Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Raw Deal Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 5, 2010

John Irwin's "Raw Deal" (1986) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Optimum Home Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include the documentary feature "Arnold Schwarzenegger - The Man Who Raised Hollywood", the short featurette "A Generic Gangster Film", and the film's original theatrical trailer. In English, without optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Mark Kaminski

Mark Kaminski (Arnold Schwarzenegger, Predator) is an ex-FBI agent who has been demoted to the position of Sherriff in a small town somewhere in North Carolina. His wife, Amy (Blanche Baker, Bum Rap), absolutely hates the place, which is why she constantly gets drunk.

An old friend, Harry Shannon (Darren McGavin, Zero to Sixty), phones Kaminski with an interesting offer: If he infiltrates the Chicago mob and helps the police put its leaders behind bars, the FBI will forget about his wrongdoings and give him his job back. Without thinking much, Kaminski immediately fakes his death and heads to Chicago.

Meanwhile, in Chicago, powerful mob bosses Luigi Patrovita (Sam Wanamaker, The Competition) and Martin Lamanski (Steven Hill, Yentl) are in the middle of a turf war, which has annoyed both of them. Kaminski discovers that it is so, approaches Patrovita, and asks for a job. Before he gets it, he meets the beautiful Monique (Kathryn Harrold, Modern Romance), who helps Patrovita’s men run a quick background check on him.

Soon after, Kaminski and Monique start seeing each other regularly, which is why they upset Max Keller (Robert Davi, Showgirls), one of Patrovita’s best men, who desperately wants to bed Monique. When Kaminski warns him to stay away from her, Keller does a little bit of research on him and discovers who he really is. Not too long after that, Kaminski begins breaking things and hurting Italians.

Director John Irwin’s Raw Deal is one of those so-bad-it-is-actually-good films that are perfect to see late at night. It is the first film in which Schwarzenegger freely uttered his lines in English, aware of what they meant, and, needless to say, most are absolutely hilarious. “You should not bake and drink”. Okay, boss.

But I can’t quite tell if Schwarzenegger enjoyed making Raw Deal as there are parts in it where he looks borderline annoyed. In a short but insightful featurette included on this release, Dave Saunders, author of "Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Movies", mentions that producer Dino De Laurentiis requested a sexual relationship of some sort between Kaminski and Monique, which Schwarzenegger openly opposed, for a variety of different reasons. I am not surprised he did as I believe that he certainly sensed what his limitations as an actor were, but I wonder if it was what killed off his enthusiasm, and why some scenes turned out as awkward as they did.

What I like about Raw Deal is what most every other critic dislikes -- this isn’t a film that takes itself seriously. Unlike the rest of Schwarzenegger’s films, Raw Deal does not strive to deliver a social commentary of some sort that corrupts it. It is decent enough to be entertaining, and it is modest enough not to pretend to be something it cannot possibly be.

Cinematographer Alex Thompson (Excalibur, Hamlet) isn’t in top form here, which is why many of the panoramic vistas from downtown Chicago that are supposed to impress look dull. Anne V. Coates's (Lawrence of Arabia, The Elephant Man) editing leaves a lot to be desired, too. Some of the stunts, however, are rather decent.

All in all, I enjoyed Raw Deal because of its unpretentious tone, but some critics apparently take Schwarzenegger’s work a lot more seriously than I do. C’est la vie, I guess.

Raw Deal Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.36:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, John Irvin's Raw Deal arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Optimum Home Entertainment.

This is a pleasing but somewhat inconsistent high-definition transfer, which has been struck from a dated source. Generally speaking, fine object detail is good. Many of the close-ups, for instance, look very strong. This being said, light noise is often easy to spot, especially during the second half of the film. Additionally, contrast levels are mostly stable, but clarity varies. Some random noise corrections have been applied, though fine film grain is still present. I did spot a few minor specs popping up here and there but not large cuts, marks, stains, or debris. All in all, despite some of the minor issues, Raw Deal looks relatively good on Blu-ray, and hardcore Arnold Schwarzenegger fans should consider adding it to their libraries. (Note: Despite the fact that its back cover indicates a Region-B only status, this Blu-ray disc is in fact Region-Free. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).

Raw Deal Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. For the record, Optimum Home Entertainment have not provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.

The English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is solid. The bass is surprisingly strong, the rear channels not overly active but quite effective, and the high-frequencies not overdone. As expected, the English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track shines mostly during the shootouts. I must note, however, that the majority of them sound quite "thin", lacking the dynamic intensity one would hear in similarly themed modern productions. The dialog is clean, stable, clear and easy to follow. There are no serious balance issues with Tom Bahler, Chris Boardman and Albhy Galuten's soundtrack. I also did not detect any disturbing pops, cracks, hissings, or dropouts to report in this review.

Raw Deal Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Note: Some of the supplemental features on this Blu-ray disc are encoded in PAL. Therefore, if you reside in North America, or another region where PAL is not supported, you must have a Region-Free player capable of converting PAL to NTSC, or a TV set capable of receiving native PAL data, in order to view them.

Arnold Schwarzenegger - The Man Who Raised Hollywood - a long and very informative documentary feature focusing on the current Governor of California and his transformation from a famous bodybuilder into a famous movie star. A number of different directors share their thoughts about Schwarzenegger and the type of films he did during the years. In English and French, with optional English subtitles for the French portions. (16 min, 1080i).

A Generic Gangster Film - a short featurette in which Dave Saunders, author of "Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Movies", discusses Raw Deal and its production history. In English, not subtitled. (9 min, 1080i).

Trailer - the original theatrical trailer for the film. (3 min, PAL).

Raw Deal Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

John Irwin's Raw Deal is a flawed film. However, the Governor of California has some hilarious lines in it that make it pretty entertaining. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of British distributors Optimum Home Entertainment, looks and sounds relatively good. It is also Region-Free. RECOMMENDED.