Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.5

Silent Rage Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 29, 2023

Michael Miller's "Silent Rage" (1982) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of 88 Films. The only bonus feature on this release is a vintage trailer for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Had Michael Miller directed Silent Rage a couple of years after James Cameron directed The Terminator, it would have been very easy to speculate that the former was almost certainly conceived to be a low-budget copycat. But Miller directed Silent Rage in 1982, while Cameron directed The Terminator in 1984, which makes you wonder.

Wonder what exactly?

I can hear you uttering this question before your computer screen and see you rolling your eyes. Your reactions are understandable. After all, how do you establish a legit link between Silent Rage and The Terminator? These films are so different, it seems ludicrous to even suggest that they may have something in common. More than something? C’mon, this is crazy talk.

Okay, maybe it is crazy talk, but do they? Do Silent Rage and The Terminator have something, or more, in common?

Chuck Norris plays Dan Stevens, a friendly sheriff in a small Texas town whose economy greatly benefits from a big medical research center that also functions as its hospital. Stevens discovers what is being done at the research center when a maniac named John Kirby (Brian Libby) goes berserk and kills several residents, gets seriously wounded, and later is secretly injected with an experimental serum that resuscitates him after he is declared clinically dead. As Kirby goes after the three doctors who have been working on the serum but never tested it on a human being – Dr. Tom Hallman (Ron Silver), Dr. Philip Spires (Steven Keats), and Dr. Paul Vaughn (William Finley) -- Stevens intervenes and becomes his main target. His girlfriend, Alison (Toni Kalem), whose brother is one of the doctors and works at the research center, becomes entangled in the drama as well. Initially, Stevens tracks down Kirby, convinced that he can stop him the old-fashioned way, meaning with a few bullets in his head, but then the hunter becomes the hunted.

If this short synopsis of the story that is told in Silent Rage immediately forces you to conclude that Silent Rage is just another conventional action film with Norris beating up his opponents without relying on special effects, well, you are wrong. To be clear, Norris does his thing without relying on special effects, but Silent Rage is a very, very odd entry in his action oeuvre because it is essentially a moody sci-fi slasher with a villain that steals his thunder. So, right here, you already have two major similarities that can link Silent Rage to The Terminator -- the sci-fi element and a villain that overshadows the good guy.

Now, here is another major similarity. The villain cannot be killed the old-fashioned way. Norris throws him around, shoots him up, and even tries to smash his body to pieces, but like Arnold Schwarzenegger's iconic character, he never dies and keeps coming back. There is even a sequence in which one of the doctors intentionally cuts his body and the camera shows how the skin and everything underneath it instantly regenerates. This villain has a very familiar, ominous look as well.

I would even argue that the soundtracks of Silent Rage and The Terminator have some very, very similar harmonies. They are simple yet quite rich synth/ambient harmonies that instantly reveal the 1980s genes of the two films.

Finally, take a look at how Silent Rage and The Terminator were rated as well -- both were given an R-rating. Yes, it is true that in the 1980s Hollywood was producing a lot more R-rated mainstream films, but Silent Rage and The Terminator were conceived with completely different resources and ambitions, and yet they clearly targeted the same crowds.

Silent Rage Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Silent Rage arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of 88 Films.

The release is sourced from the same older master that Sony Pictures has been offering to different boutique labels. In the United States, this release from Mill Creek Entertainment is sourced from the same master.

There is plenty of room for meaning improvements. This master reveals light but noticeable traces of sharpening that make some visuals look a little harsher than they should. Usually, you will notice them in sequences with plenty of natural light, but even elsewhere trained eyes will spot them. Grain does not look as healthy as it should either, though there are some areas where it is acceptable. Unsurprisingly, delineation, clarity, and depth can fluctuate, though I have to say that the overall quality of the visuals remains mostly decent. Color balance is stable. However, this is an area where major improvements can be made. The primaries and supporting nuances can look healthier and better balanced. If they do, shadow nuances and highlights will be improved as well. Image stability is very good. I noticed a few white specks popping up here and there, but there are no large cuts, debris, warped or torn frames to report. All in all, this master offers a passable presentation of Silent Rage, but ideally the film can have a much more attractive organic appearance. My score is 4.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Silent Rage Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

Even though Sony's master is old, I thought that the overall quality of the audio was very good. I turned up the volume of my system quite a lot to enjoy the excellent soundtrack and did not notice any serious anomalies to report in our review. If the folks at Sony remaster the film in 4K in the future and redo the soundtrack, I have to speculate that all improvements on the newly remastered track will most likely be cosmetic.

Silent Rage Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for Silent Rage. In English, not subtitled. (22 min).

Silent Rage Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

A few decades ago, someone should have attempted to convince Chuck Norris to do an audio commentary for Silent Rage because this is one very unusual film. It almost feels like it prepares for the arrival of The Terminator but while trying to pay homage to an unidentified cult giallo film. Brian Libby's character is very wild, and as odd as it may seem, it absolutely overshadows the sheriff Norris was cast to play. Silent Rage has an unexpectedly stylish soundtrack, too. This upcoming release from 88 Films is sourced from an old but mostly decent master that was supplied by Sony Pictures. RECOMMENDED.