Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		4.0

Joe Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 22, 2018

Nominated for Oscar Award for Best Writing, John Avildsen's "Joe" (1970) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of independent distributors Olive Films. The only bonus feature on the disc is an original trailer for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Never been to one of 'em hippie orgies

In the large and quite diverse catalog that the Cannon Group left behind John Avildsen’s Joe is unquestionably one of the top five films. It has the rugged style and unapologetic attitude of John Schlesinger's Midnight Cowboy and the wicked sense of humor of Bill Persky’s Serial. It is a real cracker of a film that at the very least should have earned Peter Boyle an Oscar nomination.

A cocky junkie forces his girlfriend (a very young Susan Sarandon) to take a powerful drug and half an hour later her brain switches to idiot mode while she is browsing the lipstick section in a small bargain store. When the police pick up the girl and send her to a nearby hospital her father, Bill Compton (Dennis Patrick), goes back to the junkie’s apartment to pick up her things but ends up killing him. Then while struggling to recollect his thoughts, he stops at a tiny bar to get a drink and accidentally admits to the visibly inebriated Joe Curran (Peter Boyle) who can’t stand junkies that he has just whacked one.

A few days later a local TV station reports that a young dealer has been found dead and Joe instantly remembers Bill’s confession. Then he finds his office number, calls him, and the two arrange to meet. At first, Bill assumes that Joe is going to blackmail him and tries to prepare for the incoming drama, but when they meet Joe reveals to him that he admires his courage and that with him around everything will be alright. Bill quickly overcomes the shock and the two spend the night drinking.

Meanwhile, Bill’s daughter escapes from the hospital and goes back to their chic suburban apartment, but when she overhears that her junkie boyfriend was killed instantly runs away. Bill and Joe then hit the streets looking for her and while ‘blending’ with various hippies and junkies end up at a ‘fun house’ that will host an orgy.

The film has a seemingly endless arsenal of politically incorrect jokes and Boyle unleashes them with such impressive authority that one has to compare his character to Jon Voight’s iconic Joe Buck. Of course, they come from very different places, but the simplicity of their life philosophies and the sincerity of their actions are unquestionably identical. The only meaningful difference is that Boyle’s character is an aggressive attack dog that requires very little to be triggered, so instead of reacting to different events that occur around him, like Voight’s character repeatedly does, he creates and directs them while insisting that his logic is the only one that matters.

Patrick’s concerned father is positioned as the voice of reason, but because he is so severely compromised his new friend quickly figures out how to fix the way he rationalizes things and, rather predictably, in the end, all hell breaks loose.

Ultimately, the entire film is one very grotesque exhibition of social views produced by the awkward tension between two generations that perceive their reality in entirely different ways. The friction between them can quite funny, but at the same time, the big picture that emerges is incredibly sad because in the end it is made painfully obvious that both sides are screwed up beyond repair.

Jerry Butler sings two beautiful songs, “Where Are You Going” and “You Can Fly”, that are heard multiple times throughout the film. The title song, “Hey Joe”, was recorded by Danny Meehan.

Joe 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, John G. Avildsen's Joe arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Olive Films.

The release is sourced from an older master, but I like it quite a lot. In fact, I have only two minor complaints about the technical presentation. The first is that, as expected from an older master, density levels are not optimal. This isn't to imply that there are any serious anomalies that would distract you while viewing the film, but in some of the wider panoramic shots trained eyes will recognize some of the limitations of the master. Some fine-tuning could have helped with grain exposure, but the mild flatness that emerges from time to time would have remained. Second, there is no doubt in my mind that a proper fresh new remaster would have secured a better balanced color scheme, with lusher primaries and expanded ranges of healthy nuances. Again, the current color balance is good, but some of the limitations that older masters have are on display. Other than that the film looks quite healthy and certainly has a solid organic appearance. Overall image stability is also very good. My score is 3.75/5.00. (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).

Joe 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.

Some work must have been done on the audio when the current master for Joe was prepared because clarity, stability, and especially balance are very good. Also, there are no traces of background distortions or other similar age-related imperfections. Dynamic intensity is good, though you should keep in mind that the entire film has a very fluid organic soundtrack with plenty of accidental noises and live sounds.

Joe Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for Joe. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

Joe Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The world is a wacky playground overrun by loons and Peter Boyle's character, Joe Curran, is its God-appointed referee in this frequently very cynical but hugely entertaining '70s film from John Avildsen. Boyle is sensational and all these years after the film's premiere it is crystal clear that the Academy members were responsible for yet another terrible omission because at the very least the late actor should have earned an Oscar nomination. Olive Films' upcoming Blu-ray release is sourced from an older but very healthy organic master. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.