Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.5

Hustle Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 29, 2025

Robert Aldrich's "Hustle" (1975) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Imprint Films. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new audio commentary by critic Daniel Kremer; new video essay by critic Blake Howard; and vintage promotional materials for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

"No matter how much you have, there is always room for a little more. It's an unavoidable fact of life."

Approximately a decade separates Michelangelo Antonioni’s first English-language film Blow-Up and Robert Aldrich’s film Hustle and they have very different personalities. Blow-Up is typically described as an art film. I find this description of Blow-Up somewhat problematic because it seems to suggest that some films are, well, art and some are not, but I have used it too because it has always been part of its reputation. Hustle has always been described as a conventional crime film. So, these films are supposed to be very different and if you knew anything about the work and careers of the two directors that made them, you would rightfully conclude that they were destined to be.

Well, Blow-Up and Hustle have very different personalities but are actually very, very similar films. In fact, they are so similar that the same writer could have conceived them. Before I reveal why, here is a quick synopsis of Hustle:

The cold body of a young woman is discovered on a quiet beach just outside of Los Angeles. Veteran detectives Phil Gaines (Burt Reynolds) and Louis Belgrave (Paul Winfield) begin working on the case and quickly conclude that the woman must have committed suicide. But it is not because they know for sure that she did. Rather, it is because the coroner provides insufficient information for them to conclude that she might have been killed, and because the girl’s parents are nobodies. Gaines and Belgrave’s boss, Santoro (Ernest Borgnine), is happy with their work, too. Why make a bigger deal of a case that no one would care for? Gaines and Belgrave can use their time to tackle another, more important case. But this is not how the father of the dead girl, Marty Hollinger (Ben Johnson), an aging Korean War veteran with a very shaky nervous system, feels. During a heated exchange, he punches Gaines in the face, tells him that his little girl would have never taken her life, and demands that he finds the real reason his girl died. When Gaines reluctantly begins digging for additional information, he quickly learns that the dead girl was a stripper that routinely participated in private sex parties in exchange for money. Gaines also discovers a photo of the dead girl and Leo Sellers (Eddie Albert), a shady businessman with some even shadier business partners, who apparently had repeatedly seen her. While Gaines slowly changes his mind about the girl’s tragic end, his romantic relationship with Nicole Britton (Catherine Deneuve), one of the city’s most famous call girls, becomes so complicated that it begins to interfere with his work.

In both films, a murder case is used as a distraction for terrific character studies. In Blow-Up, the distraction is more advanced, but only because it needs to be -- Antonioni studies a rapidly evolving, hyperactive London from the 'Swinging Sixties' era. In Hustle, Aldrich puts Gaines under the microscope.

But Gaines’ bond with Los Angeles from the 1970s is so strong that Aldrich uses it to profile the city in pretty much the same way Antonioni does London. (Do you recall exactly how Antonioni does it? The curious photographer becomes his alter ego). While doing the extra work the father of the dead girl has demanded, Gaines then reveals a city of striking contrasts, where “everybody hustles”.

It must be said that Hustle is not scripted to behave as a chameleon, which is why it will never be mistaken for an art film. Despite Deneuve’s presence, which softens it a bit, it is a classic Aldrich film -- it has a macho attitude and oozes an instantly recognizable raw energy.

Reynolds is excellent. His struggle to break his rule and admit to Deneuve that he does not want to share her with other men looks very authentic. Deneuve’s phone sessions are a bit weak, but she still looks great. Winfield was a terrific choice to play the fed-up but still loyal partner, and his exchanges with Reynolds are some of the best segments in the entire film. Eileen Brennan leaves a lasting impression as the compromised mother, too.

Aldrich’s director of photography was Oscar-winner Joseph Biroc, whose resume includes such classic films as The Towering Inferno, The Flight of the Phoenix, Bullet for a Badman, and Attack!.

Hustle 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, Hustle arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Imprint Films.

The release introduces the recent 4K restoration of Hustle that was completed at Paramount. (In America, the 4K restoration was introduced with this release, produced by Kino Lorber in 2023).

I think that the film looks terrific now. It boasts wonderfully detailed and vibrant visuals, often revealing a striking dynamic range. Color balance is very convincing, too. All primaries and supporting nuances are very healthy and nicely balanced, so there are no distracting anomalies to report. Some areas have small density fluctuations, but they are introduced by the cinematography. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. However, I have to mention that there is room for small yet meaningful encoding optimization that could have ensured that grain exposure is better. Also, in the beginning of the film, I noticed several flecks and blemishes that easily could have been addressed with the latest digital tools. (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).

Hustle Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The lossless track is very healthy. The music is not crucial for the desired atmosphere, but in a few areas there is some rather interesting material, creating excitement with very little. All dialog is clear, sharp, and easy to follow. I did not encounter any encoding anomalies to report.

Hustle Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Hustle: Between Realism and Escapism - this exclusive new video essay was created by critic Blake Howard. In English, not subtitled. (13 min).

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critic and filmmaker Daniel Kremer.

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage U.S. trailer for Hustle. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

• TV Spots - presented here are several vintage U.S. TV spots for Hustle. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

• Radio Spot - presented here is a vintage U.S. radio spot for Hustle. In English, not subtitled. (1 min).

Hustle Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I mentioned elsewhere that despite having different personalities Hustle and Blow-Up have a lot in common. But the closest relative of Hustle is probably Hardcore, which enters a similar territory and undoubtedly carries the same neo-noir genes. However, I prefer not to profile Hustle as a neo-noir film, simply because Robert Aldrich's films are usually in a category of their own and tend to follow their own rules. This release brings to Australia the excellent recent 4K restoration of Hustle that was prepared at Paramount. It is included in Film Focus: Burt Reynolds, a four-disc Region-Free box set. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.