Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		2.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		2.0

Clockers Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 21, 2020

Spike Lee's "Clockers" (1995) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage trailer for the film and new audio commentary by critic Kameron Austin Collins. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Good for stomach pain

Almost immediately after the two cops, Rocco Klein (Harvey Keitel) and Larry Mazilli (John Turturo), enter the projects, you begin to feel that life is very different there. People move around and do what they ought to do to get by, but they are hopeless, and you can tell that the overwhelming majority of them are actually moving in circles. They merely exist, which is a classic recipe for disaster.

A drug dealer then turns up dead and Rocco and Larry go after Strike Dunham (Mekhi Phifer), a young pusher, who works for another drug dealer named Rodney Little (Delroy Lindo). The cops think that Strike is their man, but when his older brother Victor (Isaiah Washington) quickly confesses to the crime and is put behind bars, it begins to look like their case is effectively closed. However, because the ‘killer’ does not fit the profile of a desperate or angry dealer willing to risk his freedom to get rid of a rival, Rocco continues to dig for clues, sensing that Victor’s confession isn’t as sincere as advertised.

The mystery surrounding the murder of the drug dealer is at the center of Spike Lee’s Clockers, but what actually makes the film interesting is the emergence of various complex relationships that provide the viewer with a legit sense of what it takes to survive in the projects.

A quick pause.

The film is based on an acclaimed novel by Richard Price that a lot of people consider vastly superior. There are different reasons why, but those who have actually experienced life in the projects usually point out that Lee’s film tends to glamorize its grittiness while downplaying the ‘real’ street realism that defines the novel. But is this valid criticism? If it is, it is quite weak because if there is one thing that this film makes perfectly clear it is that the kids that are growing up on the streets are essentially doomed, so it is hard to imagine that its depiction of the projects and everything that takes place there is in any way glamorizing. Perhaps the film simply isn’t as cynical as the novel is, but this is an entirely different matter. Also, Rocco’s investigation reveals that the perception of life in the projects that ‘outsiders’ like him and his partner have is just as damning, so the people there are also isolated by a socio-cultural barrier that implies entirely new troubles. So, the glamorization simply isn’t there.

The contrasts that emerge are predictable because the game of survival in the projects is of the most basic kind -- the weak are left to sink in the gutter and eventually they self-destruct. And the gutter is just getting bigger and bigger because the drugs are everywhere and there is never a shortage of buyers that are looking for a fix. It is why being a ‘clocker’ is one of the few legit professions in the projects.

When all is said and done, Lee’s film isn’t vastly different from what you will see in original programming from the likes of HBO and Showtime that sheds light on different aspects of life in the inner city. It is gritty and raw, but also very much aware of the type of audience it is supposed to impress (or perhaps educate). If this is to be considered a weakness, it is the only legit one that makes it inferior to the novel that inspired it.

The soundtrack features tracks by Seal (“Newborn Fried”, “Bird of Freedom”), KRS-One (“Outta Here”), Chaka Khan and Bruce Hornsby (“Love Me Still”), and Marc Dorsey (“People in Search of a Life”), amongst others.

Clockers Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Clockers arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from an old and very problematic master that was supplied by Universal Pictures. Indeed, even though there is some obvious stylization work that is utilized to enhance the dramatic impact of certain visuals, the film looks almost unbearably harsh and often even smeary. (An example of the stylization work can be seen in screencaptuire #15). Fine nuances in particular are lost, with many darker areas revealing such massive black crush that from time to time you will simply see large blocks of black filling up your screen (see screencapture #4). Contrast levels are also boosted. Crushed highlights are all over the place, but I wish to mention that some are actually part of the film's original cinematography. Unfortunately, the stylization promotes very different contrasts that are missing, so there is clearly plenty of room for meaningful rebalancing. The color scheme is compromised by some of the issues that are mentioned above. Image stability is very good. All in all, I think that this film desperately needs a proper makeover so that it looks as it should. (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).

Clockers Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I revisited the film with the lossless 5.1 track, which I found to be outstanding. Clarity, sharpness, depth, and overall stability are excellent. Dynamic intensity during some of the action sequences is solid as well. There are no transfer-specific anomalies to report in our review.

Clockers Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - a vintage trailer for Clockers. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 480/60i).

• Commentary - in this audio commentary, film critic Kameron Austin Collins shares plenty of good information about the conception of Clockers -- from the fact that it was initially supposed to be a film directed by Martin Scorsese to some of the key themes in Richard Price's novel -- the casting choices, the use of music throughout the film, the nature of relationships between the dealers, etc.

• Additional Trailers - additional trailers for the following titles from Kino Lorber's catalog:
  
  1. Mo' Better Blues
  2. Jungle Fever
  3. Crooklyn
  4. Summer of Sam

Clockers Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Clockers desperately needs a proper makeover so that it actually looks like film. The current master that Universal Pictures handed to Kino Lorber for this Blu-ray release has so many issues, I actually don't think it is suitable even for a DVD release. There are plenty of old masters that have produced decent releases, but this master isn't good enough. So, my advice is to skip this Blu-ray release and use your savings to pick up another title for your collection. AVOID.