Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Almost Human Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 20, 2019

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

Even back in the old days Umberto Lenzi’s Almost Human was a bit difficult to swallow. It is very rough, almost to the point of being nihilistic, and it has a few parts where it actually looks like Lenzi isn’t fully in control of the cast.

Tomas Milian is Giulio Sacchi, a working-class troublemaker who does not remember the last time he had a job. He is penniless and miserable, but instead of trying to get a job and change his life, he prefers to blame the system and all the people like the ill mother of his girlfriend (Anita Strindberg) who have supported it over the years.

While picking up his girlfriend at a local factory, Giulio finally crafts a brilliant plan to permanently redirect his life -- he will kidnap the young and beautiful daughter (Laura Belli) of the billionaire that owns the factory and demand a huge ransom that will instantly make him a rich man. Then he begins looking for a couple of trusted assistants to help him execute his plan, fully convinced that with the right crew it will work exactly as he has imagined it. However, a few days later Giulio is forced to kill a cop who sees him stealing, and when an investigation is launched detective Walter Grandi (an excellent Henry Silva), an old pro with great instincts, begins tracking him down. Unaware that he has become a target, Giulio hires the right men for the job and they go to work.

The gang corners the girl in a secluded area, but after her boyfriend is killed she runs away and seeks help in a secluded villa whose owners have welcomed guests to have a good time together. Giulio and his assistants follow her and round up the whole group, threatening to kill anyone that attempts to slow down their plan. At first it seems like the plan might work, but then Giulio blows a fuse and all hell breaks loose.

Instead of surprising twists and turns Almost Human uses hyper energy and unbridled violence to make its story exciting, and whether it succeeds is something that will probably be debated for as long as the film is available to see. Indeed, there is plenty of material that essentially tiptoes the line that separates exploitation films and ‘normal’ films, and the more time one spends with Milian’s character, the clearer it becomes that Lenzi did not care. Justified? It is hard to say because on one hand the criminals are depicted in the worst possible light, so when Silva’s character eventually offers them a dose of their own medicine it simply feels right. On the other hand, Milian’s enthusiasm blurs some of the contrasts that the film is supposedly trying to highlight and consequently one could easily conclude that it is actually promoting what it condemns. (Classic vigilante films like Street Law and Death Wish have very similar flaws, but next to Almost Human they actually look rather restrained).

Federico Zanni’s cinematography is a bit choppy but so is the editing and this is the main reason why from time to time some of the footage appears a bit uneven. Interestingly, Ennio Morricone’s tense score actually helps some of the most chaotic footage look quite a bit more convincing than it actually is.

*In the United States, local label Grindhouse Releasing is preparing a Blu-ray release of Lenzi’s film The Tough Ones, another violent thriller with Milian, where Zanni’s work is much better. The release is expected to arrive on the market later this year.

Almost Human Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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).

Almost Human 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 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.

Almost Human Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailers - a collection of trailers for other titles from Code Red's catalog.

• The Outlaw - in this new video interview, director Umberto Lenzi discusses the socio-political environment in which Almost Human emerged, the nature of crime activity in Italy at the time when film was shot, the changing underworld, the production history of the film, etc. The interview was conducted by Federico Caddeo. In Italian, with imposed English subtitles. (29 min, 480/60i).

Almost Human Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

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.