Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

Fair Game Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 10, 2018

Mario Andreacchio's "Fair Game" (1986) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Australian label Umbrella Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage promotional materials for the film; audio commentary by director Mario Andreacchio and writer Rob George; multiple behind the scenes featurettes; short films; and more. In English, without optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

"We are going to play an interesting game with you -- and have a lot of fun doing it."

If you are focusing on the exchanges between the four principal characters and are frequently discovering obvious flaws in their thought process, you are missing what should be even more obvious -- Mario Andreacchio’s film is about one thing only: pure, high-octane, slightly unhinged Aussie action. So, don’t overthink things. Pour yourself a drink, get comfortable, and just enjoy the madness.

The beautiful Cassandra Delaney plays Jessica, the lonely owner of a small ranch somewhere in the Australian Outback. She isn’t single, but her husband is away on business and she can’t wait for him to come back. She’s got a smart puppy, a horse, and even a few exotic birds, but without her man the ranch just isn’t the same.

While picking up her groceries at the local deli Cassandra attracts the attention of a stranger (Peter Ford) who offers to buy her newest painting, but when he mentions that he is the leader of a team of kangaroo hunters that have arrived to clean up the area she instantly rejects his cash. The man then bags his items and jumps in his truck.

A few hours after she returns to the ranch Cassandra realizes that she has become a target and that the man from the deli and his two partners (Garry Who and David Sandford) are about to teach her an important lesson. The improvised foreplay before the lesson, however, energizes Cassandra and she gathers the courage to strike back, which only further strengthens the hunters’ desire to tame her.

The title is most appropriate because the entire film is essentially one long and relentless cat-and-mouse game without rules, so anything is ‘fair game’. The only consistent element of this game is the gradual increase of the intensity which basically gives the film its identity.

The film was undoubtedly made with a small budget -- though by Aussie standards it actually may have been pretty decent – but whatever Andreacchio had available to work with he used it wisely. For this kind of genre picture the action really is first-class and there is also some pretty spectacular panoramic footage which tells me that someone did a lot of scouting work to get the right locations. The Beast, the customized truck that the hunters use to destroy the ranch, is also quite the beauty.

Predictably, the spotlight is on Delaney and she easily manages to look gorgeous in even the most ridiculous situations. From time to time she makes the clichéd wrong decisions that keep on extending the game, but as mentioned earlier these types of ‘flaws’ are necessary and once the fun begins they are incredibly easy to ignore. A very wild Aussie thriller that can be the perfect companion piece to Richard Franklin's similarly themed Road Games.

Fair Game 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, Mario Andreacchio's Fair Game arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Umbrella Entertainment.

The release is sourced from a gorgeous new 2K remaster that makes the panoramic footage from the Outback look simply stunning on a big screen. Indeed, there are absolutely no traces of problematic digital tinkering and the entire film looks incredibly healthy. There are a few segments where some minor density fluctuations can be observed, but these are the type of native fluctuations that more often than not actually give these genre films a bit of character. What needs to be underscored is this: because no one has attempted to degrain, resharpen or repolish the film in a lab, the visuals have a very solid organic appearance. The color scheme is equally convincing. There are beautiful healthy primaries and a wide range of equally beautiful nuances. Frankly, if the many remasters of Italian genre films that we have seen in recent years looked half as good as this Aussie film, the Internet probably would have been a much happier place. Trained eyes will spot a few very tiny white specks, but there are no distracting large cuts, debris, stains, warped or torn frames to report. Wonderful remaster. 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).

Fair Game 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 subtitles are not provided for the main feature.

I don't know precisely what type of remixing work was done for the audio, but on my system the lossless track delivered the consistent quality that I expect when I place a disc in my player. Depth, clarity, and balance were excellent. The dialog was also easy to follow, though the folks at Umbrella Entertainment probably should have included optional English SDH subtitles for viewers that may find some of the accents a bit thick.

Fair Game Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

NOTE: Please note that a good number of the bonus features are encoded in PAL and therefore cannot be played on native North American Blu-ray players.

• Behind the Scenes with Dean Bennett - Dean Bennett was in Burra, South Australia, for two weeks where has was able to shoot plenty of behind-the scenes footage during the production of Fair Game. This raw footage is presented here in its entirety. In English, not subtitled. (52 min).

• Behind the Scenes - 1985 TV Report from ADS-7, State Affair - a short archival promo piece with raw footage from the shooting of Fair Game and some interesting observations by director Mario Andreacchio and actress Cassandra Delaney. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Behind the Scenes - 1985 TV Report from NWS9, Action News - an archival news report on the ongoing production of Fair Game with some quick comments by director Mario Andreacchio. In English, not subtitled. (1 min).

• On Location with Fair Game - additional raw footage from the shooting of Fair Game. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Extended Interview with Cassandra Delaney - in this archival interview, actress Cassandra Delaney recalls how she was invited to play Jessica in Fair Game, and discusses her work with director Mario Andreacchio during the shoot in the Outback as well as some of the unique qualities of her character. The interview was conducted by Mark Hartley for his documentary Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation! in 2008. In English, not subtitled. (16 min).

• Mario Andreacchio Short Films - presented here are five short films directed by Mario Andreacchio. In standard definition.
  
  1. Vandalism (1981)
  2. Break-In (1983)
  3. Taken by Storm (1984)
  4. Abduction... Who's Next? (1984)
  5. Under Pressure (1986)

• Audio Commentary - director Mario Andreacchio and writer Rob George go down memory lane and offer plenty of very interesting information about the production history of Fair Game, the various locations where important sequences were shot, the stunt work (which was done without CGI effects), the tone of the film, etc.

• Trailer - a newly remastered original trailer for Fair Game. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, 1080p).

• Image Gallery - a large collection of original promotional materials for the film.(1080p).

• Storyboards -

• Reversible Cover -

Fair Game Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If Fair Game was a contemporary production I would not have finished viewing it. Do you know why? Because it would have been loaded with modern CGI effects and turned out like one uncharacteristically long and exotic TV commercial. It would have been unbearably plastic-looking and dull, like all those 'new' blockbuster sequels that Hollywood currently has parked at your local theater. There are no CGI effects in Fair Game, only risky stunts, and while it does have a certain cartoonish quality, it has a big beating heart as well. This is what even the smallest genre films from the '70s and '80s had -- a heart and an authentic personality that made it easy to embrace them even when they did some silly things to impress. I really enjoyed Fair Game and was very pleased with the new 2K remaster that Umbrella Entertainment used for their Blu-ray release. A truly fantastic addition to their catalog. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.