Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

Death Line Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 9, 2017

Gary Sherman's "Death Line" a.k.a. "Raw Meat' (1972) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of independent distributors Blue Underground. The supplemental features on the disc include original trailers for the film; exclusive new audio commentary by co-writer/director Gary Sherman, producer Paul Maslansky, and assistant director Lewis More O'Ferrall; exclusive new video interviews with co-writer/director Gary Sherman and executive producers Jay Kanter and Alan Ladd, Jr.; new interview with star David Ladd; radio spots; and more. The release also arrives with an 18-page illustrated booklet featuring new writings by authors Michael Gingold and Christopher Gullo. In English, with optional English SDH, French, and Spanish subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The cranky Inspector

On a cold night in London American student Alex (David Ladd) and his British girlfriend Patricia (Sharon Gurney) discover an unconscious stranger at a deserted subway station. They argue whether he could be a drunkard or a diabetic that might have had a seizure and then find a bored night patrol who agrees to come back with them to the station -- this time only to find the entire area completely empty. Soon after, Alex is asked to meet the cranky Inspector Calhoun (Donald Pleasence), who can’t decide if he should trust his story or treat him as a suspect. Fortunately for Alex, it is quickly confirmed that the man from the subway is a prominent aristocrat with plenty of interesting friends and inspector Calhoun promptly dedicates all of his energy to solving his mysterious disappearance. But the deeper the authorities dig, the more bizarre the case becomes, and on top of this some pompous character from MI5 (Christopher Lee) also begins interfering with the investigation and seriously annoys inspector Calhoun.

Gary Sherman’s directorial debut, Death Line (also known and officially distributed as Raw Meat), is an occasionally entertaining but ultimately very difficult to enjoy film with some pretty obvious flaws. Frankly, it feels like an experimental project that united a director and a group of actors with drastically different ideas about the purpose of their work and the people that might be interested in it.

A fairly large portion of the film is structured as a horror thriller about a maniac (Hugh Armstrong) who has been living in an abandoned area of the London subway. The man is the last survivor from a group of Victorian workers who many years ago were trapped in a forgotten corner of the subway after a tunnel they were building collapsed. While living underground they apparently became cannibals and when eventually they found a way to reach the other side of the tunnel they started bringing back ‘fresh food’ -- until a plague began exterminating them. The rest of the film is about inspector Calhoun’s struggle to figure out the big picture while looking at it from all the wrong angles and constantly ignoring various clues from Alex and Patricia. When the time comes for him to enter the subway the maniac is already effectively transformed into a victim and instead of a powerful climax the film ends with a rushed resolution that almost completely destroys its credibility.

The strange subplots, overlapping of important events and inconsistent atmosphere make the entire story too bizarre. For example, there are some pretty graphic visuals that create the impression that Sherman was shooting a serious horror thriller, but inspector Calhoun’s hilarious ramblings are so profoundly out of sync with them that it actually begins to feel as if the film was scripted to be a parody (and it clearly wasn’t). There are also relationships that at one point are completely abandoned and supposedly meaningful characters that are beyond puzzling. Consider this for example: there is only one segment with Lee’s MI5 inspector where he shows up and utters some random lines and then disappears without a trace. It literally looks like it was done only so that the legendary actor’s name can be attached to the project.

The few segments that are rather effective contain footage from the Russell Square underground station. Shortly before and after the maniac begins chasing Patricia there are some really good panoramic shots with great lighting that could have been perfect in a genuine Gothic horror thriller.

Death Line 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, Gary Sherman's Death Line arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Blue Underground.

The release is sourced from a brand new 2K master and the film looks really good in high-definition. In fact, it is precisely because Blue Underground decided to go back to the OCN that the darker footage from the subway looks excellent; there are delicate shadows and nuances that almost certainly would have been invisible on an older master. During the well-lit footage clarity and depth are also very pleasing. There are no traces of problematic degraining or sharpening adjustments, though it would have been nice to have some minor optimizations to have grain better exposed. The color grading is also very convincing. There is a good range of solid and healthy primaries and proper nuances. Image stability is excellent. Lastly, there are no distracting debris, cuts, damage marks, stains, warped or torn frames to report. My score is 4.75/5.00. (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).

