Shout at the Devil Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Shout at the Devil Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 2, 2025

Peter Hunt's "Shout at the Devil" (1976) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include new audio commentary by Lee Marvin biographer Dwayne Epstein and critic Steve Mitchell and vintage trailer. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

I know this business, alright?

Old records reveal that Shout at the Devil materialized because a couple of years earlier Gold performed surprisingly well at the box office. Both films are directed by Peter Hunt and based on novels by Wilbur Smith. Of course, both treat Roger Moore as a legitimate star too.

But it is not immediately obvious whether producers Michael and Tony Klinger financed the film Shout at the Devil turned out to be. Why? It is a strange hybrid project, one that very much feels like the creation of multiple people with drastically different takes on the material from Smith’s novel. For example, some parts of it desperately want to impress an audience that would have expected it to be a historically accurate film. They focus on strategy rather than action and, where appropriate, produce tense drama that would fit perfectly in a historically accurate film. However, for each such part, there are twice as many contrasting parts that could have been extracted from a comedy, maybe even a parody. They focus on odd behavior and silly humor, often fittingly goofy action as well. When merged, the former and latter produce a most unusual film, perhaps even a bizarre one. Is this the film that the Klingers financed?

The quickest and seemingly most rational answer appears to be this: Not a chance in hell. However, anyone who takes the time to see Shout at the Devil more than once and examine closely what it does will almost certainly arrive at a different conclusion. What would become obvious in multiple viewings that a single viewing will not reveal? The answer is coming after a quick description of the story told in Shout at the Devil.

Sometime during World War I, British dignitary Sebastian Oldsmith (Moore) arrives in Zanzibar and against his will becomes a partner of American ex-military man-turned-black marketeer Flynn O'Flynn (Lee Marvin). While poaching ivory, Oldsmith and O’Flynn become targets for the vile German commander Fleischer (Reinhard Kolldehoff), who dominates and taxes the area like a medieval dictator. After the inevitable clash that leaves both sides permanently scarred, it becomes obvious that a victor must be declared, and the entire area becomes a battlefield. Soon after, while perfecting their strategy to take out Fleischer, Oldsmith and O’Flynn establish contact with the British military and agree to destroy a massive German warship that has been secretly repaired and prepared for action.

Even though Shout at the Devil was conceived several years earlier, it was released after Moore had become the new James Bond. It imitates much of the material one would expect to see in a Bond film, but under the guise of being a proper old-fashioned adventure film. This is the reason why there are such wild swings in its tone, attitude, and appearance. Gold pulls off the same trick. However, in Gold everything is done on a smaller scale and in a contemporary setting.

Shout at the Devil also adds Marvin, a big American star, and he makes it a much more diverse film. Gold does not have anyone like Marvin, so Moore dominates it in a most familiar fashion. In Shout of the Devil, Moore and Marvin match each other very well, and while plenty of the Bond-esque glamour that gives Gold its identity is retained, the end product is unquestionably different.

So, what is the final verdict on Shout at the Devil? Is it a good or bad film?

It is a silly film, and describing it as good or bad would depend entirely on one’s tolerance of its silliness. Some of it is charming and funny. Some of it is pretty dull. While Moore is likable, the most effective material is with Marvin, who constantly drinks aged gin and routinely looks legitimately inebriated.

In the United States, Shout at the Devil has been seen in two versions, one of which was significantly shorter. This Blu-ray release presents the original, unedited, longer version of it.

Shout at the Devil Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Shout at the Devil arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

We recently reviewed this Region-B release of Shout at the Devil, which was sourced from an older master supplied by MGM. This release is sourced from the same master, too.

If Shout at the Devil is redone in 2K or 4K, it will have a fresher and more attractive organic appearance. However, I quite like the current master. It routinely produces visuals with very good delineation, clarity, and depth, which is not easy because there is a lot of footage that comes from drastically different locations with unique qualities. Also, there are no traces of problematic digital corrections. Color balance is convincing too, though this is one of the areas where meaningful improvements can be made. Indeed, several primaries and select supporting nuances can be better saturated, and if they are, the dynamic range of the visuals will be better as well. Some areas with delicate shadow nuances can be more convincing, but at the moment there are no serious issues to report. Like virtually all older masters, the current master has a few spots here and there that simply look a bit dated. Image stability is good. Small nicks and dings can be spotted, so the surface of the visuals can be healthier. However, there are no large cuts, marks, warped or torn frames to report. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Shout at the Devil Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

I do not think that the current lossless track has any areas with obvious age-related weaknesses affecting its clarity, depth, and dynamic intensity. There are some minor fluctuations, but it is pretty easy to tell that they are inherited. You will notice them during the big shootouts and screams. If in the future the audio is remastered, are there any areas where improvements will be made? Some rebalancing work may be possible, but I am fairly certain that this will be cosmetic work. So, even though the current master that was used to produce this release of Shout at the Devil is old, I think that the lossless audio is very solid.

Shout at the Devil Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by Lee Marvin biographer Dwayne Epstein and critic Steve Mitchell. The commentators quote several promotional promises about Shout at the Devil and explain why a film like it will be impossible to make today. Also, they address the myth that Barbara Parkins is the only girl in the film, the politically incorrect material in it (which Mitchell correctly points out was part of the if-you-make-it-good-they-will-come thinking that produced great genre films), Marvin's notorious drinking problem and why he was the best actor around who could handle a gun right (even if visibly drunk), the film's reception and current reputation. It is a wonderful commentary that covers a wide range of subjects, so it is very much worth spending a couple of hours with.

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for Shout at the Devil. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

• Cover - reversible cover with vintage poster art for Shout at the Devil.

Shout at the Devil Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Shout at the Devil was made to replicate the success of its predecessor, Gold, so even though it is a period adventure film, it channels the same James Bond-esuqe old-fashioned glamour. But this time Roger Moore does not dominate because he is paired with Lee Marvin, whose antics ensure a different end product. How different? Shout at the Devil is loaded with silly material, so it is impossible to take seriously. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from an old but good organic master, and features a wonderful new commentary by Marvin biographer Dwayne Epstein and critic Steve Mitchell. RECOMMENDED.