6.7 | / 10 |
Users | 3.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A bush pilot is hired for $50,000 to go to Mexico to free an innocent prisoner.
Starring: Charles Bronson, Robert Duvall, Jill Ireland, Randy Quaid, Sheree NorthDrama | 100% |
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
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Tom Gries' "Breakout" (1975) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage promotional materials for the film as well as an archival audio commentary by film historian Paul Talbot. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Breakout arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.
This release of Breakout is sourced from the same older Sony master that overseas labels Indicator/Powerhouse Films and Explosive Media worked with to produce their local releases of the film in the United Kingdom and Switzerland, respectively. New work has not been done on it.
While mostly decent, this master has plenty of limitations, so the larger your screen is, the easier it will be for you to recognize them. For example, delineation and depth can be quite inconsistent, but not because of unique lensing preferences. Rather, less than optimal density levels and highlights would cause fluctuations and impact the integrity of the visuals. Occasionally, the surface of these visuals could appear slightly harsher than it ought to be as well. (See the the footage where John Houston welcomes Jill Ireland in his massive office). Some darker areas do not have particularly good shadow definition, though overall there is nothing particularly problematic. Color saturation and balance could be better. However, if density levels are strengthened and shadow nuances and highlights improved, the overall color balance would instantly become more convincing. Currently, in some very dark and very bright footage blacks and whites/brighter primaries are simply a tad exaggerated. Image stability is good. There are plenty of white specks and scratches, even some blemishes, so there is definitely room for cosmetic improvements as well. My score is 3.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).
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.
I think that when the current master was prepared the audio was fully redone as well. I mentioned this in our review of the Region-B releases as well. It is very clean and stable, never revealing even minor signs of aging. To be honest, this does not surprise me at all because even very old masters that were prepared at Sony usually have rock solid audio tracks. There are no encoding anomalies to report in our review.
When Charles Bronson agreed to do Breakout the big bosses at Columbia Pictures concluded that they had a big blockbuster coming their way. However, back in 1975 the film did not exactly set the box office on fire; the surprising hit that year was Floyd Mutrux's Aloha, Bobby and Rose. I personally do not see anything seriously wrong with this film, but I don't think that Tom Gries should have directed it. The original story that inspired Breakout should have landed in the hands of Sam Peckinpah, or another director with an attitude, and the end result would have been a lot more exciting. Then again, the cast of this fictional 'better' film almost certainly would have been different as well. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from the same older and rather shaky master that overseas labels have used for their local releases of Breakout. However, I am going to recommend it because it retains the excellent audio commentary by Paul Talbot, who has repeatedly proven that he is the ultimate authority on all things Bronson. RECOMMENDED.
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