Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		4.0

Angels Hard as They Come Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 30, 2024

Joe Viola's "Angels Hard as They Come" (1971) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Signal One Entertainment. The only bonus feature on the release is a gallery of stills. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Even by 1970s standards, which were notoriously flexible and will never again be possible, Angels Hard as They Come is one hell of a risky directorial debut. Joe Viola directed it from a screenplay he co-wrote with first-time writer Jonathan Demme. However, it takes approximately twenty or so minutes to realize that the people before the camera are not doing scripted parts. Scott Glenn, Charles Dierkop, and Gary Busey might have looked at and memorized a few lines here and there, but they get pulled into a legit mayhem that could not have been scripted. A lot of the rough material is one hundred percent authentic, and the one that is partially staged features some genuinely dangerous improvisations that could not have been covered by an insurance company.

The entire film is set somewhere in the dusty South, where The Angels are about to make some serious money from a drug deal. At the right spot, their man, Long John (Glenn), meets the buyer with the money, but the cops appear and the deal falls apart. Before they head in opposite directions to evade the cops, Long John and the buyer arrange to meet several days later, at a different spot, deep into the desert.

A few hours later, at a gas station, The Angels run into several members of The Dragons and accept an invitation to attend a wild party with other bikers and hippies in a ghost town. The party does not disappoint -- there is plenty of free food, booze, and drugs. Much to his surprise, Long John also has his heart melted by a beautiful blonde (Gilda Texter) with a simple philosophy of life. But when several boozed-up bikers attempt to gang rape the blonde and in the ensuing brawl she is accidentally murdered, The Dragons round Long John and his brothers, and then their leader, the General (Dierkop), declares that they will be tried before him. Shortly after, the accused are found guilty and told that justice is about to be served -- slowly and very, very painfully. But one of the hippies, Henry (Busey), decides to help the accused escape certain death.

The film has a low-budget appearance that helps it look very authentic. (Demme also produced it with assistance from Roger Corman). In some areas, it produces visuals that easily could have been used in a vintage documentary about bikers and hippies during the 1970s. Some of these visuals feature great panoramic footage, while some are notably rougher and capture violence that is completely unfiltered.

The crucial glue that holds everything together is the energy of the cast, which most of the time feels uncontrollable. Interestingly, in a big mainstream film about bikers like The Angels and The Dragons, the same type of energy would have accomplished precisely the opposite because it erodes all proper character arcs and dramatic build-ups. Stone Cold is one such big mainstream film with terrific character arcs and dramatic build-ups. It is rough and violent too, but a lot of it is very carefully controlled, including the energy of the cast, to deliver high-octane, enormously entertaining action.

The locations are impressive yet unglamorous. It would have been interesting to hear how they were chosen because they look exactly like the type of locations dangerous bikers would pass through on their way to a secret drug deal. The ghost town was built at Paramount Ranch, but it could easily be mistaken for a real abandoned town that was a popular destination for all kinds of different shady characters, not just bikers.

Stephen Katz began his career as a cinematographer on this film as well. Katz then went on to lense such cult gems as Switchblade Sisters, Messiah of Evil, Las Vegas Lady, The Kentucky Fried Movie, and The Blues Brothers.

Angels Hard as They Come 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, Angels Hard as They Come arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Signal One Entertainment.

The release is sourced from a wonderful recent 2K master that was struck from an interpositive. On my system, the entire film looked fantastic, almost brand new. Excluding a few white nicks that I spotted during the opening credits, the rest had the type of consistent, attractive organic appearance that makes revisiting older films on Blu-ray a real treat. The cinematography does introduce a few small density fluctuations, but even in these areas delineation, clarity, and depth are terrific. Color reproduction is fantastic as well. All primaries are nicely saturated and healthy, while the supporting nuances are wonderfully balanced. Image stability is great. Is there any room for improvement? A few minor encoding optimizations could have been introduced for optimal results, but I think that the current presentation is terrific. My score is 4.75/5.00. (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).

Angels Hard as They Come 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.

Clarity and sharpness are good. However, more often than not the audio feels slightly compressed, lacking great depth and attractive, stable roundness. But I suspect that this is an inherited limitation because Angels Hard as They Come shot with a modest budget and mostly in an environment with plenty of natural sounds and noises. Also, the audio is very healthy, too, so age-related anomalies cannot be blamed for the unevenness/fluctuations. When viewing the film, I suggest turning up the volume of your audio system slightly more than where you usually like to have it.

Angels Hard as They Come Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Stills - a collection of stills.

Angels Hard as They Come Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It is wild that a legitimately rough cult film like Angels Hard as They Come launched the careers of so many very talented people. It could have permanently handicapped the same people, and ended the careers of a few more that had already started to build proper resumes. A bigger budget and a longer and moodier trip through the dusty South easily could have transformed Angels Hard as They Come into a formidable rival of Easy Rider, but it is still a very solid film. Signal One Entertainment's release introduces a fabulous recent 2K restoration and is Region-Free. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.