Cold Steel Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

Cold Steel Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 4, 2024

Dorothy Ann Puzo's "Cold Steel" (1987) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Imprint Films. There are no supplemental features on the release. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

It is a shame that Dorothy Ann Puzo did not continue directing after Cold Steel. She probably figured out that mainstream critics will always place her in the shadow of her legendary father, Mario Puzo, who introduced one of the all-time greatest gangster characters with his novel The Godfather, and moved on with her life. It is difficult to blame her because this is exactly what would have happened, but it is also difficult not to concede that she gave up without a fight that could have produced some pretty good genre films. These genre films would have come out of the 1980s, too, arguably the last truly great decade for such films.

Cold Steel carries the genes of To Live and Die in L.A. and 52 Pick-Up, which means that it is a genuine piece of L.A. noir. It is closer to the latter, but not many films deserve to be placed next to the former. This, I assure you, is the reason it was torpedoed by the mainstream critics who wrote about it in the 1980s. The plot is too thin, the characters too simplistic, the drama too predictable. You know the drill. 52 Pick-Up was torpedoed with the same nonsense, but it is a great time capsule and one of the most effective promotional pieces for the fictitious genre.

Unsurprisingly, Cold Steel is a very attractive, very 1980s film that sees the City of Angels as it will never be seen again. Two-thirds of it features material that easily could have been accommodated in a music video for a terrific but underappreciated AOR band that, like Puzo, gave up after a single try. It oozes a special atmosphere that is -- and always has been in L.A. noir films -- far more important than the right plot, characters, and drama the mainstream critics expected. Needless to say, if the quality of this atmosphere is not immediately appreciated, the film cannot possibly work.

On Christmas Eve, single cop Johnny Modine (Brad Davis), who has just arrived at his parents' home, gets a phone call that turns his world upside down. A colleague informs Johnny that his father has been murdered in his store by robbers, who have disappeared without a trace. After consoling his devastated mother, Johnny vows to do whatever it takes to avenge his beloved father. But in the following weeks, after causing many headaches for his superior (the great Eddie Egan), Johnny is given a final warning to change his working methods or quit his job. While trying to suppress his anger with a couple of beers at a local bar, Johnny is approached by Kathy Connors (Sharon Stone), a sexy blonde who has recently arrived in town, and later that night the two end up at her place. However, while their relationship rapidly becomes very serious, Johnny discovers that Kathy is connected to his father’s killers, a former friend-turned-psychopath (Jonathan Banks) and his equally loony British assistant (punk/New Wave singer Adam Ant), and the three have planned his premature death, too.

The emotional ups and downs throughout Cold Steel can be pretty extreme, but not because, as speculated in the past, they are badly managed. These emotional ups and downs are very common for L.A. noir films. In fact, they produce some of the most interesting contrasts and big surprises in L.A. noir films, and are what usually make their characters memorable. In Cold Steel, the big surprise comes in the form of over-the-top violence that cuts through the drama and romance in such a casual manner that it begins to look like the rivaling main characters come from completely different films.

While a few segments deserve to be criticized for being a tad rough, it is painfully obvious that Puzo had a proper grasp of how a legit L.A. noir film should look. She had a proper grasp of the type of music that should enhance the look as well. During the opening credits and numerous segments where Johnny meets Kathy or goes after the killers, several outstanding AOR tracks create some real magic. The best are Joe Pizzulo’s “Take Me Away” and “Out of Time” and James House’s “Running Out of Time”.

Cold Steel Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Cold Steel arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Imprint Films.

The release is sourced from a very old master. Some visuals reveal the powdery mix of grain and noise that telecine-sourced masters conveyed, though select close-ups can look better. Interestingly, when upscaled to 4K, the current presentation becomes unusually attractive, so if you have a 4K Blu-ray player, I strongly suggest experimenting, as I did. Color balance is good. However, it is very easy to tell that virtually all primaries and supporting nuances can be better saturated and healthier. I think that if properly restored, the entire film will look very, very good. Image stability is good. I noticed a few blemishes, but there are no distracting large cuts, debris, warped or torn frames to report. (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).

Cold Steel Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The quality of the lossless track is surprisingly good. Because of the inconsistencies in the quality of the visuals, I expected some obvious limitations, but clarity, sharpness, and depth are very good. I felt that dynamic intensity can be improved because some of the action does not have enough oomph, but there is nothing to be unhappy on the current mix. I did not encounter any encoding anomalies to report in our review.

Cold Steel Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Most unfortunately, there are no supplemental features to be found on this release.

Cold Steel Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The greatest strength of L.A. noir films is their atmosphere, which is usually defined by the unique ways in which they saw the City of Angels during the 1980s. The rest, which covers everything from the story to the characters and drama, was essentially different types of ornamentation. The atmosphere and the ornamentation were not mutually exclusive, the former was just what these films did best. I think that Cold Steel produces a lot of special atmosphere and because of this is very similar to 52 Pick-Up, so I am glad that it made it to Blu-ray. However, I think that in order to look as attractive as it is, it will have to be properly remastered. RECOMMENDED.