Let's Get Harry Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

Let's Get Harry Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 10, 2024

Stuart Rosenberg's "Let's Get Harry" (1986) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Imprint Films. There are no bonus features on the release. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

It is interesting to see how so much of what used to be discarded as fantasy in action films that emerged from the 1970s and 1980s turned out to be so accurate. Dig up old reviews of Missing in Action and you will see that many found Chuck Norris’ exotic adventure extremely problematic. How could an outraged American citizen organize a rescue mission in Thailand without any help from the U.S. government? It is a fantasy, a bad one, too. Well, it turned out that plenty of heroes were doing precisely what Norris was doing in Missing in Action -- they were risking their lives to save folks that the U.S. government had, for various reasons, abandoned. (The true story of one such hero can be read here).

Let’s Get Harry was released a few years after Missing in Action. However, old reports indicate that it was conceived much earlier, and Sum Fuller, who co-wrote the story that inspired it, could have directed it. But after its conception a lot changed, and eventually, after Fuller was no longer associated with the project, the job of directing it was offered to Stuart Rosenberg. Obviously, it is quite the evolution, but the important point here is different. Let’s Get Harry and Missing in Action tell variations of the same story, and if this story was just a ridiculous fantasy, why were these great directors interested in it?

At an industrial site in Colombia, engineer Harry Burck, Jr. (Mark Harmon) and the visiting American ambassador (Bruce Gray) are kidnapped by a local drug lord who intends to trade the two for several of his associates that the U.S. government has thrown in jail. When the news reaches Harry’s hometown of Aurora, Illinois, his brother, Corey (Michael Shoeffling), and best friends -- Bob (Tom Wilson), Spence (Glenn Frey), Kurt (Rick Rossovich), and Jack (Gary Busey) -- quickly pack their bags and head to Washington D.C., determined to speed up the process that would free him. Instead, a jaded bureaucrat informs them that the U.S. government does not negotiate with terrorists, and because Colombian authorities have been engaged, there are no plans for a military rescue mission. Several days later, Harry’s visibly frustrated friends agree to organize a private rescue mission and promptly begin interviewing a motley crew of characters claiming to have the necessary experience for it. They hire an aging mercenary named Norman Shrike (Robert Duvall), who immediately begins educating them about the many dangers of launching a rescue mission in Colombia and what it would take to reach its final phase successfully. A week later, led by the old-timer, Harry’s friends, now organized in a team, are illegally flown into Colombia.

The rescue mission is defined by fascinating mood swings that, contrary to what has been said in the past, feel very authentic. Why exactly? Because excluding Shrike the men that enter the Colombian jungle very quickly realize that they have begun gambling their lives in a game they do not have the knowledge or skills to win. They are running on emotions and pure adrenalin, constantly assuming and guessing, so they cannot behave as rationally as their critics demand.

The rescue mission has a kitschy element a lot like the one that is present in Norris’ mission as well. But how could there not be one? A bunch of ordinary guys who have spent their entire lives in a small Midwestern town are suddenly forced to improvise against cold-blooded killers who frequently clash with the Colombian Army on their home turf. There must be irrational, even idiotic behavior and strange moments, all of which would be easily avoidable back home in the U.S.

Even though Busey is not the leader of the Americans, he is the heart and soul of Let’s Get Harry. His nasty outbursts and pure energy give the entire rescue mission an incredible vibe.

Rosenberg worked with cinematographer James A. Conter, who lensed such cult films as Cruising, Nighthawks, and The Last Dragon. Interestingly, because of production disagreements that evoved into serious drama, Rosenberg’s name no longer appears in the opening credits of Let’s Get Harry.

Let's Get Harry Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Let's Get Harry arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Imprint Films.

The release is sourced from an old master that was supplied by Sony Pictures. While it produces some decent and occasionally good visuals, this master has obvious limitations, too. For example, several daylight sequences reveal light edge-enhancement. In some darker footage, shadow nuances are not optimal as well. Grain does not have the stable organic appearance of proper recent 2K and 4K masters, so on a very large screen, you could notice some mildly distracting fluctuations. Still, even on a very large screen, a lot of footage looks pretty decent. Color balance is stable, but there is definitely room for improvements. Image stability is good. I noticed a few blemishes and tiny dark spots, but there are no large cuts, debris, warped or torn frames to report. My score is 3.25/5.00. (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).

Let's Get Harry 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 audio track is solid. In fact, I do not think that there is any room for sizeable improvements because clarity, sharpness, depth, and dynamic intensity are already very, very good. If the film is fully restored in the future the audio remastered, perhaps there will be some small balance adjustments. However, the music and all of the action footage already sound very, very good.

Let's Get Harry Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Unfortunately, there are no bonus features to be found on this release.

Let's Get Harry Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

An improvised rescue mission featuring primarily characters with zero combat experience should look a lot like the one that is depicted in Let's Get Harry. It will be deadly. However, it will be defined by strange behavior that few people will consider authentic. If launched today, the participants in such a mission will have access to better military equipment, but this won't change much because the crucial human factor in it remains the same. Imprint Films' release is sourced from an old but for the most part decent master that was supplied by Sony Pictures. RECOMMENDED.