Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Badge 373 Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 17, 2019

Howard Koch's "Badge 373" (1973) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage promotional materials for the film; new video interview with actor Randy Jurgensen; and new program with critic and film historian Glenn Kenny. The release also arrives with an illustrated booklet featuring a new essay by Michael Pattison, an archival on-set report, an overview of critical responses, and film credits. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

"Hey, Billdock, you do have a mother's instinct. You keep this stuff warm long enough, it hatches into a 237-pound monkey."

Howard Koch’s final film, Badge 373, channels the same energy and promotes the exact same uncompromising attitude that made Michael Winner’s Death Wish a genre classic. However, Koch’s film came out a year earlier.

During a large drug bust in New York City veteran Irish cop Eddie Ryan (Robert Duvall) kills a dealer connected to the Puerto Rican mafia. When his bosses kick him out of the detective squad, he gets a job in a lousy bar, where later on he learns that his old partner has been executed while investigating the same Puerto Ricans. Devastated by the loss and overwhelmed by anger, Ryan vows to find the killers of his partner and avenge his death.

However, while following his partner’s final steps Ryan stumbles upon some much bigger players and then quickly becomes a target as well. He also clashes with a gang of underground revolutionaries that are trying to smuggle a very large load of illegal weapons into San Juan. When Ryan’s persistence eventually gets his new girlfriend (Verna Bloom) killed, he declares an all-out war on the Puerto Ricans.

Koch’s film tells a good story, but it is not what makes it special. The film is worth tracking down because it is a genuine ‘70s fireball that crushes all of the safety filters that over time made these types of police thrillers obsolete. In other words, the confrontation between Ryan and the Puerto Ricans is something of a ruse that allows Koch to carve open New York City’s underbelly and then offer an authentic glimpse at the gutter where the law is meaningless and brute force rules.

The place that emerges is dark and cynical, and is populated by countless predators doing whatever it takes to protect their territory, which is why Ryan, who is a complete outsider, has no other option but to emulate them in order to stay alive. As the film progresses, Ryan’s transformation effectively overtakes the main story. The various intrigues and twists that shape up the confrontation that is at the heart of the story are not pointless, but the anger that consumes the veteran cop becomes the focus of attention. While observing the gutter as well as the lawlessness and corruption that make its existence possible, one begins to understand why only a fearless vigilante can make a difference there. Ryan does too, which is why it is only a matter of time before all hell breaks loose.

Badge 373 is impossible not to compare to Death Wish and The French Connection. Duval’s character is actually something of a replica of the iconic Eddie Egan, who together with his partner Sonny Grosso took down the big crime syndicate in New York City that became famous as The French Connection. Robin Moore’s book, which chronicles Egan’s work, inspired William Friedkin’s film. On the other hand, Duval’s character has a lot in common with Charles Bronson’s Paul Kersey. They are both loners and big believers in the law of retaliation.

The real Eddie Egan has a small part in the film. He plays the sacked cop’s most trusted pal in the police department, Scanlon. Also, while working for the NYPD Egan’s badge number was 373.

Koch was able to secure the services of cinematographer Arthur J. Ornitz, whose on-location shooting and management of light and shadow often leave the impression that the events in the film take place in real time. Ornitz also lensed Death Wish as well as Sidney Lumet's '70s classic Serpico.

Badge 373 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, Badge 373 arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films.

I have the first release of the film in my library which Olive Films produced in 2012 and as far as I can tell this release is sourced from the same remaster that emerged from Paramount's vaults. I like it a lot. I don't know if any additional tweaks were done for this release, but its basic characteristics look pretty much identical to me. (The framing discrepancy is meaningless). So, there are a few darker areas where depth could be slightly better, plus ideally some finer nuances should be better defined, but as far as I am concerned these would be cosmetic improvements that will not alter significantly the look of the film. Why? Because density levels are already very good, and because virtually all of the noticeable fluctuations that emerge throughout the film are part of the original cinematography. It is very easy to tell that it is so because there is plenty of on-location shooting that allows light and shadow(s) to freely enter the film, which is why it has that very familiar '70s edgy, borderline documentary appearance. Also, while a tad dated the color grading job is actually very convincing and supportive of these organic cinematographic qualities, and there really are only a couple of places where some highlights can be rebalanced. The rest looks very, very nice, and as implied above there are no traces of problematic digital corrections. (This is also the case with the Olive Films release). Image stability is very good. A few tiny specks pop up here and there, but there are no large distracting debris, cuts, damage marks, warped or torn frames to report. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Badge 373 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The film's soundtrack welcomes a variety of organic sounds and noises -- street noise, club chatter, car noise, etc. -- so it is not at all surprising that occasionally some unevenness is noticeable. Dynamic intensity, however, is quite good, and during the action footage there are enough spikes and drops that make things interesting. Basically, the lossless track replicates the native period qualities of the original soundtrack.

Badge 373 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Lethal Forces - in this new video program, critic and film historian Glenn Kenny discusses the emergence of the 'tough cop' films during the '70s in America and some of the unique qualities that defined them. There are specific observations about the style and appearance of Badge 373 as well. In English, not subtitled. (29 min).

• Randy Jurgensen: Welcome to Fear City - in this new video interview, Randy Jurgensen, who has a small role in Badge 373, remembers ho the film was made and explains how accurately it reflects the reality that id depicts (and he merged from). There are some very interesting observations about Eddie Egan and his expertise as well. In English, not subtitled. (25 min).

• Trailer - a vintage trailer for Badge 373. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• TV Spot - a vintage TV Spot for Badge 373. In English, not subtitled. (1 min).

• Radio Spots - vintage radio spots for Badge 373. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Image Gallery - a collection of vintage promotional materials for the film.

• Booklet - a limited edition exclusive 36-page booklet with a new essay by Michael Pattison, an archival on-set report, an overview of critical responses, and film credits.

Badge 373 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Badge 373 is a very close relative of The French Connection, Death Wish, and Dirty Harry. In other words, it is an edgy thriller from the '70s about a vigilante cop that understands and delivers justice in a very particular, painful way. I think that it is a very solid genre film and when Olive Films released it on Blu-ray in 2012 I immediately picked up a copy for my library. This upcoming release from Indicator/Powerhouse Films appears to have been sourced from the same remaster that Paramount supplied for the North American release, but it has a couple of interesting new bonus features. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.