7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
When Lieutenant Joe Costa learns that his men died because the commander, Captain Cooney, was too much of a coward to join the fight, Costa issues a serious warning: Don't let it happen again! But Cooney's cowardice forces Costa into a fateful choice: continue to risk the lives of his men...or take the life of the captain!
Starring: Jack Palance, Eddie Albert, Lee Marvin, Robert Strauss, Richard JaeckelWar | 100% |
Drama | 81% |
Action | 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 2.0
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Robert Aldrich's "Attack!" (1956) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The only bonus feature on the disc is a vintage theatrical trailer for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
Where's the backup?
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Attack! arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.
The release is sourced from an older master that was supplied by MGM. Even though it is quite obvious that ideally the grain structure should be tighter and better defined, the master is actually quite strong. I was very surprised to see how well the visuals hold on a larger screen, especially the darker ones where the grain almost begins to look noisy. For example, depth remains very pleasing and in many areas shadow definition ranges from very good to extremely good. In wider panoramic shots there is also good background information. Furthermore, the entire master is graded very convincingly, though there is a bit of room for improvements in terms of saturation levels. Image stability excellent. There are no traces of problematic digital work and this is the main reason why the master has such pleasing organic qualities. Again, a new 2K or 4K master will reveal noticeably tighter visuals -- for reference, see the recent release of Robert Aldrich's The Big Knife, which is sourced from a fresh 2K master -- but this is a solid, healthy and overall very fine presentation of the film. My score is 3.75/5.00. (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 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.
The audio is clear and stable. Given the nature of the action, there are more than a few areas with intense dynamic movement, but do not expect it to match the oomph of modern soundtracks. I did not notice any potentially distracting age-related imperfection, but on the other hand I must admit that my eyes were glued to the screen. My impression is that when the folks at MGM prepared the current master, the audio was properly transferred and all of its native qualities are retained.
Very few war films mix heroism and cynicism because it has to be done with convincing authority and a clear vision of a worthy objective. If the mix is not managed right, you end up with a film that rubs a whole lot of different people the wrong way. Attack!, one of Robert Aldrich's greatest films, is so cynical that at times it almost hurts, but it is the very reason why it gets right the definition of a war hero. This recent release is sourced from an older but nice organic master that was supplied by MGM. Unfortunately, it does not have any meaningful bonus features. Nevertheless, I encourage you to pick it up for your library. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
1968
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Limited Edition to 3000 - SOLD OUT
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Special Edition
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Warner Archive Collection
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2011
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Unrated Director's Cut
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