Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Raid on Rommel Blu-ray Movie Review

A war-time action film worth checking out

Raid on Rommel is an exciting war-time film. Produced by Harry Tatelman (Major Payne, Run for the Sun), the explosive adventure offers film enthusiasts a stirring journey through a passage in time. An entertaining trip that is worth checking out. Nonstop action and adventure awaits.

Foster (Richard Burton) is a lightning-smart British officer in charge of leading an explosive attack against the German occupied Tobruk. As the group of men led by Foster set out to raid Tobruk, the soldiers are surprised to find themselves thrust in to one strange scenario after another on the way towards victory. Can Foster and his men defeat the German soldiers? Or will death take its toll?

The production has some compelling components. The art direction by Henry Bumstead (To Kill a Mockingbird, Vertigo) and Alexander Golitzen (Spartacus, Touch of Evil) showcases the outdoor environments in a realistic way. The action scenes showcase the machinery that these characters utilized and the production crew went for authenticity throughout the run-time.

"Aim for the sky!"

The cinematography by Earl Rath (Peeper, Up in the Cellar) is reasonably engaging. Rath manages to showcase the war-time environment quite well. There is something impressive about the look of the film. The visuals manage to make the journey even more rewarding for audiences.

The music score composed by Hal Mooney (The Storyteller, One of Our Own) is not one of the greatest elements of the production. The score seems a bit lackluster and fails to make the action more intense. A simplistic score that is less compelling than expected.

Directed by Henry Hathaway (Spawn of the North, How the West Was Won), Raid on Rommel is worth a watch. Hathaway uses a decent script by Richard M. Bluel (Baretta, Starsky and Hutch) and brings something more to the table. While the screenplay is light on plot and on character-development, the director seemed to know how to elevate the material to a higher standard. Working alongside editor Gene Palmer (The Story of Mankind, Dangerous Mission), Raid on Rommel is surprisingly engaging doesn't have much excess that could have been cut. While the film could have used a better script, it managed to make do. Raid on Rommel is an under-the-radar film that is worth checking out.

Raid on Rommel Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Kino, Raid on Rommel is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 widescreen. This is a decent transfer for the most part. The colors are somewhat muted in appearance but the scan is in reasonably good shape. There are thin scratches that can be seen on occasion (and fleeting moments of dirt to be found on the print), but it looks quite sharp and crisp nonetheless. The film could have used a brand-new restoration but what is provided on this release is not altogether bad. This is clearly an older master but the jump to high-definition will be appreciated by fans of the film. Kino has given it a nice encode which utilizes a high bit-rate (which comes in at a whopping 37.92 mbps).

Raid on Rommel Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in DTS HD Master Audio mono. The audio track sounds quite good. Dialogue is crisp, clear, and easy to understand. The track has a reasonable crispness that is satisfactory during the entire presentation. The one downside to the presentation is that it lacks that special "punch" or "oomph" factor one hopes to find in action films. Given the amount of action scenes included in the feature-film, I expected there to be greater vitality during these action sequences. The audio track is still sufficient to listen to and the audio does not suffer from egregious issues with regards to warps, crackle, hiss, and other audio-related detriments.

Optional English subtitles are provided.

Raid on Rommel Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Audio Commentary by Filmmaker/Historian Steve Mitchell and Combat Films: American Realism Author Steven Jay Rubin

Interview with Actor Clinton Greyn (HD, 10:06)

Raid on Rommel Theatrical Trailer (HD, 2:44)

The release also includes a selection of trailers promoting other releases available from distributor Kino Lorber: Tobruk (SD, 2:49), The Devil's Brigade (SD, 3:47), Hornets' Nest (HD, 2:40), Ambush Bay (HD, 2:45), and Force 10 From Navarone (HD, 1:45).

Raid on Rommel Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Raid on Rommel is an entertaining action-adventure. The film showcases the war-time elements with strong production merits. While not a perfect film (and one that suffers from an average screenplay), the direction is solid. The Kino Blu-ray release features a decent video-audio presentation. Worth a watch.