6.9 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
A band of mercenaries led by Captain Curry travel through the Congo across deadly terrain, battling rival armies, to recover $25 million in uncut diamonds.
Starring: Rod Taylor, Yvette Mimieux, Peter Carsten, Jim Brown, Kenneth MoreWar | 100% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Jack Cardiff's "Dark of the Sun" (1968) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Warner Archive. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new audio commentary recorded by critics Larry Karaszewski, Josh Olson, Brian Saur, and Elric D. Kane, as well as vintage trailer for the film. 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, Dark of the Sun arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Warner Archive.
The release is sourced from a recent, very good 2K master. However, there are plenty of prominent density fluctuations that affect delineation, clarity, and depth. The original cinematography produces virtually all of them, but there are certain areas where it is easy to tell that time has left its mark as well. I doubt that Dark of the Sun will ever be treated with a big 4K makeover so this will almost certainly be the definitive presentation of the film, but with enough money and time some of these areas can be made to look a little better. Color balance is excellent. However, this is hardly surprising because the folks at Warner Archive always do a spectacular job of reproducing the original theatrical color values of a film when it is restored in 2K or 4K. Here the primaries and supporting nuances look fantastic, though they are some very small stability issues in some of the areas I mentioned above. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. The overall dynamic range of the visuals is very good, though this is the only other area where some minor improvement can be made. All in all, this release offers a very strong and convincing organic presentation of Dark of the Sun. (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 Engish SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.
All exchanges are clear and very easy to follow. If there were any serious age-related anomalies before, it is impossible to tell now. Dynamic intensity is good too, though you need to keep in mind that the film's original sound design is not easy to compare to those of modern action films. I did not encounter any encoding anomalies to report in our review.
If Jack Cardiff had attempted to make Dark of the Sun a little more macho, he almost certainly would have gotten in trouble because this film goes as far as it could have without evolving into a risky exploitation project. While I do not think that some of the supporting actors are as good as Rod Taylor and Jim Brown, the action is superb and the visuals are often breathtaking. Dark of the Sun can make a pretty good double bill with Johnny Mad Dog or Beasts of No Nation, but I do not think that they should be considered distant relatives of it. This release from Warner Archive is sourced from a predictably wonderful recent 2K master. It is Region-Free. HIGHLY RECOMMEDED.
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