6.9 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
A band of medieval mercenaries take revenge on a noble lord who decides not to pay them by kidnapping the betrothed of the noble's son. As the plague and warfare cut a swathe of destruction throughout the land, the mercenaries hole up in a castle and await their fate.
Starring: Rutger Hauer, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Susan Tyrrell, Tom Burlinson, Jack ThompsonPeriod | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
German: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
German, English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Dutch director Paul Verhoeven's "Flesh+Blood" (1985) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of German label Koch Media. The supplemental features on the disc include original trailers; collection of posters, advertising materials, lobby cards, and production stills; and audio commentary with director Paul Verhoeven. In English, with optional English and German subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
"It is the plague..."
Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Paul Verhoeven's Flesh+Blood arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of German label Koch Media.
The high-definition transfer has been struck from a dated source with various limitations. There are obvious inherited traces of mild to moderate sharpening corrections that give the film a rather harsh look (see screencapture #14). During select nighttime sequences noise also becomes prominent and often affects image depth and clarity. Color reproduction is also far from impressive. Saturation, in particular, can be a lot better. Unsurprisingly, large portions of the film can look quite anemic. Generally speaking, image stability is very good. A few tiny flecks pop up here and there, but there are no large cuts, damage marks, warps, or stains to report in this review. All in all, in terms of definition and clarity there are indeed visible improvements over the R1 DVD release, but the film does not have the pleasing and consistent organic look I expected it to have. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).
There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. and German DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. For the record, Koch Media have provided optional English and German subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.
The film is complimented by a very good period soundtrack courtesy of Basil Poledouris that benefits greatly from the lossless treatment. During the battle scenes, depth and clarity are also excellent. In fact, dynamic intensity is frequently surprisingly good. The dialog is pleasingly crisp, stable, free of problematic background hiss, and easy to follow. Also, there are no audio dropouts or distortions to report in this review.
Paul Verhoeven's first English-language film. Flesh+Blood. needs the same type of treatment his cult classic Total Recall received -- the film needs to transition to Blu-ray with a brand new high-definition transfer approved by the Dutch director. This German release, courtesy of Koch Media, offers some improvements over previous DVD releases, but there is no doubt in my mind that Flesh+Blood can look a lot more convincing. Consider adding the Blu-ray release to your collections only if you can find it on sale.
Fleisch + Blut / Mediabook
1985
Uncut
1985
Limited Mediabook Edition | Cover A
1985
Limited Mediabook Edition | Cover B
1985
(Still not reliable for this title)
Limited Edition Mediabook Cover B
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