Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

Dobermann Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 13, 2024

Jan Kounen's "Dobermann" (1997) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Fractured Visions. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new program with Jan Kounen; exclusive new program with cinematographer Michel Amathieu; new program with visual effects supervisor Rodolphe Chabrier; short films; promotional materials; and more. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Note: The text below was initially used for our review of StudioCanal's French release of Dobermann in 2009.

The more things change, the more they stay the same…for English speakers looking for a proper release of Dutch director Jan Kounen’s cult Dobermann, an utterly violent and vulgar film based on a series of novels by Joel Houssin. Ever since Dobermann was first screened in France in 1997, English speakers have been hoping to get a deserving release. But, aside from the disturbingly poor DVD the now defunct UK label Tartan produced, no one else has dared touch the film.

In the United States, Dobermann has been practically banished. The major studio that owns the rights to the film has shelved it, finding it easier not to deal with it rather than possibly defend it, if it was released, in the eyes of those who – believe me, I have absolutely no doubts about this – will immediately slam it for its stripped of political correctness narrative. Frankly, I find all of this rather ironic. And to be perfectly clear, it is not because I believe that American viewers are missing on a terrific film, but because I am firmly convinced that the more the studio holding the rights to Dobermann denies it a proper release, the more kids will want to see it, and hype it even more to other kids for all the wrong reasons. Those of you familiar with Kinji Fukasaku’s Battle Royale and its history in North America know exactly what I mean.

Here’s the plot: Yann a.k.a. Dobermann (Vincent Cassel, Le pacte des loups ) is the leader of a gang of freaky goons – a perverted priest (Dominique Bettenfeld, Atomik Circus - Le retour de James Bataille), an emotional drag queen (Stéphane Metzger, Demain la veille), a dim-witted giant (Antoine Basler, La guerre dans le Haut Pays), a sex maniac (Pascal Demolon, Il y a longtemps que je t'aime), a gypsy guitarist (Ivan Merat-Barboff, Le dernier chaperon rouge), and a trigger-happy junkie (Romain Duris, L'auberge espagnole) - who are planning to rob a bank. He is always accompanied by his mute, stunningly beautiful, gypsy girlfriend Nat (Monica Bellucci, Irréversible). The gang hits the bank, leaves a few bodies behind and disappears. A sadistic fascist cop, Cristini (Tchéky Karyo, Nikita), immediately vows to capture Dobermann. He corners him and his gang in a large fetish club. A mind-boggling shootout ensues.

Dobermann is a flashy film, one that lacks substance. Its style, however, is what separates it from similarly themed films. It is incredibly fast, shockingly violent and vulgar. Frankly, there are few taboo subjects in it that have not been at least partially exploited by director Kounen and his team. Unsurprisingly, this was the primary reason why Dobermann quickly earned a cult status amongst teenagers in Europe.

As expected, the critics felt very uncomfortable with the film’s message. I remember director Kounen had to answer plenty of questions after Dobermann was released in French cinemas. As it often happens in such cases, his film received far more publicity than it rightfully deserved. Eventually, things went back to normal and nowadays practically everyone agrees that Dobermann is exactly what its creators wanted it to be -- a hilarious spoof on pop culture with all of its excesses.

Another factor that convinced many that Dobermann was worth seeing was Bellucci and Cassel’s reunion in front of the camera. Only a year earlier, they had appeared in Gilles Mimouni’ L'appartement, a terrific thriller that went on to win the BAFTA award for Best Film not in the English Language. At the time, the couple’s relationship was followed closely by the European media.

Dobermann Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Dobermann arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Fractured Visions.

In the summer of 2009, we reviewed this Region-B release of Dobermann produced by Universal-France. It was sourced from a master that was supervised and approved by Jan Kounen.

This new release from British label Fractured Visions is sourced from the same master, which I think is quite good. However, the age of the master is starting to show now. Dobermann features quite a bit of stylized visuals, some of which play with light and shadow in very particular ways, and on this master some subtle nuances do not look as great as they would on a modern 4K master. For example, the darker footage from the nightclub has a lot of nuanced shadows that are impacted by color lighting and do not always look great. Elsewhere, daylight lighting and highlights are intentionally tweaked and a few can be rebalanced as well. The rest looks pleasing. For example, plenty of close-ups reveal wonderful delineation and depth. Sharpness levels are manage well, too. I think that color reproduction is very good, but now that we have 4K Blu-ray, it is easy to speculate that in native 4K large areas of the film will boast even more striking primaries and supporting nuances. The surface of the visuals is in good condition. There are no traces of distracting digital corrections or encoding anomalies. Image stability is excellent. All in all, even though there is room for improvement, I think that the current master offers a pretty nice presentation of the film. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Dobermann Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The original French Blu-ray release of Dobermann has the same 5.1 track, which I think is excellent. The big shootouts in the nightclub have a few spots where the bass feels a bit too aggressive, but it is probably how the soundtrack was finalized. I would not be surprised if in the future Jan Kounen revisits it, but I suspect that there won't be dramatic changes. If a new and a better audio track is created, it will end up beging a Dolby Atmos track. The English translation is very good.

