6.3 | / 10 |
Users | 2.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
A disparate group of travelers is eating in an isolated restaurant when a man drops dead of a heart attack. Before he dies, they discover that he is wanted for stealing several million dollars, and he tells them that he has hidden a million dollars in each of four different locations, and gives them clues as to where the locations are. They all then take off and try to get to the hidden treasure before any of the others do.
Starring: Eddie Deezen, Rick Overton, Mona Lyden, Douglas Emerson, Royce D. ApplegateComedy | Insignificant |
Mystery | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 16-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Richard Fleischer's "Million Dollar Mystery" (1987) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include new audio commentary by journalist and author Bryan Reesman as well as vintage trailer for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
Where do we find the money?
Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Million Dollar Mystery arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.
The release is sourced from an old master that was supplied by StudioCanal. Unfortunately, on top of looking very dated the master does not have stable organic qualities. Indeed, its sharpness and contrast levels are quite inconsistent, which is why various areas of the film can appear quite harsh. The daylight footage from the desert is the most problematic, but even indoor footage routinely looks shaky. (For reference, the quality of the presentation is only slightly better than that of Soldier Blue, which is another release that was sourced from a shaky old master supplied by StudioCanal). Delineation and depth range from underwhelming to decent, but the larger your screen is, the easier it will be for you to conclude that the entire film should look quite a bit better. Colors are acceptable. However, they can look healthier and better balanced. Image stability is good. There are no distracting large debris, cuts, damage marks, warped or torn frames, but some tiny white flecks and blemishes can be spotter. (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: 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.
The audio is very clear and dynamic intensity is as good as I expected it to be. However, while viewing the film I noticed a few areas with minor unevenness. It is not distracting, but it is of the kind that makes you realize that the master that was used to produce the release is indeed older. Everything else was fine.
I had a great time with Million Dollar Mystery. Admittedly, I am almost never disappointed by these types of outrageous vintage comedies -- if they feature prolonged car chases shot in the dusty South it is actually impossible for me to dislike them because I have a soft spot for desert visuals -- but this film has some genuinely hilarious moments and it was perfect to see during the Memorial Day holiday weekend. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from an old and regrettably rather rough master that was supplied by StudioCanal. If you want to have Million Dollar Mystery in your library, I suggest picking your copy when you can find it heavily discounted.
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