of healthy nuances, and on a larger screen the visuals tend to hold up well. With the exception of the opening titles which are a bit shaky, color stability and balance are very good. All in all, even though there is some room for improvement, the Blu-ray release represents a convincing upgrade in quality over previous home video releases of Almost Human. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are not provided for the main feature.
The audio is stable and the dialog is easy to follow. However, if you turn up the volume a lot, in the background it becomes easy to recognize some light background hiss. It is not distracting, and I did not detect any distortions with it, but this is something that an elaborate restoration would have addressed. There are no audio dropouts to report.
I can't agree with folks who have argued that Almost Human is Umberto Lenzi's best crime film. It is certainly his roughest one, at times actually resembling an exploitation thriller that is just having a lot of nasty fun. It is definitely worth seeing and I think that this Blu-ray release is also worth owning because it has a very interesting exclusive new interview with Lenzi, but if you enjoy these types of genre films, I would encourage you to keep an eye on Grindhouse Releasing's upcoming release of The Tough Ones. I personally think that it is a more effective Lenzi film with more of the classic action that made the poliziotteschi famous. Kudos to Code Red for giving a lot of these older Italian genre film the solid releases they deserve. RECOMMENDED.
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