6.7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A biography of Milanese bank robber Renato Vallanzasca.
Starring: Kim Rossi Stuart, Filippo Timi, Moritz Bleibtreu, Valeria Solarino, Paz VegaDrama | 100% |
Foreign | 99% |
Crime | 22% |
Biography | 13% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Italian: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Italian: Dolby Digital 5.1
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Screened at the Venice Film Festival, Michele Placido's "Vallanzasca - Gli angeli del male" a.k.a. "Angels of Evil" (2010) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Artificial Eye. The supplemental features on the disc include the film's original Italian trailer; four deleted scenes; making of featurette; and a short video interview with actor Kim Rossi Stuart. In Italian, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
A man of action - Renato Vallanzasca
Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Michele Placido's Vallanzasca - Gli angeli del male a.k.a Angels of Evil arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Artificial Eye.
As expected, Artificial Eye's high-definition transfer is of exceptionally high-quality. Though colors and contrast levels fluctuate as Vallanzasca transforms into a legend, as intended, detail and clarity are fantastic. Occasionally, the film does have a slightly faded look, but again, the effect is intentional, especially before the tragic bank robbery. Edge-enhancement is never a serious issues of concern. I did not see any traces of excessive noise reduction or serious compression issues to report in this review either. On the contrary, when blown through a digital projector the film conveys outstanding depth and excellent fluidity. All in all, this is a terrific release, very much on par with the one 20th Century Fox-Italia produced for the Italian market. (Note: Despite the fact that the back cover indicates a Region-B only status, this is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).
There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Dolby Digital 5.1. For the record, Artificial Eye have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they split the image frame and the black bar below it.
The Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is excellent. As I mentioned in our review for the Italian Blu-ray release, it enhances the action scenes and boosts the strong retro soundtrack very well. In fact, there are two shootouts that rival that famous sequence from Heat where Al Pacino's men go after Robert De Niro's robbers -- the sound is remarkably crisp and intense. The dialog is clean, stable, and very easy to follow. As expected, the English translation is of exceptionally high quality.
Note: The supplemental features included on this Blu-ray disc are encoded in PAL. Therefore, in order to view them in North America you must have a Region-Free player capable of converting PAL to NTSC.
Michele Placido's Angels of Evil is an entertaining Italian gangster film that follows the steps of Jacques Maillot's Rivals and Jean-Francois Richet's more recent Mesrine Parts 1 & 2 - Killer Instinct / Public Enemy Number 1. I personally like director Placido's previous film, Romanzo Criminale, a lot more, and hope that Icon Home Entertainment will release it on Blu-ray sooner rather than later.
As expected, Artificial Eye's presentation of Angels of Evil is of exceptionally high quality. Let's hope that in 2012 we will see more of the terrific films they distribute released on Blu-ray. RECOMMENDED.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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