Madigan Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Madigan Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 20, 2019

Don Siegel's "Madigan" (1968) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage promotional materials for the film as well as an exclusive new audio commentary by critics Nathaniel Thompson, Howard S. Berger, and Steve Mitchell. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

It is impossible not to admire how Don Siegel’s Madigan captures the pulse of New York. The rush, the noise, and cacophony of colors, the industrial breath of the city, they are in every frame of the film. A case can be made rather easily that this pulse is actually bigger and more important than the film’s story. Then there is the presence of the cops and the way they go about doing their job which the film also captures in an impressive way, though this may not be too obvious now. Why? Because a few years after Madigan Don Siegel made Dirty Harry and with it delivered the blueprint for the classic tough cop films. There are rather large bits of this blueprint in Madigan but its protagonists have to compete for the spotlight with the city. In Dirty Harry, Clint Eastwood’s cop does not have this problem. He is the only star and Siegel lets him loose.

Detective Dan Madigan (Richard Widmark) and his partner Rocco Bonaro (Harry Guardino) are informed that Barney Benesch (Steve Ihnat), an elusive thug they have been looking for, is in an apartment building somewhere in Spanish Harlem. They quickly locate the place and then catch Benesch naked with a clueless girl next to him. However, when they let him put his pants on, he steals Madigan’s gun and then quickly disappears in the city. Shortly after, Commissioner Anthony Russell (Henry Fonda) gives Madigan and his partner seventy-two hours to track down Benesch and put him behind bars.

Despite getting plenty of tips from various underground informers, however, Madigan and Bonaro fail to make any meaningful progress. On top of this Madigan faces harsh criticism from his wife, Julia (Inger Stevens), who demands that he finally reconsiders his priorities in life and dedicates as much time to her as he does to his job.

On a night when most of the city’s prominent public servants gather for a lavish event honoring the men and women in blue, Benesch is spotted again. Madigan and Bonaro then corner the thug in a big apartment building, but after a few quick exchanges, it becomes clear that he won’t surrender without a fight.

Madigan is an old-school crime film with its eyes on the future. Siegel uses the search for Benesch to highlight a wide range of developments that have started invalidating the rules that used to define the crime game that brought cops and criminals together. So, it is not a coincidence that there is a lot of improvising on both sides and that eventually the city turns its back on them. During the glory days of film noir, the city would have accommodated both sides and at the right time even made them look cool. This does not happen here. They are on their own and looking casual, and the city is not at all interested in their antics.

Quite predictably, even though there are plenty of notable character transformations and intrigues the film is essentially free of conventional glamor and drama. (Even the commissioner’s shocking discovery feels like an annoying blip on the cynical daily cycle of events that everyone has become comfortable with). The city is bigger than everyone and everything -- the heroes and the villains, the corruption, the crimes, the deaths.

Madigan Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Madigan arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from an old maser. However, it is actually one of the better masters that I have seen from Universal's vaults. There are two areas where I think that meaningful improvements can be made. First, density levels can be better, though not by much because the scope photography actually introduces some native fluctuations. Second, delineation can be strengthened. However, this master already looks quite nice (see screencapture #3). I actually think that with stronger density levels, especially on a brand new master done on modern equipment, delineation will immediately benefit in all the right places. The color grading is convincing. Perhaps there is a bit of room for improved saturation, but not much. Image stability is excellent. Lastly, the entire film also looks very healthy. (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).

Madigan 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. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

I did encounter any issue to report in our review. The audio is clean, stable, and nicely balanced. Dynamic intensity is good as well. In fact, I think that most viewers will be quite surprised to hear how well various organic noises emerge throughout the film. The dialog is very easy to follow.

Madigan Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - a vintage trailer for Madigan. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 480/60i).

• TV Spots - a couple of vintage sports for Madigan. In English, not subtitled. (4 min, 1080p).

• Audio Commentary - this is another excellent audio commentary from critics Howard S. Berger, Steve Mitchell, and Nathaniel Thompson. There is plenty of great information about Don Siegel's vision for Madigan and some interesting compromises that were made during its shooting, New York's presence in the film and its importance for the stylistic appearance of the visuals, the casting choices, the evolution of the crime genre, etc.

• Additional Trailers - additional trailers for the following releases from Kino Lorber's catalog:
  
  1. Charley Varrick
  2. The Black Windmill

Madigan Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I find the presence that New York has in Madigan quite a bit more attractive than the minor triumphs and failures of the characters that Don Siegel's camera follows. I don't want to imply that the drama is meaningless, but the city comes alive in a very special way and it is what ultimately makes the film great. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from an old but good master that was supplied by Universal Pictures, and features another predictably excellent audio commentary from Nathaniel Thompson, Howard S. Berger, and Steve Mitchell. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.