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 October 17, 2013

David Hemmings' "Race for the Yankee Zephyr" a.k.a. "Treasure of the Yankee Zephyr" (1981) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of German label Ascot Elite Home Entertainment. The only bonus features on the disc are an original trailer for the film and trailers for other releases from the German label's catalog. In English or German, without optional English SDH or German subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "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 German label Ascot Elite Home Entertainment.

The high-definition transfer has been struck from a dated source and at times it is somewhat inconsistent, but I still like it quite a lot. The overwhelming majority of the daylight close-ups boast very good depth. Extremely light noise occasionally pops up, but it never becomes overwhelming. Clarity is pleasing, though a few of the nighttime sequences can obviously look better. The best news, however, is that there are no traces of compromising degraining corrections. Edge-enhancement is also not an issue of concern. Overall image stability is very good. There are tiny flecks and even a few minor scratches here and there, but the transfer is free of large cuts, debris, stains, and warps. Lastly, colors are stable, but I feel that there are areas of the film where they could be better saturated. Still, this is a good organic presentation of Race for the Yankee Zephyr which should please even viewers with very large screens or projectors. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

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

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and German DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. For the record, Ascot Elite Home Entertainment has not provided optional German or English subtitles.

Overall dynamic movement is good. The second half, in particular, has plenty of good action sequences where depth is even impressive. (See the wild boat chase). Clarity and crispness are consistently pleasing. There are some minor balance fluctuations in select areas where Brian May's score has an important role, but the dialog is always easy to follow. For the record, there are no pops, cracks, heavy background hiss, audio dropouts, or distortions to report in this review.

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

• Trailer - original trailer for Race for the Yankee Zephyr. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Trailers - original trailers for other Ascot Elite Home Entertainment releases.

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

David Hemmings' Race for the Yankee Zephyr is a nice '80s action film that is just perfect to see very late at night. It is now available on Blu-ray courtesy of German label Ascot Elite Home Entertainment, which has been releasing some really good old gems as part of its Cinema Treasures line. RECOMMENDED.