6.3 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A female rookie in the police force engages in a cat and mouse game with a pistol wielding psychopath who becomes obsessed with her.
Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Ron Silver, Clancy Brown, Elizabeth Peņa, Louise FletcherThriller | Insignificant |
Crime | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English, English SDH, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Digital copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
There are a number of rather interesting supplements included on this disc which more or less demand that Blue Steel be reevaluated, especially since at the time of its release the prevailing opinion, as recounted in some of these supplements themselves, was that the film was patently ludicrous. And so let me start this review by simply stating that while Blue Steel may indeed invite the kind of critical reassessment that often comes with hindsight and/or a bit of "breathing room", as it were, there is absolutely no doubt that the film is patently ludicrous. This was a relatively early effort from co-writer and director Kathryn Bigelow, and while Alexandra Heller-Nicholas' commentary in particular laments the fact that a "female director" even needs to be identified as such, there is an awareness of gender suffusing this story which some of the other supplements also overtly address, and so perhaps arguably, then, it's a little more "politically correct" to discuss Bigelow's gender as well. Jamie Lee Curtis portrays new police cadet Megan Turner, who spectacularly fails a training exercise as the film opens, in just the first of several arguable "bait and switch" vignettes, but who then seems to be a singular thin blue line herself when she accosts a violent robber (Tom Sizemore) in a corner market and shoots and kills him. The robber's gun falls right next to one of the customers who has lain prone on the floor following the robber's shouted instructions to do so, and that customer, a commodities trader named Eugene Hunt (Ron Silver), hides it and later absconds with it without anyone else being aware of what's happened. The upshot is that Megan is accused of having taking out an unarmed man and is immediately suspended, but in the meantime the hilariously "on the nose" named Hunt has given in to his dark side and begins using the robber's weapon for his own killing spree, while also becoming romantically involved with Megan. As stated above: patently ludicrous.
Blue Steel is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of the Vestron Video Collector's Series, an imprint of Lionsgate, with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. These Vestron releases typically don't offer much in the way of technical information other than a generic "digitally restored", which is once again the case here, though in the "fine print" department it's kind of interesting that the back cover misstates the aspect ratio as being 1.85:1, a mistake that is typically not made on other Vestron releases. One way or the other, this is a surprisingly healthy looking transfer, though eagle eyed videophiles will note any number of small but recurrent blemishes, including quite a few white speckles that crop up for just a nanosecond or two. The palette is nicely robust and natural looking. Grain can be a bit gritty and grimy in appearance, especially against lighter backgrounds, but adds an organic texture to the proceedings. A few low light moments flirt with crush (see screenshot 19). My score is 3.75.
Blue Steel features a robust DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track that provides excellent support for the expected sound effects like gunfire, as well as Brad Fiedel's score. Some of the urban environments allow for background ambient environmental sounds. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English and Spanish subtitles are available.
Even if you don't quite "buy" some of the latter day reassessments of this film included in the supplements on this disc, Blue Steel has a certain gonzo manic energy that at least qualifies it as a quasi-camp thriller. It's also interesting to note "little" aspects like a credits sequence that in its own way presages the one for Lord of War. I personally found the film woefully underwritten for the Hunt character in particular, but Silver's performance is unforgettable in (to reference Lord of War's inimitable star) a Nicolas Cage kind of way. Technical merits are generally solid, and this boasts one of the more thoughtful arrays of bonus features a Vestron release has offered. With caveats noted, Recommended.
Collector's Edition
1983
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1974
1984
Unrated Director`s Cut
1980
2K Restoration
1979
2017
Collector's Edition
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