7.5 | / 10 |
Users | 3.8 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.8 |
Rusty James is the leader of a small, dying gang in an industrial town. He lives in the shadow of the memory of his absent, older brother — The Motorcycle Boy. His mother has left, his father drinks, school has no meaning for him, and his relationships are shallow. He is drawn into one more gang fight and the events that follow begin to change his life.
Starring: Mickey Rourke, Matt Dillon, Diane Lane, Dennis Hopper, Nicolas CageDrama | 100% |
Coming of age | 10% |
Romance | 9% |
Crime | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 2.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Francis Ford Coppola's "Rumble Fish" (1983) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include original theatrical trailer for the film; behind the scenes featurette; audio commentary with director Francis Ford Coppola; deleted scenes; and video piece featuring Stewart Copeland, Francis Ford Coppola, and sound designer and mixer Richard Beggs discussing the film's unique soundtrack. The release also comes with a lavish booklet featuring the words of Francis Ford Coppola, rare archival imagery, and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
We can step outside
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Francis Ford Coppola's Rumble Fish arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Eureka Entertainment.
This is the most problematic release I've seen from Eureka Entertainment since they began releasing on Blu-ray a few years ago. Generally speaking, the licensed from Universal Studios high-definition transfer their release uses has serious flaws in virtually every single area we address in these reviews. This being said, considering the fact that Eureka Entertainment follow a policy to present their films in raw form, I feel fairly confident speculating that without exception all of these flaws are in fact inherited - which means that more than likely Universal Studios do not currently have a better master for Rumble Fish in their vaults.
The overwhelming majority of the close-ups are quite problematic - they lack depth and often even basic fluidity. On the other hand, most of the larger panoramic shots have a thick electronic look (see screencapture #8). Color grading is also disappointing, especially during the nighttime sequences, where the blacks and grays repeatedly collapse (see screencapture #14). However, the two biggest issues here are the often overwhelming sharpening and filtering corrections. Moderate to strong edge-enhancement patterns, for example, are visible practically throughout the entire film. Naturally, the bigger your screen is, the more prominent its disturbing effects will be (see screencapture #4). The filtering is just as damaging, especially during the daylight sequences, where it is easy to see how seriously detail is compromised (see screencature #16). Unsurprisingly, there is hardly any proper grain left, which is why the film lacks the organic look it ought to have. The one bright spot in this presentation is the fact that there are no serious stability issues, but the overall quality of the presentation is indeed very disappointing. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).
There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. A music & effects DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track is also included. For the record, Eureka Entertainment have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature.
I chose the English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track to view the film and was quite pleased with it. It has a good dynamic amplitude and maintains decent depth. Stewart Copeland's score certainly gets a decent boost, while the dialog remains crisp and clear. The English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track opens up the film slightly better in certain areas, enhancing mostly the ambient qualities of the film, but the overall dynamic movement does not dramatically overshadow that of the English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track. Naturally, I think that it is best to experiment with the two tracks and see which one you prefer. For the record, there are no pops, cracks, serious distortions, or audio dropouts to report in this review.
Rumble Fish, arguably Francis Ford Coppola's most personal film, has finally arrived on Blu-ray. Unfortunately, the technical presentation is quite problematic. Considering the fact that Eureka Entertainment follow a policy to present their films in raw form, I believe it is fair to speculate that perhaps currently Universal Studios, which supplied the high-definition transfer for the Blu-ray release, do not have a better master for Rumble Fish in their vaults. I find this both sad and disappointing. RENT IT.
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