Dobermann Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critic Mike Leederand Arne Venema. The commentators have a lot of interesting observations about the era from which Dobermann emerged (and why it would be impossible to make in 2024), its European (not French) personality and tone, Tcheky Karyo's remarkably unhinged performance, the controversial over-the-top action, Monica Bellucci's performance as "sex on a stick", some of the interesting cameos (Gaspar Noe pops up multiple times), etc.

• Shoot the Dobermann! - in this exclusive new program, director Jan Kounen recalls how Dobermann came to exist, his interactions with producer Eric Neve and consequently relationship with Polygram, the unprecedented creative freedom he had during the pre-production and production processes, the casting choices that were made, the shooting of some of the "horrible" scenes in the film, the publicity campaign for the film and its reception, etc. Kounen also addresses his reunion with Vincent Cassel on Blueberry. In French, with English subtitles. (24 min).

• Shoot the Girl First! - in this exclusive new program, cinematographer Michel Amathieu explains how he entered the film industry and discusses his professional relationship with Jan Kounen, the total freedom to create that Kounen gave him during the production of Dobermann, the use of light and three different types of lenses throughout the film, the excellent relationship he had with the producers of the film, etc. In French, with English subtitles. (22 min).

• Welcome to Reality, Baby - in this exclusive new program, visual effects supervisor Rodolphe Chabrier recalls the production of Dobermann and how the film benefited from the early developments in CGI technology, and comments on some very specific effects/framing choices that were made and incorporated into the film, like the split frames and the drawn content. In French, with English subtitles. (17 min).

• Shoot the Dog! - in this archival program, Jan Kounen discusses the conception, production, and style of Dobermann; Monica Bellucci's performance; the stylization of the action material; the club footage and Tcheky Karyo's performance; etc. The program features plenty of raw footage from the shooting of various sequences. In French, with English subtitles. (56 min).

• Of Cult Leaders and Gang Members - this new visual essay was created by critic Zoe Rose. In English, not subtitled. (26 min).

• Deleted Scenes - presented here is a collection of deleted scenes with an introduction and commentary by Jan Kounen. In French, with English subtitles. (30 min).

• Short Films - presented here are three short films directed by Jan Kounen.
  
  1. Gisele Kerozene (1990). (5 min).
  2. Vibroboy (1994). In French, with English subtitles. (29 min).
  3. Capitaine X (1994). In French, with English subtitled. (13 min).

• Promotional Materials -
  
  1. Teaser Trailer One. In French, with English subtitles. (1 min).
  2. Teaser Trailer Two. In French, with English subtitles. (1 min).
  3. Trailer One. In French, with English subtitles. (2 min).
  4. Trailer Two. In Spanish, with English subtitles. (2 min).

• Booklet - 46-page illustrated booklet featuring Vern's essay "Can't Keep a Bad Dog Down", Josh Hurtado's essay "Dog Eat Dog: In Praise of Jan Kounen's Dobermann", Tim Murray's essay "Flying the Tartan Flag for Dobermann", and technical credits.

Dobermann Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Dobermann is a freak show, so before and after it was released, a lot of people did not want to be associated with it. This rejection never made much sense to me because the excess in Dobermann cannot possibly be taken seriously. Some of Alex de la Iglesia's films are even more unhinged, but they have been quite successful at various international film festivals. Why is that? I have always had a copy of Dobermann in my collection -- not always an English-friendly one -- but not because I agreed with the popular consensus that it is a great cult film. Monica Bellucci looks incredible in it. Vincent Cassel is a very cool criminal, while Tcheky Karyo behaves like a legit lunatic. This recent Blu-ray release has been prepared with a genuine love for Dobermann, which is instantly recognizable. I was quite impressed with most of the bonus features that are included on it. If you decide to pick it up for your collection, please keep in mind that it is Region-B "locked". VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.