7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
A smart-mouthed junkie/loser known as J.J. spends his days looking for just "one more fix".
Starring: George Segal, Paula Prentiss, Karen Black (I), Jay Fletcher, Hector ElizondoCrime | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: LPCM 2.0
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
1971’s “Born to Win” offers actor George Segal a chance to showcase a bit more of his range, challenged to portray a drug addict in all stages of desperation. Segal’s casting takes a little time to get used to, with the star working against his usual charms to detail the deterioration of a once stable person who now lives a life of constant risk, craving only a fix as his reward. “Born to Win” carries a strange darkly comic tone for such a bleak subject matter, with co-writer/director Ivan Passer attempting to juggle moods for the endeavor, striving to make the feature approachable while still respecting the downfall arc Segal is very eager to inhabit.
The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation is sourced from a 35mm interpositive. Fun City Editions gets the job done here, restoring a largely obscure feature for Blu-ray, with heavy but film-like grain throughout. Detail emerges with sweaty facial textures and wispy hair, along with fibrous period outfits. New York City shots are wonderfully dimensional, offering depth with urban tours, and interiors showcase decoration and decay, getting into apartment life and drug dens. Colors are respectfully refreshed, offering a cooler sense of the concrete jungle and vivid domestic spaces. Skintones are natural. Delineation is satisfactory. Source is in good condition, with a few damaged frames.
The 2.0 LPCM mix wrestles with a somewhat chaotic sound design for "Born to Win." Dialogue exchanges are clean, managing the loose performances and varying degrees of menace and mischief. Scoring cues and soundtrack selections run a bit louder, but remain appealingly balanced with the acting, contributing to the unsettled nature of the film. Street atmospherics are appreciable.
Segal is clearly stretching with "Born to Win," and he's terrific in the feature, finding ways to understand J.J.'s clouded headspace, working to make him a complicated figure of destructive habits and pure intentions, which is fascinating to watch. Passer also offers a distinct NYC feel to the picture, which helps to add pressure to J.J.'s journey. While there's some light present here, "Born to Win" remains in line with its filmmaking era, remaining skeptical of hope and true to character, ending up with a potent sense of reality in this never-ending struggle with addiction.
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