7.8 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
French new wave icon Jean-Paul Belmondo stars as Silien, a poker-faced crook who may or may not have squealed on newly sprung gangster Maurice Faugel (Serge Reggiani) in this ice-cool noir from the great Jean-Pierre Melville.
Starring: Jean-Paul Belmondo, Serge Reggiani, Jean Desailly, René Lefèvre, Philippe NahonForeign | 100% |
Crime | 12% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 1.67:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.66:1
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
4K Ultra HD
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Jean-Pierre Melville's "Le Doulos" a.k.a. "The Finger Man" (1962) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include recent program with assistant director Volker Schlondorff; audio commentary by critic Samm Deighan; recent program about the production history of the film; and more. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
The Finger Man
Kino Lorber's release of Le Doulos is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free. However, the Blu-ray is Region-A "locked".
Please note that all screencaptures included with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray.
This release gives you the opportunity to see StudioCanal's recent 4K restoration of Le Doulos in native 4K. In America, the 4K restoration was introduced with this Blu-ray release in 2019. The native 4K presentation is not graded with Dolby Vision or HDR.
If I transfer the comments from our review of the 4K Blu-ray release of Bob le Flambeur, they will accurately sum up how I feel about the native 4K presentation of Le Doulos. The 4K makeover that was prepared for this film is excellent, so it is not surprising that it looks terrific in native 4K as well. Delineation, clarity, and depth are outstanding, and on a large screen all visuals boast a tightness that I find very attractive. The grayscale is excellent. Blacks are lush and nicely balanced with the equally strong grays and whites. On the native 4K presentation of Bob le Flambeur, I felt that a few darker areas could have benefitted from a Dolby Vision or HDR grade, but here I just do not see any areas where meaningful improvements can be made. On my system, from start to finish Le Doulos looks fantastic. What else can I write about its native 4K presentation? Yes, I do think that it is marginally better than the 1080p presentation from the Blu-ray release. However, I also think that this is a difference that can be appreciated on very large screens. Ultimately, I just can not be happier that these films were redone so convincingly in 4K and have excellent Blu-ray and 4K Blu-ray releases. Choose the one that you wish to have in your library.
There is only one standard audio track on this release: French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.
While revisiting the film in native 4K, I did not encounter any issues to report. The comments below are from our review of the Blu-ray release of Le Doulos.
It shows right away that the audio has been completely redone. What comes out of the speakers is clean and sharp audio with lovely depth and proper balance. I personally like its dynamic intensity as well, though as usual I have to mention that for obvious reasons it does not match what modern film projects are capable of delivering. The English translation is good, but the size of the subtitles is a bit too small.
4K BLU-RAY DISC
Some films are a lot simpler than they initially appear to be, they just need to be seen from the right angle so that everything that takes place in them begins to make perfect sense. Jean-Pierre Melville's Le Doulos is that kind of busy, borderline hectic yet very simple film. It's got another classic character transformation from Jean-Paul Belmondo and a lush noirish look that makes these types of older gangster films simply irresistible. Kino Lorber's 4K Blu-ray release is a gift for fans of Le Doulos and Melville's work. StudioCanal's 4K restoration is gorgeous and looks great on 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray, so whichever you pick for your library, you will have a wonderful release of Le Doulos. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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