6.2 | / 10 |
Users | 3.7 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.7 |
Hiding under the FBI Witness Protection Program, Rick Jarmin (Mel Gibson) gets nervous when old flame Marianne Graves (Goldie Hawn) recognizes him. But before he can assume a new identity, the man he put in jail (David Carradine) is released and comes to pay his respects. Rick and Marianne find themselves thrown together on a cross-country scramble, barely evading the gangsters, police and an amorous veterinarian (Joan Severance).
Starring: Mel Gibson, Goldie Hawn, David Carradine, Bill Duke, Stephen TobolowskyRomance | 100% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Crime | Insignificant |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
John Badham's "Bird on a Wire" (1990) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include exclusive new audio commentary recorded by John Badham, producer and second unit director Rob Cohen, and filmmaker Daniel Kremer, as well as vintage trailer. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Bird on a Wire arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.
The release is sourced from a very healthy and very beautiful new 2K master. I have only one minor criticism that I would like to mention first, because everything else looked simply terrific on my system. For some reason, these wonderful 2K masters that the folks at Kino Lorber are creating for some older films turn out a little darker than they should and in indoor/nighttime footage light crushing begins to creep in. When it happens, minor nuances are lost. This was particularly obvious on the otherwise very good 2K master that was created for The Hot Spot as well. My guess is that something needs to be adjusted during the color-grading process, but I feel uncomfortable insisting that this is the exact area that needs to be addressed. But it happens to be the area where the imbalance is obvious. On this release, this is not a serious issue of concern, but I still noticed that a few areas are producing very light crushing again. The rest is great. Delineation, depth, clarity, and fluidity are very pleasing. There are a few minor density fluctuations, but they are part of the original cinematography. As you can tell from the screencaptures that are included with our review, the main color values are outstanding as well. Image stability is very good. All in all, this is a very solid organic presentation that makes viewing Bird on a Wire quite a treat. My score is 4.75/5.00. (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. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.
The lossless track is very solid. It boasts very nice sharpness, clarity, and depth. Dynamic intensity is good too, but I think that this film needs a good 5.1 track as well. It has a lot of terrific action footage that could greatly benefit from a 5.1 track. The dialog is always clear and very easy to follow. There are no technical anomalies to report in our review.
Bird on a Wire is just a great summer film. Of course, it is silly and unbelievable, quite possibly half a dozen other things that 'good' films are not supposed to be as well, but the standards with which it ought to be judged are different. I enjoy it quite a lot because it blends old-fashioned but proper action with loose yet relaxing comedy, which is a winning formula that the current crop of politically correct summer films have transformed into something of a lost art. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from a lovely new 2K master and features a terrific exclusive audio commentary with director John Badham, producer and second unit director Rob Cohen, and critic Daniel Kremer. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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