6.8 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
When someone gets killed during a bank robbery by Deans, half-breed Billy Two Hats and their partner, the robbers flee. Sheriff Gifford tracks the robbers, killing one of them and capturing Billy. Deans escapes, but during a successful plot to free Billy from the Sheriff, Deans is shot, leaving him unable to walk or ride a horse. Billy, not wanting to abandon his friend, builds an Indian cot to drag Deans behind the horse. With the Sheriff hot on their trail, Deans and Billy try to stay one step ahead of the many obstacles which threaten their lives and freedom.
Starring: Gregory Peck, Desi Arnaz Jr., Jack Warden, David Huddleston, Sian Barbara AllenWestern | 100% |
Romance | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.67:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.66:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
None
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
1974’s “Billy Two Hats” is a western that’s primarily focused on the evolution of its characters, refusing most genre habits to retain dramatic intensity with three-dimensional personalities. Director Ted Kotcheff has a vision for the picture, sticking close to charged encounters and long stares, braiding hostilities with serene Israeli locations to give the effort considerable cinematic weight. “Billy Two Hats” looks terrific (shot wonderfully by Brian West) and it has all the ambition in the world to be the rare western that’s interested in intimate encounters, yet Kotcheff can’t find a pace to the feature that rewards time invested, making the movie feel endless when it actually quests to be profound.
The AVC encoded image (1.67:1 aspect ratio) presentation for "Billy Two Hats" deals with a degree of softness due to age and cinematographic limitations, though detail isn't completely wiped clean, with close-ups registering encouraging texture and vistas open for inspection. Colors look a little fatigued, with blue skies and greenery providing the most punch, though costumes are preserved. Skintones are natural. Grain is heavy but filmic, never overtly problematic. Delineation isn't strong, but it's passable, showing some signs of struggle with dense hair and low-lit scenes. Source is in adequate shape, with a few bursts of debris, scratches, and some speckling.
The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix is on the quiet side, requiring a boost of volume to bring out its definition. Dialogue exchanges are sparse, but they register as intended, managing strange accents and violence intensity decently. Sloppy ADR work is easily detected. Scoring is crisp and clean, carrying the mood with confidence. Atmospherics are interesting, capturing environmental changes and group activity. A small degree of hiss is detected.
"Billy Two Hats" wins points for severity, with a few plot turns delivering unexpected harshness as suspense gasps for oxygen. There just isn't enough power to the feature to make it strike as hard as Kotcheff imagines.
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