Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Blast of Silence Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 6, 2023

Allen Baron's "Blast of Silence" (1961) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the release include an archival documentary produced by Robert Fischer; archival before-and-after materials; vintage trailer; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Christmas Season. It is the most beautiful time of the year and in America, from the East to the West, from the North to the South, people are getting ready to celebrate. But not Frankie Bono (Allen Baron). This Christmas Season, Frankie is working. He has traveled from Cleveland to New York to kill an influential connected man (Peter Clune) on behalf of more influential men who have grown tired of him.

After he checks in a hotel somewhere in the city, Frankie quickly tracks down his target in a quiet suburb. He is on the way up, all right. Nice house, beautiful lawn, fancy car. In a couple of years, the target will surely upgrade again. Frankie knows how these types measure success because he is from New York and has seen many of them.

But to do the job, Frankie needs a good gun with a silencer, so he reaches out to Big Ralph (Larry Tucker). Back in Cleveland, Frankie would never deal with someone like Big Ralph, but he is running out of time. Frankie wants to get the gun as quickly as possible, take out the target, get paid, and leave New York. Frankie has always had a difficult time enduring the noise and chaos of this city, and now both are amplified a hundred times by the Christmas celebrations.

As expected by Frankie, Big Ralph attempts to sell him the gun for twice the amount it is worth, but eventually, they meet in the middle. Frankie is then told when to pick up the gun from another shady character operating a boat at the harbor. Before the delivery, Frankie meets Big Ralph again, this time at a nightclub, and he attempts to renegotiate the sale with a silly threat. An hour or so later, Frankie kills the slimeball in his apartment. Mixing business with pleasure. This is how Frankie felt about the whole thing.

Meeting Lori (Molly McCarthy) again allowed Frankie to see his life from a different angle. It was not a new angle because he knew that under the right circumstances it was possible to be in a meaningful relationship and enjoy life like other guys do. But Frankie turned a new page when he quietly moved to Cleveland, and Lori and his feelings for her were part of the past. When Lori invited him to have dinner at her place, he felt different, ready to turn a new page again. An error of judgment? Yes. Frankie then fumbled again when he told his contact in Cleveland that he did not want to do the job. Bad move. An amateur move. You do not just walk out on a job like the one Frankie was sent to do.

Now, Frankie’s head is clear again and he is ready to do the job. He has the gun and knows the perfect place where he can take out his target. Frankie is going there and he will wait. After the job is done, Frankie will get paid and leave New York. This was the original plan.

It is not unreasonable to link Blast of Silence to Le Samouraï. In fact, it feels necessary to do so because these films are similar in several different ways. For example, they both tell stories about hitmen who like existing on the outskirts of their environment. In these stories, the atmosphere is a lot more important than the action. Both films are minimalistic and unglamorous but look very, very cool.

But in Blast of Silence there is a narrator who effectively redirects the story with his descriptions, so its atmosphere is different. It is a bleaker atmosphere, one that openly promotes fatalism, too. Also, the cool in it materializes from the blending of the colorful simplicity of the narrator’s descriptions and the quasi-documentary quality of the visuals.

Baron wrote and directed Blast of Silence and his transformation into a hitman is very convincing. Some of the most notorious real hitmen that used to take out targets for the mafia were a lot like Baron’s character -- quiet, ordinary looking guys who were often great neighbors.

*Criterion's release of Blast of Silence presents two versions of the film: one framed in 1.85:1, the other in 1.37:1. Both have been newly restored in 4K.

Blast of Silence Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in aspect ratios of 1.85:1 and 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Blast of Silence arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

Blast of Silence has been newly restored in 4K. I chose to view the entire film in 1.85:1 and then only sampled a few areas of the 1.37:1 presentation. On my system, the entire film looked absolutely incredible. I have Criterion's DVD release of the film from 2008 and did not even feel the need to pull it out and do direct comparisons. The improvements in delineation, clarity, and especially depth are so dramatic that any sort of comparison would have been a complete waste of time. Density levels are very impressive as well. This is important to underscore because certain areas of the film reveal native fluctuations that always looked a bit weak on the DVD release. They have a very convincing organic appearance now. (See an example here). The grayscale is excellent. Darker areas with plenty of black and gray nuances are exceptionally well handled. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. Image stability is excellent. The entire film looks immaculate, too. (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).

Blast of Silence 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 lossless track is excellent. The narration and all exchanges are very clear, sharp, and stable. There are no traces of any age-related anomalies, in the upper register or anywhere else. Because of the at times unusually intense soundtrack, dynamic contrasts can be very good, but that there are plenty of organic sounds and noises as well.

Blast of Silence Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage U.S. trailer for Blast of Silence. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Requiem for a Killer: The Making of "Blast of Silence" - in 1990, a West German television crew filmed director Allen Baron revisiting the original New York locations of Blast of Silence for Wilfred Reichart's documentary Allen Doesn't Live Here Anymore. In 2006, film historian Robert Fischer, in close collaboration with Reichart and Baron, cut an hour-long version from the unedited material, including a new interview with Baron. In English, not subtitled. (60 min).

• On-Set Polaroids - presented here is a collection of polaroids that were taken during the filming of Blast of Silence in New York City. The captions are taken from Allen Baron's own descriptions on the backs of the original photos. In English, not subtitled. (5 min).

• Locations Revisited - in the winter of 2008, Allen Barron and the Criterion Collection visited some of the locations used in Blast of Silence. Photos from the trip are presented here. In English, not subtitled. (12 min).

• Booklet - an illustrated booklet featuring an essay by film critic Terrence Rafferty and a graphic-novel adaptation of the film by acclaimed artist Sean Phillips (Criminal, Reckless, Fatale) as well as technical credits.

Blast of Silence Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If you have never before seen Blast of Silence and Le Samouraï and decide to do so on the same night, you will create a double-bill that will stay in your mind for a long time. If after that you feel inspired to discover even more great films like them, I suggest booking a night with Murder by Contract, which is an old favorite of Martin Scorsese. Criterion's upcoming Blu-ray release of Blast of Silence introduces beautiful new 4K restorations of two versions of the film. I will most likely include it in my Top Ten list at the end of the year. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.