5.8 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A bank temporarily housed in a mobile home while a new building is built, looks like an easy target to break into. On the other hand, why not steal the whole bank, and rob it in a safer location.
Starring: George C. Scott, Joanna Cassidy, Sorrell Booke, Clifton James, Bob BalabanCrime | 100% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.33:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 16-bit)
BDInfo
None
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
While George C. Scott was already a respected actor who consistently worked in Hollywood, his post-“Patton” run of pictures reads like a to-do list of genres and career opportunities that couldn’t be passed up. After famously refusing at accept the Academy Award for his turn as the iconic WWII general, Scott was transformed into a bankable star, filling the 1970s with oddball career choices, perhaps to keep himself (a notoriously humorless man) entertained. One of the silliest professional detours is 1974’s “Bank Shot,” which is actually an adaptation of a Donald E. Westlake novel, with the central character John Dortmunder transformed into Walter Upjohn Ballentine, set loose in a bank caper that’s all about broad antics. “Bank Shot” is a strange update of classic comedies from the 1930s, with a sizable cast supporting Scott as he strives to play weird as quietly as possible, letting the rest of the feature lose itself to periodic chaos and exaggerated performances. The film doesn’t always come together as a hilarious joyride of colliding personalities, but it does find occasional inspiration, especially when it explores its snappy timing in full.
The AVC encoded image (2.33:1 aspect ratio) presentation shows its age, but not in crippling manner. Exteriors are bright and detailed, while close-ups capture the strangeness of character decoration, including make-up work and sweaty concentration. There's softness to contend with, but period cinematography survives. Colors are slightly muted but not washed away, keeping California blue skies in view, while costuming brings out a bold range of hues. Skintones are natural. Grain is present and handled tastefully, and filmic qualities remain. Delineation is secured during evening activities, with distances and darkness handled well. Print is in decent shape, with speckling and some minor scratches detected.
The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix is perhaps best with scoring cues, which sound bold and clear, supplying encouraging instrumentation. Dialogue exchanges are muted by the inherent sound quality choices, where voices are often competing with street life, making intelligibility challenging at times. Atmospherics are aggressive but not too distracting, and the group dynamic is satisfactory. Hiss is noticeable throughout the listening experience.
"Bank Shot" takes a few interesting turns as the crime is carried out by the gang, who, despite their best efforts to steal the bank and hide it from prying eyes, still have to deal with an uncrackable safe, impervious to drills, heat, and explosives. While there's little here that's fresh, there's plenty of entertaining asides and scams to observe, watching the gang work as a singular unit to make sure the cops don't pick up their scent. Champion goes overboard on occasion, and the ending promises sequels to come (Westlake cooked up multiple stories for the Dortmunder character), which leaves the feature anticlimactic. Still, "Bank Shot," while never hilarious, is definitely digestible, but only when accepted as an offering of pure silliness, finding the entire production only out to make the audience laugh. I hope some faint smiles and appreciative head nods will satisfy instead.
Choice Collection
1958
1978
1955
Limited Edition to 3000
1976
1996
1970
Losing Game
1930
1995
1992
2016
1957
1972
1956
1955
Limited Edition to 3000
1935
1986
1956
1964
1971
2012