6.7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
An Italian private investigator tries to get to the bottom of a suspicious kidnapping case with the help of an exotic dancer.
Starring: Maurizio Merli, Joan Collins, Franco Ressel, Werner Pochath, Annarita GrapputoForeign | 100% |
Crime | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Italian: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Stelvio Massi's "Magnum Cop" a.k.a. "Fearless Fuzz" (1978) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Raro Video. The only supplemental feature on the release is an exclusive new audio commentary by critics Tory Howarth, Nathaniel Thompson, and Eugenio Ercolani. In Italian or English, with optional English subtitles. Region-Free.
Hard landing in Vienna
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Magnum Cop arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Raro Video.
It is very easy to tell that Magnum Cop has been recently remastered because it looks very healthy and quite beautiful in high-definition. I was a little concerned that the remaster could be one of those strange looking makeovers that usually emerge from L'Immagine Ritrovata after I saw the English title of the film, Fearless Fuzz, appear on my screen, and then the first frame of the slow-motion prologue (see screencapture #6), but the rest looks lovely. Delineation, clarity, and depth were very pleasing, though the entire film should have been place on a double-layer disc and encoded a little bit better. Still, you do not have to worry about serious anomalies. In a few areas, grain exposure is slightly looser, but the visuals hold well. There are no traces of problematic digital tinkering. The entire film looks very healthy as well. My score is 4.25/5.00. (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).
There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the Italian audio.
I tested both tracks and mentioned elsewhere that prefer the Italian track. Though both tracks feature overdubbing, the Italian track sounds better. Clarity and sharpness are better. It is 'thicker', too. The English track can be quite anemic and even flat at times, but these are inherited limitations as it is a dub track, too. I did not encounter any pops, cracks, distortions, or dropouts to report in our review.
If you approach Stelvio Massi's Magnum Cop expecting to entertain you the same way the director's other poliziotteschi and crime dramas from the 1970s would, I think that you are setting yourself up for an underwhelming viewing experience. Magnum Cop does a lot of mocking, though it is most definitely not a silly parody. If you pay attention to the very particular contrasts it produces, which are loaded with Italian genre flavor, I think that you will find it quite intriguing. One of the most unexpected delights in the film is a strong performance by Joan Collins. Raro Video's release is sourced from a beautiful recent master and is Region-Free. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. (For a proper dose of high-octane poliziotteschi action, consider picking up Massi's masterpiece, Highway Racer, which was recently restored).
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