Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Golden Needles Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 27, 2021

Robert Clouse's "Golden Needles" (1974) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include new audio commentary by critics Howard S. Berger and Chris Poggiali as well as vintage promotional materials for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The gambler

The fact that Robert Clouse was given money to direct an almost indescribably exotic action film like Golden Needles did not surprise me. Why? Because Golden Needles materialized only a year after Clouse had directed Enter the Dragon. It is pretty clear what happened here -- producers Paul Heller and Fred Weintraub invested in Clouse’s name, rather than the potential of Golden Needles. What surprised me quite a bit is that the likes of Joe Don Baker, Jim Kelly, Burgees Meredith, Ann Sothern, and even the famous Argentinean maestro Lalo Schifrin committed to Golden Needles as well. Did they do it only for the money? I am hesitant to write yes because I don’t think that Heller and Weintraub were handing out exceptionally big checks, which means that there must have been another good reason for these very talented people to agree to do the film. Could it be that they were all tricked to believe that Clouse was about to direct another big box office hit like Enter the Dragon? I don’t know what the correct answer is, but if I had to pick a scenario that made the most sense, this would have been the one.

The problem with this supposedly logical scenario is that it does not take into consideration how the actors I mentioned behave throughout Golden Needles. How do they behave? Let’s just say that the majority of the time they are not contributing to a serious action film; rather, they look unleashed in a mad film that cannot decide what type of identity is right for it. Just to be perfectly clear, this mad film isn’t a parody either, so even though the actors look unleashed, they are not treating their characters like goofy caricatures. Needless to say, viewing Golden Needles is a very unusual experience.

The narrative is appropriately unusual as well. In Hong Kong, an experienced acupuncturist removes various needles from a tiny statuette and then sticks them in the body of an elderly man surrounded by young and very beautiful women. Moments later, the elderly man regains his strength and libido, smiles and throws away the cane he has used to help himself. But before he can test his ‘new’ body, a pair of hit men set him on fire with massive flamethrowers. The acupuncturist and the women aren’t spared either. Soon after, in a lousy gambling parlor somewhere in a different part of town, the retired American detective Dan (Baker) is hired by Felicity (Elizabeth Ashley) to recover the tiny statuette from the acupuncture ceremony which has been stolen by the hit men. Dan immediately goes to work and eventually returns to America where his old buddy Jeff (Kelly) begins assisting him as well. But the job proves to be a lot more complex and dangerous than initially described and Dan and Jeff are forced to deal with a vicious triad boss (Roy Chiao) taking orders from a slightly mad antiques collector (Meredith).

There isn’t a shortage of exotic action films that head down the same path Golden Needles does. But they are usually very transparent B-films that quickly switch into overdrive mode and produce a very familiar range of thrills. (See Five Golden Dragons and The Million Eyes of Sumuru). Golden Needles announces itself as a bigger film with an appropriately bigger cast, but then abruptly changes its mind and becomes completely irrational. (There is a fight sequence towards the middle that involves a bunch of old naked men observing the action that essentially sums up the entire film). However, while appearing unleashed its stars remain completely oblivious to the change and continue treating their characters as if they are key pieces in a fast-moving, entirely coherent crime drama.

Golden Needles Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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

The release is sourced from a very healthy new 2K master. On my system, the film had all of the proper organic qualities I wanted it to have so that it looks right. I like its rich variety of healthy colors as well, though this is the main area where some additional improvements could have been made. Why? Because even though the primary values are excellent, indoor/darker footage tends to look a tad darker than it should, which is why some black crush can be spotted. I am unsure why this anomaly keeps reappearing on new 2K masters that enter Kino Lorber's catalog, but it is there and it is easily avoidable. (You can see an obvious example in screencapture #18). The rest is great. Density levels for instance are very strong. Fluidity is impressive as well. A couple of white flecks pop up here and there, but there are no distracting large debris, cuts, damage marks, stains, warped or torn frames to report. (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).

Golden Needles 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 provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The audio could have used some remastering work. There are quite a few sequences -- virtually all with indoor footage -- where the upper register struggles with light buzz that overwhelms the high frequencies. The dialog is still easy to follow there, but if you turn up the volume a bit more the effect is impossible to ignore. Dynamic balance and intensity are somewhat uneven, but but this appears to be an inherited limitation.

Golden Needles Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - in this new audio commentary, critics Howard S. Berger and Chris Poggiali share plenty of interesting information about the production and theatrical history of Golden Needles, its unusual style, the careers of the various people that made it. The entire commentary is one very attractive conversation between two film buffs, so there is plenty of interesting observations about all kinds of different genre films. I liked it a lot.

• Promotional Materials -
  
  1. Original trailer
  2. TV Spot
  3. Radio Spots
  4. Image Gallery
  

• Cover - reversible cover with vintage poster art.

Golden Needles Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Golden Needles might be the strangest film I have seen this year. It is unable to pick an identity and as a result looks indescribably exotic, but its stars, most of which are big-time actors, treat their characters as if they are key pieces in an entirely coherent project. The odd contrasts that emerge as a result of this discrepancy are quite amusing. I think that I enjoyed the film, but only because I could not tell how strange it can get. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from a very nice new 2K master and features a good exclusive new audio commentary by critics Howard S. Berger and Chris Poggiali. RECOMMENDED, but only to adventurous collectors.