7 | / 10 |
Users | 3.8 | |
Reviewer | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.6 |
Young drug pushers in the projects of Brooklyn live hard dangerous lives, trapped between their drug bosses and the detectives out to stop them.
Starring: Harvey Keitel, John Turturro, Delroy Lindo, Mekhi Phifer, Isaiah WashingtonDrama | 100% |
Crime | 35% |
Mystery | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 2.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
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
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).
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 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.
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