Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

Death Hunt Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 20, 2018

Peter Hunt's "Death Hunt" (1981) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of German label Koch Media. The supplemental features on the disc include an archival audio interview with Charlie Bronson and Lee Marvin; trailers; and vintage promotional materials for the film. In English, with optional English and Italian subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

The fugitive

Two of the greatest action stars of the ‘70s, Charlie Bronson and Lee Marvin, collide in this tense thriller directed by Peter Hunt. It is based on a true story, but its recreation of key events is apparently seriously flawed.

The aging trapper Albert Johnson (Bronson) forces a real nasty character named Hazel (Ed Lauter) to sell him a badly wounded dog for $200 after he humiliates him in front of his dim-witted buddies. Jonson then heads back to his cabin where he treats the dog and helps it recover.

Meanwhile, Hazel vows to teach Johnson a lesson he won’t forget and, while insisting that the dog was stolen from him, attempts to convince Mountie Sergeant Millen (Marvin) to organize a posse and go after the ‘thief’. When Millen, an old-timer who most of the time prefers to let problems sort themselves out, refuses to appease the liar, he gathers his buddies and heads straight to Johnson’s cabin. However, they are outsmarted and outgunned by Johnson, and one of the attackers even gets a big hole in his forehead. Hours later, Hazel meets Millen again and this time describes Johnson as a cold-blooded killer who has lost his mind and therefore needs to be put out of his misery before more ‘innocent’ people die. Millen of course isn’t fooled by Hazel’s lies, but feels compelled to initiate a hunt so that the rogue trapper faces justice.

Even if Hunt omitted crucial details or flat-out ignored some that changed the nature of the dispute that forced Johnson to become a fugitive, in the grand scheme of things it hardly matters. The reason for this is quite obvious: Death Hunt is a straightforward Bronson/Marvin action film that never pretends to be anything else. The true story that apparently inspired Hunt to shoot it is just a facade.

The action is raw and at times quite graphic, much like that from the big ‘70s films that the two stars appeared in. As a result the actual hunt looks very authentic and the tension becomes incredibly attractive. In fact, this is precisely the quality that is missing from contemporary action films that rely on CGI effects and the very reason why they typically end up looking like video games.

The bulk of the film was shot in Alberta, Canada and the mountain panoramic shots look quite astonishing even when it is pretty obvious that Hunt and cinematographer James Devis were not intentionally trying to promote nature’s beauty. However, the locations were certainly carefully selected to give the viewer an accurate sense of the dangerous route that Johnson had in front of him as the only option left if he wanted to remain a free man.

The supporting cast also includes Carl Weathers who plays Millen’s trusted partner Sundog; Angie Dickinson in the role of the old-timer’s mistress Vanessa McBride; Andrew Stevens as the very naïve rookie constable Alvin; Scott Hylands as a very ambitious but also slightly unhinged pilot that joins the hunt; and Henry Beckman who plays an old trapper that might have lost his mind after decades of roaming the frozen fields of Yukon.

The mostly decent soundtrack, which has primarily a secondary role, was composed by Jerrold Immel (TV’s Dallas: Complete Seasons 1-14).

Death Hunt Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Peter Hunt's Detah Hunt arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Koch Media.

The release is sourced from an older master and unfortunately it is encoded in a way that exacerbates many of its obvious limitations. It also creates new ones. For example, during a lot of the darker footage delineation basically begins to collapse and where there is supposed to be healthy grain the encoding delivers soft mush (see screencapture #5). Some of the outdoor footage retains acceptable definition, but elsewhere depth is clearly not optimal (see screencapture #4). So generally speaking the end result is something that would be expected when the high-frequencies are clipped -- the crispness and consistent natural sharpness that even an older master would have are simply not there. Colors are stable, but the primaries should be much better saturated and ideally the existing nuances ought to be expanded. Image stability is good. However, some tiny flecks, black spots, and even a few tiny scratches remain. My score is 3.25/5.00. (Note: The main menu is encoded in 1080/50i, and there is additional problematic content that precedes it. Therefore, this disc is unplayable on standard Region-A North American players).

Death Hunt Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are three standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, German: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, and Italian: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English and Italian subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The audio is stable and clean. Generally, depth is also quite good, though occasionally the sound does appear a bit too thin for my taste. However, given the nature of the production I would say that even if the audio is fully remastered there won't be any significant improvements in terms of balance or fidelity.

Death Hunt Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interview with Charlie Bronson and Lee Marvin - presented here is an archival audio interview with the two stars of Death Hunt in which they discuss the real Albert Johnson and his fascinating story, the manner in which he is portrayed in the film, the style of the film, and its message. In English, with optional German and Italian subtitles. (27 min).

• Vintage Trailer - original American trailer for Death Hunt. In English. (3 min).

• German Trailer - German trailer for Death Hunt. In German. (3 min).

• Photo Gallery - a collection of vintage promotional materials for Death Hunt. With music. (3 min).

• Cover - reversible cover.

Death Hunt Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I was asked to do a review of this German release of Death Hunt because the American release that Timeless Media Group produced in 2013 is no longer in circulation. Unfortunately, I have to report that it offers a pretty mediocre technical presentation of the film, and not because the master that was accessed was very problematic. If the the film is restored it can and should look quite striking in high-definition, but my guess is that this is rather unlikely to happen any time soon. On the other hand, the American release offers a much more satisfying presentation and also has a better selection of bonus features, so if you like the film you should try to track down a copy and get one, even though it is guaranteed to be quite a bit more expensive than the Region-B release.