6.6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
An Ottawa police captain searches for the person who poisoned his sister, who was attending the university in Montreal. So desperate is he for revenge that he begin to use his own brutal methods to find the killer. Soon he discovers that not everything is what he thought it was.
Starring: Stuart Whitman, John Saxon, Martin Landau, Tisa Farrow, Gayle HunnicuttForeign | 100% |
Crime | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Mystery | 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 2.0
None
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 2.5 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Supercop cinema heads to the Great White North in “Shadows in an Empty Room,” a 1976 production directed by Alberto De Martino (“The Pumaman”). Taking intrigue and murder to the rough streets of Quebec, the picture has a certain cultural point of view to keep it engaging, offering a mystery populated with restrained, almost polite participants. The helmer strives to keep the feature eventful and, at times, horrific, and for those who enjoy their police adventures with real bite, “Shadows in an Empty Room” supplies an enormous amount of crashing and smashing to fill up its run time, with De Martino more committed to the essentials of bodily harm than the nuances of a whodunit. And thank goodness for that.
The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation pulls the 1976 feature out of obscurity and gives it reasonable purpose on Blu-ray. Source shows some extended wear and tear, finding scratches a common sight, but damage is limited to short disruptions. Detail is generally acceptable for the softly-shot effort, managing to find textures on thespian close-ups, costuming, and locations, and streetwise distances are preserved. Colors are low-key but nicely refreshed, pushing out greenery and female costuming. Delineation isn't troubling, reaching as far as the original cinematography goes. Grain is filmic.
The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix doesn't offer secure support, working through aged elements that provide constant hiss and pops, with periodic surges in intensity. Dialogue exchanges aren't completely disturbed, with basic intelligibility supplied, making it easy enough to track the performances. Music also lacks precision, but changes in musical mood are understood. Sound effects are blunt, delivering loud gunshots and car crashes, amplifying the action. Sync issues arrive on occasion, though with these B-movie productions, it's always difficult to tell if this is an inherent limitation.
"Shadows in an Empty Room" is a peculiar film, never successful as a procedural thriller. It's more interested in exploitation highlights, sticking with scowling cops hunting after cowardly suspects, adding a personal mission for Saitta to help amplify the urgency of the case. The working parts of the mystery never take hold (the ending is more of a shoulder-shrug than a stunner), but De Martino is careful to protect the shock value of his picture, filling it with aggressive behavior and dogged pursuits, allowing the screenplay to take a rest while pure cinema takes over. "Shadows in an Empty Room" is an engaging effort, just not a dramatically tight one. It's ideal for those in a smashmouth mood, ready to let De Martino take over and transform the entire picture into a production that values the art of the stunt and the glee of sudden impact.
Pionér
2013
1947
El Secreto de Sus Ojos
2009
Humanité
1999
Bir Zamanlar Anadolu'da
2011
마더 / Madeo
2009
Ne le dis à personne
2006
La donna del lago
1965
4 mosche di velluto grigio
1971
1981
三度目の殺人
2017
Les Rivières Pourpres
2000
Milano trema: la polizia vuole giustizia
1973
Die verlorene Ehre der Katharina Blum
1975
살인의 추억 / Salinui chueok
2003
Tengoku to jigoku / 天国と地獄
1963
Perché quelle strane gocce di sangue sul corpo di Jennifer?
1972
Island of Terror / 5 bambole per la luna d'agosto
1970
1970
La morte non ha sesso
1968