Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Black List Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 22, 2024

Alain Bonnot's "Black List" a.k.a. "Liste Noire" (1984) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Fun City Editions. The supplemental features on the release include critic Walter Chaw and vintage promotional materials for the film. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

It is a setup. A very obvious one. However, the three teenagers are unable to tell because the older guy in front of them effectively distracts them with questions about their maturity. The most insecure but most vocal of the three teenagers quickly declares that they are ready to do the job. It will be done tomorrow, as planned, and then they shall all move on with their lives. The job is robbing a busy branch of a local bank.

The teenagers enter the branch at the right time, and the older guy, having carefully followed them from afar, immediately makes a phone call. When the person on the other side of the line answers, the older guy reveals what the teenagers are about to do. The alarm goes off, the heavy doors lock from the inside, and the teenagers begin panicking. The most insecure one once again attempts to take control of the situation and demands that the cashier in front of him loads his bag with money.

In a different part of town, the old guy’s partners use the traffic jam the robbery has created to divert a bank truck to a secluded industrial area. They use a bazooka to blow up its doors, kill the security guards, and quickly transfer several big bags with cash to their car.

Meanwhile, having surrounded the entire area where the teenagers are, a police inspector and his men begin negotiating with them. The inspector also contacts Jeanne Dufour (Annie Girardot), the mother of one of the teenagers, a girl (Sandrine Dumas), who immediately abandons her job and jumps in her car. The inspector and Dufour fail to convince the teenagers to surrender, so with the car the police provide to avoid bloodshed, they disappear into the city. In the days ahead, the teenagers go after the cheaters and the girl, already fighting regrets, is killed. Despite promising not to interfere with the ongoing investigation, Dufour begins tracking down and punishing her killers.

Even though Alain Bonnot’s Black List works with familiar material, it does not go through several conventional conflicts to reach its final destination, which is what revenge thrillers typically do. Black List is also a good psychological drama because it bends the mainstream definition of justice, which dictates that the law and those who represent it have the final say on how it is practiced. Black List also reexamines the justice seeker, though the takes on its variations are the obvious two, both of which have been used in countless other films.

The girl’s tragic death is the catalyst of the serious drama that is used to do the bending. Dufour undergoes a massive character transformation that makes her an equal rival of her daughter's killers and after that Black List begins speculating whether she is still a heartbroken mother or also an unleashed killer but with better motives to commit crimes. This material, where Dufour is on the warpath and all of the questioning occurs, will undoubtedly inspire many viewers to compare Black List to Death Wish.

But Black List does not have the same macho attitude Death Wish does. It has plenty of graphic material, but it is a distinctly French film that never reveals any ambitions to be an impostor. It is almost certainly the reason Girardot agreed to do it, too. Black List taps into the human psyche, concerned that judging people is always a complicated business.

Bonnot’s director of photography was Jean-Francois Robin, who lensed one of the quintessential French films of the ‘80s, Betty Blue.

Black List Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in it an aspect ratio of 1.67:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Black List arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Fun City Editions.

Black List looks wonderful in high-definition. It is easy to tell that it has been recently restored, and it is even easier to tell that someone made sure it looks right. Indeed, delineation, clarity, and depth range from very good to occasionally even excellent. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. Color balance is very convincing. There are no awkward tints or color swings, so all primaries and supporting nuances look great. I did not notice any troubling encoding anomalies. If there is any room for optimizations, I think that they would be in areas that already look very, very good. The surface of the visuals is healthy. (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).

Black List Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The lossless track is excellent. The audio is full, nicely rounded, and very sharp. There is quite a bit of action throughout the film and dynamic intensity is excellent. I thought that car crashes and shootouts were terrific. All exchanges are clear and easy to follow. The English transition is excellent.

Black List Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critic Walter Chaw.

• Image Gallery - a collection of vintage promotional and publicity materials for Black List. With music. (3 min).

• Seeing Red Trailer - an original trailer for the Seeing Red collection. (2 min).

• FCE Reel - a collection of trailers for other Fun City Editions Blu-ray releases. (7 min).

Black List Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The final of the three films in the Seeing Red: 3 French Vigilante Thrillers collection is the best. An aging Annie Girardot begins tracking down the killers of her teenage daughter and quickly becomes like them. Is she a criminal too? Or is she a devastated parent who does not trust the justice system to deliver, well, justice? Black List has been recently restored and looks wonderful on Blu-ray. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.