Death Line Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH, French, and Spanish yellow subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The audio track is free of age-related imperfections. The dialog is very clean, stable, and nicely balanced with the atmospheric music score. Dynamic intensity is rather limited, but the film was shot with a modest budget so this should not be surprising.

Death Line Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - in this brand new audio commentary, co-writer/director Gary Sherman, producer Paul Maslansky, and assistant director Lewis More O'Ferrall discuss in great how the original idea for Death Line/Raw Meat came to exist, the shooting of different parts of the film at specific locations (there is a great story about a representative from London Transport who was supposed to monitor the work), Donald Pleasence's terrific sense of humor and how his presence instantly convinced a lot of other actors to join the project, the notorious long tracking shot, the new remaster of the film that was used for the Blu-ray release, the cutting of the film, etc. The commentary was recorded exclusively for Blue Underground.

• Featurettes -
  
  1. Tales From The Tube - in this brand new program, co-writer/director Gary Sherman and executive producers Jay Kanter and Alan Ladd, Jr. recall how Death Line was financed and specifically producer Paul Maslansky's involvement with the project, and discuss the casting process (apparently, the initial intent was to bring Marlon Brando on board), the shooting of different segments at various locations, some of the graphic footage and effects/makeup, etc. The program was produced exclusively for Blue Underground. In English, not subtitled. (19 min).
  
  2. From The Depths - in this brand new program, star David Ladd recalls how he was cast to play Alex Campbell and his interactions with the rest of the actors during the shooting of the film, and discusses the original script for the film and some of the main themes from it with producer Paul Maslansky. The program was produced exclusively for Blue Underground. In English, not subtitled. (13 min).
  
  3. Mind The Doors - in this program, star Hugh Armstrong explains how he entered the film business and how he was cast to play the maniac from the subway, and discusses the shooting process, his character's dual identity, and the film's atmosphere. The program was created by Dead Mouse Productions. In English, not subtitled. (16 min).

• Trailers - two original trailers.
  
  1. Death Line - in English, not subtitled. (3 min).
  2. Raw Meat - in English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• TV Spots - three original TV Spots.
  
  1. TV Spot One - in English, not subtitled. (1 min).
  2. TV Spot Two - in English, not subtitled. (1 min).
  3. TV Spot Three - in English, not subtitled. (1 min).

• Raw Meat Radio Spots - two original TV Spots.
  
  1. TV Spot One - in English, not subtitled. (1 min).
  2. TV Spot Two - in English, not subtitled. (1 min).

• Poster & Still Gallery - an outstanding collection of original posters from around the world, as well as a variety of advertising materials (from printed articles to clippings), U.S. pressbook, lobby cards, stills, and home video covers. The gallery was compiled by Gregory Chick.

• Reversible Cover - reversible cover with original poster art for Raw Meat.

• Booklet - 18-page illustrated booklet featuring Michael Gingold's essay "Mind the Doors: Getting Down with Death Line" and Donald Pleasance Bio by Christopher Gullo.

Death Line Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

My feeling is that the original plan for Death Line was to be a very dark and atmospheric horror thriller but there is a substantial amount of awkward humor in it -- and just about all of it courtesy of Donald Pleasence -- that effectively works against it. There is also a very odd, borderline suspicious cameo by Christopher Lee who plays a pompous MI5 Inspector that looks completely lost in the film (which is why after a single sequence he very quickly disappears without a trace). So the film surprised me in a number of different ways, but I can't say that I actually liked it. If you enjoy it and have been waiting for a quality presentation, Blue Underground's upcoming Blu-ray release will make you incredibly happy. It is sourced from a very solid new 2K master and comes with a great selection of bonus features. RECOMMENDED to fans of the film.