Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Fluke Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 3, 2024

Carlo Carlei's "Fluke" (1995) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include new program and commentary with Carlo Carlei, as well as vintage trailer. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Dog lovers will immediately see through the silliness that flourishes in a few areas and recognize the obvious, which is that Fluke was directed by someone like them. This is the main reason to see Fluke. It oozes a genuine appreciation for that most special relationship a dog lover and his favorite pup can have.

It all begins with a terrible car accident. On a curvy country road, two racing cars approach a giant truck but refuse to slow down. Moments later, one of the cars flies off the road and crashes in the nearby forest. The driver (Matthew Modine) inside it dies on the spot and his soul immediately leaves his crushed body. He then wakes up as a pup, next to a few more pups and their vigilant mother, hiding amidst trash boxes in the back of an unknown restaurant. Soon after, animal control workers relocate the furry family to a massive facility on the outskirts of town and place each of its members in an individual cell. A day later the pup gets lucky and regains its freedom, and while out on the streets, freezing and starving, it befriends a kind homeless woman who names it Fluke.

But tragedy strikes again. The homeless woman falls sick and dies, and Fluke is forced to find a new place to call home. Instead, Fluke finds Rumbo (Samuel L. Jackson), an older, talking dog, who promptly begins explaining what it takes to survive in a world dominated by good and bad human beings. While roaming the streets with Rumbo, Fluke then meets Carol (Nancy Travis) and Brian (Max Pomeranc), who were part of the family that the dead driver loved, and later, Jeff (Eric Stolz), his business partner, who was driving the second car on the night of the horrific accident.

Very little of what is depicted in Carlo Carlei’s Fluke can be defended as logical or authentic. However, all of it, even the silliest material, is so sincere and genuinely moving that the complete film is impossible to dislike. Also, Fluke connects with the mind and heart a lot like one of those most beautiful dreams everyone has experienced while growing up.

Is this how Carlei wanted Fluke to be experienced? The shorter answer is, yes. (The longer answer is in a wonderful program included on this release). Fluke is a grown man’s tribute to a special relationship from his youth years, and a portal to a range of feelings and sensations that defined it. This is what makes Fluke effective, not its story, or the many, admittedly quite impressive, tricks its furry stars do. It is an intimate film, temporarily transporting its audience back to a place everyone cherishes and remembers, reviving memories of it that have been locked away for decades.

The narrative is broken into two uneven parts. At the center of the first, which is the smaller one, is Fluke’s rapidly evolving friendship with Rumbo, who has an advanced grasp of the world the two must share. There are more and better laughs here. In the second, Fluke and the dead driver’s memories frequently overlap and, after several dramatic developments, the former undergoes a sizeable, quite surprising transformation. The finale also surprises quite a bit because it features yet another effective reset that presents the thinking mind with plenty of food for thought.

Carlei’s direction is wonderfully precise but leaves the impression that it is borderline casual. This is a tremendous accomplishment in a film where a lot of material features dogs engaged in complex acts that must fool the audience into believing that they are behaving spontaneously. Clearly, they are expertly trained to do a lot as they are told, so their flawless execution, with Carlei shooting but being ignored by them, is frequently breathtaking.

Fluke 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, Fluke arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

It is very easy to tell that the release is sourced from an older master. However, if one ignores the fact that some visuals look a bit dated, their overall quality is still easy to describe is pleasing, even good. For example, virtually all close-ups, and there are many throughout the film, look quite good. In darker areas, crushing is not an issue either. Image stability is good and there are no distracting surface imperfections. What are the area where improvements can be made? In wider shots, delineation and occasionally clarity are not optimal. There are many areas where depth is fine, but a fresh 2K or 4K master will easily introduce meaningful improvement. Also, a few primaries and supporting nuances should be fresher, healthier, and better balanced. If they are, and delineation and depth are improved too, all visuals will boast a superior, easy to appreciate dynamic range. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Fluke Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I chose to view the entire film with the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. It is a good track that handles all narration and dialog well. However, the crash footage and several areas where the music has a very important role to play feel a bit uneven. It is dynamic unevenness that is related to the audio not being as full as it feels it should be. On the other hand, I did not notice any anomalies that may have been responsible for it, so it could very well be that it is how the 5.1 track was finalized.

Fluke Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interview with Carlo Carlei - in this new program, director Carlo Carlei explains how the idea for Fluke materialized and discusses the evolution of the screenplay he created for it and collaboration with MGM. Carlei also explains why no one wanted to help him do the film in Italy. In English, not subtitled. (12 min).

• Commentary - if you have seen and enjoyed Fluke, you should find the time to listen to this commentary because any questions you may have about the film are answered in it by Carlo Carlei. It is a refreshingly honest commentary, too. Carlei mentions several shots that did not turn out right, and some other things that could have been managed better. Also, there is plenty of interesting information about the dogs and what they were required to do in front of his camera.

• Trailer - presented here is a remastered original trailer for Fluke. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

Fluke Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Carlo Carlei states that Fluke is "a film I made with my heart". It is very easy to tell that he speaks the truth because there is sincerity in it that cannot be imitated. This sincerity is also linked to feelings and emotions all of us have experienced in our youth and stored in memories that we rarely, if ever, go back to, so viewing Fluke could be a most surprising roller-coaster ride. Kino Lorber's Blu-ray release is sourced from an older but pretty good master supplied by MGM. RECOMMENDED.