7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Pam Grier is Coffy, nurse by day and avenging angel by night. When she discovers that her little sister has been doped up — and freaked out — by a greedy drug pusher, she not only puts an end to his miserable days, but she vows to follow his trail of corruption up to the top — the very top. But what Coffy doesn't realize is that all is not as it seems — and that the leafy green behind the pusher's scene just may come from someone she knows!
Starring: Pam Grier, Sid Haig, Booker Bradshaw, Robert DoQui, William Elliott (II)Thriller | Insignificant |
Crime | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Jack Hill's "Coffy" (1973) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Arrow Video. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; new video interviews with Jack Hill and Pam Grier; new video essay by writer Mikel J. Koven; gallery of stills; and more. The release also arrives with an illustrated booklet featuring new writing on the film by critic Cullen Gallagher and a profile of Pam Grier by Yvonne D. Sims, author of Women in Blaxploitation, illustrated with archive stills and posters. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
Coffy
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Jack Hill's Coffy arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Arrow Video.
A pre-existing master has been used to produce the release. Unsurprisingly, the film has a somewhat dated appearance. This being said, detail and clarity are pleasing. When there is plenty of light, image depth is also good (see screencaptures #4 and 13). The darker footage, however, is uneven. In some areas blacks levels are pushed up quite a bit, affecting depth and shadow definition and causing some fluctuations (see screencapture #6). Grain is visible throughout the entire film, but it should be better resolved. There are no traces of recent sharpening adjustments, but some inherited light halo effects are visible (see screencapture #7). Generally speaking, colors remain stable, but saturation can be more convincing.
There are no serious transition issues, but during select sequences some shakiness within the frame can be spotted (see the hotel room sequence around the 00.45:19 mark where the shakiness is present in the lower right corner). There are no large damage marks, cuts, or stains, but tiny flecks and scratches can be spotted. The encoding is good. All in all, this is a decent organic presentation of Coffy, but it is easy to tell that the high-definition transfer was struck from a dated source and even easier to see that there is room for improvement. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles have been provided for the main feature.
There are no serious issues to report. Generally speaking, depth and clarity remain pleasing throughout the entire film, though if remastered depth and balance will be improved. What is important to note is that there is no distracting background hiss and distortions. The diverse soundtrack also breathes quite easily.
Jack Hill's Coffy is clearly a product of its time, but this is what makes it so fascinating to behold. It is very rough and mean and it has a star with a massive personality that simply demands respect. Admittedly, Coffy isn't for everyone, but folks interested in blaxploitation films should not miss it. Arrow Video's upcoming Blu-ray release comes with some very good new supplemental features, including an excellent video interview with Pam Grier. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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