Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Newman's Law Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 19, 2020

Richard T. Heffron's "Newman's Law" (1974) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include remastered vintage trailer and radio spots for the film as well as an exclusive new audio commentary by critic and author Peter Tonguette. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Take 'em all out

Los Angeles, the 1970s. During a routine drug bust, Vince Newman (George Peppard) and his partner Garry (Roger Robinson) accidentally discover a massive network of distributors and pushers controlled by Frank Lo Falcone (Louis Zorich), a notorious Italian crime boss the local authorities have been trying to put behind bars for decades. Shortly after, the DA concludes that there is enough evidence to open and win a case against Lo Falcone and arrangements are made with the Italian authorities to bring him back to America. When Lo Falcone lands in LA, however, his experienced lawyers immediately go to work to strike a deal with the DA that would see him walk free, and a few days later the two sides reach an agreement.

Meanwhile, another gangster, John Dellanzia (Abe Vigoda), reaches out to the disgusted Newman and offers to pay him for information on a snitch he believes is responsible for the death of a trusted associate. Despite being urged by a colleague to accept the cash and use Dellanzia’s influence to help him corner Lo Falcone, Newman refuses, and then immediately becomes a target for Internal Affairs after agents discover a large bag of heroin in his apartment. Around the same time, Newman realizes that Lo Falcone plans to take him out for helping the DA bring him back to LA, and decides to hit him first. Before he does, however, he loses his partner and discovers that Lo Falcone is being assisted by a dirty cop.

Richard T. Heffron’s Newman’s Law is a very close relative of Howard Koch's final film, Badge 373. In fact, in terms of style and attitude, the two films are practically identical. What makes them unique is the charisma of their leads -- both played by equally terrific middle-aged stars -- and the manner in which they choose to incorporate the ambience of LA and New York in their narratives.

The bulk of the material in Newman’s Law has a raw documentary appearance. While Newman and his partner visit different shady areas of LA and hunt down small-time criminals and later on, after the Italian crime boss is officially charged, begin interacting with other cops and prosecutors that are part of the legal system, the film quietly examines the city’s socio-political foundation. However, the intent was not to produce shocking eye-opening material that would demand change, rather it was to infuse the film with unfiltered authenticity. (Interesting fact: on the other side of the Atlantic, the Italian poliziotteschi thrillers were using the exact same blueprint to appear legit. See Enzo G. Castellari's Street Law and Umberto Lenzi's The Tough Ones).

The clash of ideas that is at the center of the film is a cliched one but remains relevant. Newman is an old-fashioned idealist who believes that a police badge should never be stained, so he rejects all ‘compromises’ that threaten the integrity of his profession and then goes on the warpath to take out the traitors. On the opposite end are the ‘pragmatic professionals’ who allow the criminals to engage them and then for the right price embrace ‘compromises’ that erode the integrity of the legal system. Newman is of course depicted as an outsider and his working methods branded excessive.

The cynicism that permeates the film isn’t quite as strong as the one that flourishes in Badge 373, but perhaps only because most of the time Newman chooses to remain silent and quietly suppresses the anger inside him. But this helps the drama look more balanced and authentic, especially after his partner is gunned down.

Heffron worked with Latvian-born cinematographer Vilis Lapenieks, who had earlier lensed Curtis Harrington’s gem Night Tide.

The original soundtrack blends jazz and funk harmonies that would have been perfect in a much looser blaxploitation thriller. It was composed by Robert Prince (TV’s Mission: Impossible, J.D.'s Revenge).

Newman's Law Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Newman's Law arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from a recent, very good new 2K master. Because of the nature of the original cinematography there are some noticeable density and clarity fluctuations. Depth can also be impacted, even during well-lit footage, so some nuances can appear underexposed. However, it is pretty easy to tell that in some areas fine nuances are just not optimal, and this could be an inherited limitation. (To be perfectly clear, this is the type of limitation that separates masters that have been struck from the OCN and masters that have been struck from a secondary element, like an interpositive). There are no traces of problematic digital corrections, but for the same reasons that I have highlighted above at times grain can appear a bit underexposed. The color grading job is excellent. The primaries are lush, stable, and healthy. There are good and equally convincing supporting nuances as well. Image stability is very good. Lastly, a few blemishes remain, but there are no distracting large debris, damage marks, cuts, warped or torn frames to report. All in all, the new master offers a solid and really quite pleasing organic presentation of the film. 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).

Newman's Law 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.

The audio is very healthy. Because large portions of the film have documentary qualities the audio can fluctuate a bit, especially during mass chase or action scenes. However, the basics -- clarity, sharpness, and depth -- are still solid. The typically vulnerable upper register is healthy as well. The dialog is clean and very easy to follow.

Newman's Law Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - remastered vintage trailer for Newman's Law. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Radio Spots - a couple of vintage radio spots for Newman's Law. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, 1080p).

• Commentary - in this new audio commentary, critic and author Peter Tonguette discusses the history of Newman's Law, the personality of its main protagonist and the dilemmas he faces, the film's genre identity, the specific era in which it emerged, etc. The commentary was recorded exclusively for Kino Lorber.

• Additional Trailers - additional trailers for the following titles from Kino Lorber's catalog:
  
  1. P.J.
  2. The Groundstar Conspiracy
  3. I, the Jury
  4. Busting

Newman's Law Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

As far as I am concerned, Newman's Law is the perfect companion piece to Badge 373. These films tell similarly powerful stories about tough old-school cops who refuse to compromise with the wrong people, plus both have the same quasi-documentary '70s edgy look. The two are equally allergic to political correctness as well, though it looks so now because they were conceived in an era when filmmakers had entirely different understandings of what can and cannot be done before the camera. Kino Lorber's release of Newman's Law is sourced from a wonderful recent 2K master that was prepared by Universal Pictures. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.