7.5 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
A detective decides to go undercover and set up a group of robbers, but he may be getting too caught up in the task at hand.
Starring: Michel Piccoli, Romy Schneider, François Périer, Georges Wilson, Philippe LéotardForeign | 100% |
Crime | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Romance | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.66:1
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Claude Sautet's "Max and the Junkmen" (1971) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage trailer for the film and exclusive new audio commentary by critic Samm Deighan. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
The German girl
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.66:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Max and the Junkmen arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.
There are a couple of Claude Sautet films that were restored on behalf of StudioCanal and Max and the Junkmen is one of them. However, these are not all recent restorations, so some of the restored master come with a few minor limitations.
The master that was used to source this release is quite nice. It has the type of appearance that an interpositive could deliver, but I actually think that the equipment that was used to prepare the master has left its mark. For example, the grain is a tiny bit harsher than it should be -- it is not sharpened -- which is why some density fluctuations can be a tad more pronounced. Also, in a few darker areas the blacks can be slightly crushed, which is exactly how some interpositives can display them when used in restorations. The rest looks good to me. The grading job is convincing and as a result the overall temperature of the color scheme is very attractive. Image stability is excellent. I noticed a couple of tiny white flecks, but there are no distracting debris, cuts, damage marks, warped or torn frames to report. My score is 4.25/5.00. (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: French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.
There are no technical issues to report in our review. The lossless audio is clean, clear, nicely rounded, and free of balance issues. Philippe Sarde's famous soundtrack also easily breathes throughout the entire film. The overall range of dynamic nuances is, quite predictably for a film from the early '70s, rather modest.
Max and the Junkmen is an elegant character study disguised as a modern film noir. It is a couple of other things too, but to be honest, I don't think its identity is that important. As cliche as it may sound, the film works really well because its leads are great before the camera and make the drama that is chronicled in it entirely believable. I give Kino Lorber a lot of credit for bringing Max and the Junkmen to the U.S., and I hope that The Things of Life, arguably Claude Sautet's best film, isn't too far behind it. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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