Death Rage Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

Death Rage Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 5, 2020

Antonio Margheriti's "Death Rage" (1976) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Dark Force Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage trailer for the film and smoking commercial recorded by Yul Brynner. In English, without optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The boy really did it, didn't he?

Yul Brynner passed away from lung cancer on October 10, 1985. For decades he was a very heavy smoker, so when his health started deteriorating, he did a lot of work to raise awareness about the dangerous effects of smoking. One such vintage smoking commercial that Brynner made after he was diagnosed with lung cancer is included on this release.

A couple of nights ago, I sat down to view Antonio Margheriti’s Death Rage for the first time ever, knowing only that it was Brynner’s final film. Margheriti completed it under the alias Anthony M. Dawson in 1976, which means that at the time Brynner had a little less than a decade left to live. I paid very close attention to his performance because I wanted to see if I could spot anything that might reveal to me that he was about to end his career. I discovered a lot more than I expected, and it made me see the film from a completely different angle.

Brynner plays a retired hitman named Peter Marciani who lives in New York City and spends most of his time alone with his thoughts. He isn’t married and does not appear to have any relatives in the area, so from afar he looks like a classic loner. When a notorious gangster is assassinated at a popular horse racing track in Naples, Marciani is approached by a local capo and told that the job was ordered by Gennaro Gallo (Giancarlo Sbragia), an influential mafioso who years ago took out his brother. The revelation shocks Marciani and a few days later he lands in Naples determined to avenge the death of his brother. He quickly hooks up with Angelo (Massimo Ranieri), a young crook looking to establish a reputation, who was at the horse race track when Gallo’s men finished off their target. While Marciani learns about Gallo’s organization and how it operates in the city, Angelo introduces him to the exotic dancer Anny (Barbara Bouchet) and the two begin a romantic relationship. Meanwhile, a veteran commissario (Martin Balsam) is informed that Marciani has reappeared in the city and is looking for Gallo, but instead of confronting him to prevent the inevitable bloodshed he decides to let him finish his detective work and lead him to the mafioso.

As soon as Brynner’s character lands in Naples, the film heads down a very familiar path and produces plenty of high-octane action. I understand that a slightly longer version of the film exists that has even more of it, but if you approach it strictly for the action, I think that it will meet your expectations.

I expected high-octane action but was looking for something different, and once I identified it, the film became very interesting to deconstruct. I quickly noticed that Brynner appears calm in a way that isn’t entirely right for his character. It is most obvious when he is around Bouchet’s dancer and they talk about New York City and how special the place can be to those that are willing to see and appreciate its cultural riches. When they are intimate, it also feels like Brynner is a little more authentic than their scenes demand. This as well as the manner in which Brynner carries himself elsewhere convinced me that when the film was made, he had already discovered that something inside his body had started to irreversibly deteriorate. I believe this is the exact reason why some viewers do not think too highly of Margheriti’s film -- Brynner is in the middle of the action but it often feels like emotionally he is detached from it and drifting away from his character, so after a while it begins to look like the film is actually slowing down and for some strange reason becoming oddly meditative.

The shift in pacing and tone are intriguing but ultimately not right for the film. The changes could have been appropriate in a melancholic thriller boasting a dreamy jazz score where Brynner’s hitman begins reevaluating his life after he unexpectedly falls in love with the club dancer. But Margheriti could not have made such a moody romantic crime thriller simply because he did not have the proper connection with Brynner. Or it could be that it was already too late for that kind of an intimate film.

Death Rage Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Death Rage arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Dark Force Entertainment.

The release is sourced from a new master that was struck from some sort of a 35mm print. It is easy to tell that whatever age-limitations were on the print were retained on the master as well. I generally don't have a problem with such masters if they are done for very rare or older films where there are simply no decent surviving elements. I don't know if this is the case with Death Rage, but if I had to speculate I would say that it is not. There are a lot of other Italian genre films from the '70s that have transitioned to Blu-ray in spectacular fashion.

So, what type of presentation should you expect from this release? The film has a pleasing organic quality that is extremely similar to what you get from some of Film Media's releases. (See Deep Throat Part II). Density in particular is very nice and in many areas clarity is equally pleasing. In darker footage shadow definition isn't optimal, but I did not find it problematic. I could just tell that the master was struck from an element that was at least two generations away from the OCN. Colors are acceptable, but there is plenty of room for improvement. Saturation levels in particular should be much better, but just the basic color values are not always right. There are no traces of problematic digital work. Image stability is inconsistent, simply because all-age related limitations from the 35mm print have been reproduced. For the exact same reason, the film can look cleaner as well. All in all, what you get from this release is an organic but dated presentation of the film. It is why when you view the film it feels a bit like you are doing it in a very old movie theater. My score is 3.25/5.00. (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 Rage Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Standard optional English SDH subtitles are not provided for the main feature.

The audio track has a few bits of Italian and when they pop up English subtitles appear as well. However, these are not standard English subtitles that you can turn on and off throughout the entire film. Also, there are a few short lines in Italian that are actually not subtitled. They are unimportant and only a few, but it would appear that when the print was prepared they were left off. Why? Because the audio switches between English and Italian, which was a very common practice on Italian genre films from the '70s that were overdubbed in English. Clarity is quite good. Dynamic intensity is pleasing as well, but there are some noticeable fluctuations. All in all, it is a serviceable track that makes it easy to enjoy the film, but it has the same vintage quality that I described in the video section of our review. The good news is that it is free of distracting distortions and dropouts. Pops and tiny cracks, however, can be heard.

Death Rage Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - vintage Italian trailer for Death Rage. In Italian, without English subtitles. (4 min, 480/60i).

• Commercial - Yul Brynner made this smoking commercial soon after he was diagnosed with lund cancer. The commercial was utilized by the American Cancer Society. In English, not subtitled. (1 min, 480/60i).

• Cover - reversible cover with vintage Italian poster art for the film.

Death Rage Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I enjoyed Death Rage for the exact same reason some people have found it disappointing -- despite plenty of sizzling action it is moody and at times oddly meditative. I had not seen it before but knew that it was Yul Brynner's final film, so I focused on his presence before Antonio Margheriti's camera and tried to study his face as much as I could. Brynner died of lung cancer a little less than a decade after the film was completed, and I very much believe that at the time he already knew that something inside his body had started to irreversibly deteriorate. Dark Force Entertainment's release is sourced from a recent but rather rough organic master. RECOMMENDED.