Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Someone to Watch Over Me Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 25, 2021

Ridley Scott's "Someone to Watch Over Me" (1987) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the release include vintage promotional materials for the film; recent interviews with cinematographer Steven Poster and screenwriter Howard Franklin; and new audio commentary by film historian and film historian Jim HempHill. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

The watcher

According to cinematographer Steven Poster, Someone to Watch Over Me was supposed to convince some very important industry people that Ridley Scott can shoot a film on time and without going over budget. There isn’t a good reason to doubt the validity of Poster’s statement, but it needs to be placed in a proper context. Screenwriter Howard Franklin delivered the screenplay for Someone to Watch Over Me in 1982, but at the time Scott was already heavily involved with Legend, which opened theatrically in 1985. Scott officially went to work on Someone to Watch Over Me in late 1986, and he completed it in 1987. At this point, the industry people that Poster references almost certainly knew everything there was to know about Scott’s working methods, which of course means that Someone to Watch Over Me wasn’t going to alter the trajectory of his career. In other words, Someone to Watch Over Me wasn’t a ‘make-it-or-break-it’ deal for Scott. On the contrary, there is plenty of evidence out there confirming that Scott really wanted to do it, and he would have shot it regardless of the expectations that might have been attached to it. If there was any meaningful proving, it was between Scott and, well, Scott.

Why is the above clarification important, though? It is important because it reveals the true nature of Someone to Watch Over Me, which is that of a very intimate film that does a lot of very particular things to please its creator. (If you are still unconvinced that it is so, watch the entire recent interview with Franklin that is included on this release, where he confirms that the film does not bring to life his screenplay. Franklin is very diplomatic in his recollections and description of the complete film, but he makes it perfectly clear that when he handed his screenplay, he had something different in mind. By the way, he does not sound unhappy, he is just stating what ought to be quite obvious). For example, while at the core of the film is a murder case that unleashes a series of dramatic events, the focus of attention is actually on the seemingly doomed romantic relationship between a newly promoted detective (Tom Berenger) and a wealthy socialite (Mimi Rogers) who has become a target for the killer (Andreas Katsulas). The detective is assigned to protect the target in her posh Manhattan apartment, but while he does his job, the two unexpectedly fall in love. This instantly complicates the detective’s duties as a husband and father, so there is additional drama that overshadows the murder case as well. As you could tell now, this very much feels like a foreign territory for Scott, unless of course it is exactly the territory he intended to visit.

The film is a vintage visual tour de force of the kind that died as the ‘80s ended. It seeks beauty in darkness much like the classic film noirs did, but at the same time emphasizes rich ‘80s colors with a precision that transforms it into one seriously seductive piece of cinema. It understands perfectly the power of music as well. Indeed, the music does not just complement the visuals, it is an essential element of the desired ambience that ultimately shapes up the film’s identity. The opening sequence where the title appears while Sting sings “Someone to Watch Over Me”, for instance, is one of the very best done for a contemporary film. Sting’s soft vocals and the stunning areal visuals captured at a very particular moment as darkness embraces the city manage to sum up perfectly the entire film. It is all there. The incoming doomed romance, the beauty and elegance, the danger lurking in the shadows.

*While boasting a different personality, Mike Figgis’ Leaving Las Vegas does a lot of very similar things to tell an equally moving story about impossible romance. One of them is the very particular use of music, which again shapes up the film’s identity.

Someone to Watch Over Me 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, Someone to Watch Over Me arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films.

The release is sourced from a very old and regrettably quite weak master that was supplied by Sony Pictures. (This is the same master that Shout Factory worked with to produce this release in the United States). The biggest shortcoming of this master is its inability to reproduce the wide variety of shadows and shadowy nuances that are essential elements of the original cinematography, which is why the overwhelming majority of the darker footage either looks very flat or crushed. The balance between light and colors is very unconvincing as well. Dark colors and their supporting nuances essentially collapse into thick blacks while highlights appear overblown and unnatural, so on a larger screen depth can be very, very underwhelming. The good news is that there are no traces of problematic digital corrections, but grain can appear quite uneven and noisy. Fluidity isn't convincing. Image stability is very good. Finally, there are a few tiny dirt spots, but there are no distracting large debris, cuts, stains, warped or torn frames to report. My score is 3.25/5.00. (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).

Someone to Watch Over Me Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit). Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The lossless track is very good. However, this did not surprise me at all because even during the DVD era the folks at Sony Pictures always ensured that the audio is optimized as best as possible and properly transferred. Is there any room for improvement(s)? Right now, my answer is no. Perhaps if the film is fully redone in 4K and a new Dolby Atmos mix is created some improvements can be made, but I just can't see how they would make a meaningful difference. I like the current lossless track a lot.

Someone to Watch Over Me Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - vintage trailer for Someone to Watch Over Me. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Image Gallery - a collection of vintage promotional materials for Someone to Watch Over Me.

• Steven Poster: Someone... to Shoot a Movie - in this recent video interview, cinematographer Steven Poster recalls his involvement with Someone to Watch Over Me and discusses the film's visual appearance and style, Ridley Scott's working methods, and the impact the film had on his career. The interview was conducted on behalf of Shout Factory in 2019. In English, not subtitled. (14 min).

• Howard Franklin: Someone... to Write a Script - in this recent video interview, screenwriter Howard Franklin recalls how the original idea for Someone to Watch Over Me came to him, and discusses his desire to have the future film have a '70s personality and appearance, his interactions with Ridley Scott, as we as the current stylistic 'version' of the film. The interview was conducted on behalf of Shout Factory in 2019. In English, not subtitled. (11 min).

• Commentary - an exclusive new audio commentary by filmmaker and film historian Jim Hemphill.

• Booklet - 32-page illustrated booklet featuring new essay by Jamie Graham, extracts from an American Cinematographer article on the making of the film, a selection of interviews with key cast members, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits.

Someone to Watch Over Me Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Someone to Watch Over Me is one of my all-time favorite films because it is very simple yet astonishingly elegant. Some years ago when an Italian company announced its high-definition debut and then the release was canceled, I thought this was a sure sign that Ridley Scott was going to oversee a complete makeover of it, but such did not materialize. The current old master Sony Pictures has in its vaults, which comes from the DVD era and was used to produce this release as well as Shout Factory's 2019 release, is quite unconvincing. This film seeks beauty in darkness much like the classic film noirs did but at the same time emphasizes rich '80s colors with a precision that transforms it into one seriously seductive piece of cinema, and yet at the moment it looks very bland on Blu-ray. I am happy to upgrade my DVD release and I would enthusiastically urge you to do so as well, but the film can and should look vastly superior on Blu-ray. Indicator/Powerhouse Films' release borrows the two recent very good interviews with cinematographer Steven Poster and screenwriter Howard Franklin that were conducted by the folks at Shout Factory. RECOMMENDED.