Race for the Yankee Zephyr Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.5

Race for the Yankee Zephyr Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 19, 2019

David Hemmings' "Race for the Yankee Zephyr" a.k.a. "Treasure of the Yankee Zephyr" (1981) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The only bonus feature on the disc is a collection of trailers for other titles from the label's catalog. In English, without optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

A hell of a thing.

In a lake somewhere in New Zealand’s mountains, drunken deer hunter Gilbert Carson (Donald Pleasance, Good Luck, Miss Wyckoff, Halloween) accidentally discovers Yankee Zephyr, a wrecked WWII US Navy cargo plane loaded with postcards, medals, booze, and more than $50 million in gold bullion. Not realizing that the plane hides a fortune, Gilbert grabs a couple of medals and sells them in a local shop before he ends up in the best saloon in town. The shop owner then contacts a gang of professional killers and they promptly arrive in town looking for Gilbert.

Annoyed but pleasantly surprised to see that the medals are so valuable that the killers have come to their little town to find out where they came from, Gilbert and his partner Barney (Ken Wahl, Omega Syndrome, Fort Apache, the Bronx) decide to fly back to Yankee Zephyr and save everything that is worth saving before the plane goes to the bottom of the lake. Before they leave, they convince Sally (Lesley Ann Warren, Victor/Victoria, A Night in Heaven), Gilbert’s very beautiful and still single daughter, to join them.

But the killers manage to place a tracking device on Barney’s helicopter that shows them where the trio is heading. Soon after, Gilbert, Barney, and Sally are forced to run for their lives.

David Hemmings’ Race for the Yankee Zephyr a.k.a. The Treasure of Yankee Zephyr is a very energetic and at times irresistibly funny adventure film that is perfect to see very late at night. The film follows a familiar route, but the cast is so enthusiastic that it is impossible not to like their tricks.

Pleasance’s drunken hunter is the heart and soul of the film. The man laughs, sings, and drinks practically throughout the entire film. Some of his rants do not make much sense, but watching him emptying bottle after bottle while trying to look respectable is quite the show. (It isn’t difficult to tell that at least some of the bottles must have had real whiskey).

The action sequences are also quite good. During the final act, there is a long and very wild power-boat chase that is very well filmed. The panoramic shots from the spectacular lake are also quite impressive. In fact, some are so carefully composed that they could easily be used in a modern TV program to promote New Zealand to international tourists. The film was lensed by cinematographer Vincent Monton (Colin Eggleston’s Long Weekend, Phillip Noyce’s Heatwave).

Ultimately, Race for the Yankee Zephyr is the type of film that should appeal to viewers who have seen and enjoyed the likes of Robert Zemeckis’ Romancing the Stone, Lewis Teague’s The Jewel of the Nile, Jamie Uys’ The Gods Must Be Crazy, and even Quentin Masters’ Midnite Spares. It does not break any new boundaries, but it offers a tasty retro mix of action and humor that just feels right.

Note: According to different sources, three stuntmen were killed during the filming of the wild power-boat chase. The film was dedicated to them.

Race for the Yankee Zephyr Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.34:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, David Hemmings' Race for the Yankee Zephyr arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from the same old remaster that Swiss label Explosive Media used when it prepared this release of the film in 2013. It is a good organic master that I like, but on this release there is a bit more black crush that actually flattens some existing nuances. The effect is most obvious during indoor/darker footage. However, there are no traces of digital tinkering -- degraining and sharpening in particular -- so overall the film still has a quite pleasing appearance. A lot of the visuals also hold up well on a bigger screen because density levels remain stable. The color grading is good, though some nuances and highlights can be improved. Image stability is very good. There are a few tiny flecks, but your viewing experience will not be spoiled. (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).

Race for the Yankee Zephyr 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 surtitles are not provided for the main feature.

Clarity and depth are very good. Also, there are no background imperfections, such as hiss, crackle, or hum, which tells me that when the current remaster was prepared the audio was redone as well. Balance is also very good, but there might be a bit of room for improvement in a few areas. Optional English SDH subtitles should have been included.

Race for the Yankee Zephyr Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailers - original trailers for other Kino Lorber releases.

Race for the Yankee Zephyr Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This film has some incredible powerboat racing footage and a ton of great laughs, mostly courtesy of a slightly inebriated Donald Pleasance, that make it perfect to see late at night. It is great that it is finally available on Blu-ray in North America, though I would have loved to see some special features that focused on its tragic production history. RECOMMENDED. (If you enjoy the wild races, also consider Blue Underground's release of Dick Maas' action thriller Amsterdamned).