6.6 | / 10 |
Users | 3.7 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Fay Forrester, an attractive young lady wants to escape from her violent and jealous boyfriend Vince. So she hires Jack Andrews, a second class private investigator to arrange her death. She wants to restart her life with a new identity and the money she robbed together with Vince. Because of Jack's financial problems he joins Fay after her fake death. Unfortunately Vince finds out that Fay's still alive. The hunt for Jack, Fay and the money begins.
Starring: Val Kilmer, Joanne Whalley, Nick Dimitri, Michael Madsen, Bibi BeschThriller | Insignificant |
Crime | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
None
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
John Dahl's "Kill Me Again" (1989) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of independent distributors Olive Films. The only bonus feature on the disc is a vintage trailer for the film. In English, without optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
The fixer
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, John Dahl's Kill Me Again arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Olive Films.
The release is sourced from an older master, almost certainly the same master that MGM used when it prepared its DVD release of Kill Me Again some years ago. Quite predictably, even though there are no traces of serious compromising digital corrections, there are obvious source-related shortcomings. For example, there are plenty of well-lit close-ups that look either decent or good, but indoor and nighttime footage routinely lacks the type of crucial depth and supporting nuances that strong contemporary remasters ensure. So, in these areas you should expect to see light to moderate black crush, sporadic flatness, and less than optimal fluidity. In fact, on a larger screen fluidity is one of the key qualities that quickly gives up the age of the current master. Colors are stable, but the grading job has capped some native nuances and they are missing. The good news is that overall balance is still surprisingly pleasing. Grain exposure definitely can be improved, though there are no striking anomalies that would bother sensitive viewers. Again, the current master simply has a capped potential. Image stability is excellent. There are no large cuts, debris, stains, or damage marks to report. All in all, this is a mostly decent presentation of the film, but a proper new remaster will undoubtedly deliver some very meaningful improvements in a number of key areas. (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).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are not provided for the main feature.
The lossless track is strong -- it maintains proper depth, clarity, and convincing balance. However, I wonder if there was a 5.1 mix available, and if there was, whether it was created with John Dahl's involvement. There is a lot of movement and (audio) color throughout the film that suggest a much bigger emphasis on role of the sound design than what the 2.0 track is capable of recreating. The dialog is clean and stable.
John Dahl's first three films -- Kill Me Again, Red Rock West, and The Last Seduction -- are amongst the finest '90s entries in the American neo-noir library. There is a lot to like in them, but their tone and atmosphere are just perfect. I would have loved to see them gathered in a box set and remastered properly by the folks at Criterion, with a stellar selection of new bonus features for each film, but it is obvious now that this is a dream project that would not materialize. Olive Films' release of Kill Me Again is sourced from an older master that was prepared by MGM some years ago. It is mostly decent, but the film can and should look quite a bit better in high-definition. RECOMMENDED.
Import
1978
1960
1986
1936
1964
2017
Limited Edition to 3000
1973
1963
2015
La French
2014
2015
Reissue
1977
その男、凶暴につき
1989
Warner Archive Collection
1985
1991
4K Restoration
1973
1998
Gli Intoccabili
1969
1973
1929