7.5 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
After being double-crossed and left for dead, Walker single-mindedly tries to recover the money that was stolen from him.
Starring: Lee Marvin, Angie Dickinson, Keenan Wynn, Carroll O'Connor, Lloyd BochnerDrama | 100% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Crime | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
German: Dolby Digital Mono
Spanish: Dolby Digital Mono
Spanish=Castilian & Latin
English SDH, French, Spanish, Japanese, German SDH
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Point Blank is so unlike any other film that it's hard to think of an apt comparison. It certainly doesn't resemble the Mel Gibson film Payback (either version), which was based on the same novel, The Hunter by Donald E. Westlake (under the pseudonym of "Richard Stark"). On the commentary track included with this Blu-ray release, director John Boorman recalls the script that existed when he was first recruited for the project by star Lee Marvin, which Marvin—literally—threw out the window of the room where they were meeting. Boorman jokes that a young Mel Gibson must have been passing in the street below, because, as Boorman recalls, that early script closely resembles Payback. The film that Boorman and Marvin made is something else altogether. Many of the qualities that make Point Blank so memorable and unique are difficult to describe without spoiling a first-time viewing experience. Let me put it this way: Point Blank appeared in the same year as Bonnie and Clyde, but it was even more daring in its cinematic technique. At a preview screening for studio executives, the film was greeted with incomprehension and muttering about reshoots. But Marvin was a major star with the clout to give final cut to Boorman, even though he was a young director making his first film in Hollywood. Boorman also had the support of MGM's legendary editor-in-chief, Margaret Booth, who, according to Boorman, said: "You touch one frame of this film over my dead body!" In both technique and attitude, Point Blank remains as disconcerting today as when the executives first saw it. Love it, hate it, or scratch your head over it, your knowledge of film noir and American crime cinema remains incomplete until you've experienced Point Blank.
Cinematographer Philip H. Lathrop (The Cincinnati Kid ) endeared himself to Boorman by saying, "Just tell me what you want, and I'll provide it." Although Point Blank is a color film, Boorman's visual concept was to make Walker's world as stark and barren as possible. He looked for angular, empty spaces, such as the L.A. drainage channels or the long airport corridor through which Walker enters the city, and he wanted monochromatic production design, with a single color dominating the frame wherever possible. Boorman also had Lathrop shoot most of the film with a newly developed Panavision lens that provided a wide angle but limited depth of field. Warner's 1080p, AVC-encoded Blu-ray of Point Blank is a superior effort, although it may be controversial for viewers used to contemporary films photographed and/or finished digitally. Many of the scenes on Alcatraz are dark and fairly grainy, reflecting the limitations of conditions on the island. (As shown in one of the accompanying featurettes, the opening scene of Walker's shooting was staged in an actual prison cell.) The blacks in these scenes—indeed, throughout the film—are very good, but detail disappears into the darkness, and that is a function of the original photography. Later, when Walker begins his campaign of vengeance, detail is consistently very good and sharpness is much improved, but only within the range where the lens can maintain focus. On either side of that range, sharpness falls off, and here again, that is a function of the original photography. (One crucial L.A. sequence, in the jazz club managed by Chris, takes place backstage in darkened conditions reminiscent of Alcatraz, with similarly dark and grainy results, and the same phenomenon occurs at the film's conclusion.) Colors can be remarkably vivid and saturated, if that was Boorman's intent for the scene, e.g., a red bathrobe that Chris dons for a tryst, or a yellow dress that she wears to accompany Walker on a scouting mission. In other scenes, however, colors can be almost black-and-white in their dullness, e.g., a scene in which a group of men are wearing similarly colored suits in an office with nondescript decor. These frequent visual shifts, especially when combined with the film's distinctive editing rhythms, all contribute to the unique experience that is Point Blank. One minute you're looking at a film noir; the next at a traditional crime story where the police will swoop in and the forces of right will prevail. It gives away nothing to say that Point Blank belongs to neither category. At an average bitrate of 24.72 Mbps, the disc falls at the high end of Warner's usual range, and the film's jagged editing needs every bit of available bandwidth. No doubt due to the relative paucity of video extras and the brevity of the film itself at 92 minutes, a BD-25 has proven adequate.
Point Blank's original mono soundtrack has been encoded as lossless DTS-HD MA 1.0, and it's a stunning example of just how powerful and effective a mono mix can be. In a signature scene early in the film, Walker arrives in Los Angeles and strides briskly down a corridor at the airport, the sound of his footsteps drowning out everything else. Those footsteps continue to beat a path to Lynne Walker's door, as many other scenes play themselves out, including Walker driving up to the house where he knows Lynne now lives. It's as if, regardless of any intervening mode of transport, Walker continues to stride like a messenger of doom. Point Blank is full of such "subjective" effects, though none is quite as memorable as that early sequence, which owes an obvious debt to Sergio Leone. The Blu-ray's track does not have the breadth of dynamic range that one would find in a contemporary recording, but it still sounds remarkably good, neither shrill nor brittle at the top, nor constrained at the bottom. The dialogue is clear, and the odd but suspenseful score by Johnny Mandel (The Verdict) suits the film perfectly.
Warner previously released Point Blank on 2005 with a commentary track and two vintage featurettes. These have been ported over to Blu-ray.
When Mel Gibson's Payback first appeared in theaters, most reviews complained that it was a lesser film than Point Blank, but really the comparison is apples to oranges. Payback is a well-made but ultimately frivolous popcorn film. Point Blank is an existential meditation on loyalty, humanity and manhood (among other things) that reveals new dimensions with each viewing. Many consider it to be Lee Marvin's finest work, and it's certainly up there. Warner's Blu-ray presents the film well and is highly recommended.
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Limited Edition to 3000 - SOLD OUT
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