6.7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A professional hitman from New York travels to Buenos Aires for his latest assignment and becomes involved with a local tango dancer.
Starring: Robert Duvall, Rubén Blades, Kathy Baker, Luciana Pedraza, Julio Oscar MechosoDrama | 100% |
Romance | 10% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Crime | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Robert Duvall's "Assassination Tango" (2002) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Sandpiper Pictures. The only bonus feature on the release is a vintage trailer for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
The gringo that came to Buenos Aires to do a job
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Assassination Tango arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Sandpiper Pictures.
The release is sourced from an older master that was supplied by MGM. The master isn't plagued by compromising digital adjustments and gives the film a mostly decent organic experience. However, in some areas, its limitations are rather easy to spot. For example, close-ups usually look good or very good, plus some of the indoor footage retains surprisingly good nuances. Virtually all of the larger panoramic shots and nighttime footage reveal softness and ultimately have native detail that isn't properly exposed (see screencaptures #11, 17, and 18). To be clear, they do not disappoint either, but have a dated appearance and on a larger screen it becomes very easy to tell that they should be more convincing. Color balance is good. If the film is fully and properly remastered in 2K or 4K, saturation levels will be improved and some supporting nuances expanded, but at the moment I do not see any serious issues. Image stability is good. I noticed a few dark flecks and spots, but there are no distracting large cuts, debris, warped or torn frames to report. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. Yellow subtitles appear for the small portions of dialog in Spanish.
The audio is clear and sharp. The range of nuanced dynamics is lovely, too. While viewing the film, I felt that a couple of sequences where the music suddenly becomes prominent could have been balanced slightly better, but this is probably something that only a brand new mix can address. Overall, the current 5.1 track, which was almost certainly prepared during the DVD era, handles the original soundtrack very well.
What happens to professional hitmen that live long enough to begin feeling old? I have pondered this very interesting question in the past and think that it depends on what era they came from. There are a few quite intriguing books about professional hitmen that were active during the Cold War, and of course, there are plenty of good books about hitmen that did various jobs for the mafia. I have gone through quite a few and my impression is that usually the former were very carefully trained perfectionists, while the latter were mostly a motley crew of hired executioners. The best of the best were probably a lot like the character Robert Duvall plays in Assassination Tango, incredible chameleons but loners that quietly aged and then exited the business the right way. I liked this film when I saw it theatrically some years ago and think that it has aged very, very well. Duvall is outstanding in it. Sandpiper Pictures' Blu-ray release is sourced from an older but pretty decent master that was supplied by MGM. RECOMMENDED.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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