Special Delivery Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Special Delivery Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 10, 2018

Paul Wendkos' "Special Delivery" (1976) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Video. The supplemental features on the disc include an exclusive audio commentary with author and film historian Lee Gambin and a collection of trailers. Also included with this release is a 22-page booklet with promotional images for other releases from the label's catalog. In English, without optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

You gotta behave, pal.

Vietnam vet Jack Murdock (Bo Svenson) and a couple of his buddies decide to pull off a brilliant heist, but their plan quickly backfires and he is the only one that manages to get away with a big bag full of cash. In the ensuing chaos, Jack stuffs the bag in a mailbox on a busy corner somewhere in downtown L.A. Two people notice that Jack drops something in the mailbox -- Graff (Michael C. Gwynne), a loony bartender who secretly sells drugs to the local junkies, and Mary Jane (Cybill Shepherd), a recently divorced beauty who can see the mailbox from the comfort of her cozy apartment. When the cops block the area and someone breaks the news that an armed robber is on the run, Graff and Mary Jane put two and two together and realize that the big bag in the mailbox has either some or all of the stolen cash, and then quickly conclude that this is the opportunity that they have been waiting for to permanently change their lives.

Soon after, Graff goes back to his supplier and assures him that he is working on something big and legit that will allow him to take care of the more than twenty thousand dollars that he owes him. But before he delivers the massive payment, he needs a large dose of the white stuff to get him going and cover his expenses. Mary Jane uses a girl from the neighborhood to push Jack in her direction and then get him to carry her groceries to her place, where she reveals her stunning figure to him and makes him realize that the two can have a lot of fun spending the money from his bag.

Jack decides to try his luck with Mary Jane and then the two begin working on a plan to get his bag out of the mailbox before the mailman does sometime before midnight. But so does Graff, and a whole bunch of other shady characters who realize that this time the pusher really is working on something special.

There is absolutely nothing in Paul Wendkos’ crime comedy Special Delivery that has not been done before and with much greater authority, but this is one seriously charming film that should make a lot of folks feel nostalgic for the ‘70s because it is clear now that they truly were the only decade that almost completely ignored the defenders of political correctness. Indeed, this isn’t a very ambitious film, but it blends casual and risqué humor with such genuine enthusiasm that it becomes virtually impossible to dislike.

The freedom to be spontaneous in front of the camera and flirt like grown-ups once did is where all the positive energy comes from. A lot of the situations that emerge after the botched robbery are full of clichés, but a single suggestive line can instantly change things and in the process unleash an avalanche of funny exchanges. It is just wonderful to watch.

Svenson and Shepherd understandably get the biggest amount of time in front of the camera, but there is this feisty pooch named Otto that is very funny when he gets annoyed and it feels like he should have been used quite a bit more.

Like most good films from the same era, Special Delivery has a very nice orchestral score that was created by award-winning composer Lalo Schifrin (Dirty Harry, Bullitt).

Special Delivery 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, Paul Wendkos' Special Delivery arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Video.

The release is sourced from a new 4K remaster that was prepared by Paramount Pictures Archives, and I am happy to report that it is a lovely one. A couple of tiny white flecks pop up early on, but the basics are very strong and I really like how the film looks in high-definition. Indeed, ideally density levels could be better and with optimal encoding the end result would have been even more aesthetically pleasing, but the entire film has a very strong and stable organic appearance. Basically, there are only some nuances, like light black crush sneaking in and mild background flicker quickly making an appearance before a transition, that could have required some extra attention, but this is the type of pleasing presentation that every smaller catalog title deserved. I am really, really happy with how this release turned out. (Note: This is a Region-A "kicked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Special Delivery 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 not provided for the main feature.

The audio is stable and clean, so Lalo Schifrin's lovely score makes quite an impression. I also liked the overall balance, though there are a few segments where I felt like some modern work optimize depth could have been done. Regardless, the lossless track does not disappoint.

On the other hand, it is disappointing to see that Kino Lorber continue to produce releases without optional English SDH subtitles, especially after they announced a few years ago that going forward all of their releases will have them. I don't need them, but there are folks in the United States that do, as well as overseas where even more folks choose to purchase the label's titles based on whether optional subtitles are included for the main feature.

Special Delivery Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary - in this new audio commentary, author and film historian Lee Gambin discusses in great detail the production history and critical reception of Special Delivery, the film's incredible energy and fluid sense of humor as well as the type of pop culture trends that they reflected at the time, Lalo Schifrin's excellent score and its significance for the intended tone and atmosphere of the film, the evolution of the careers of some of the principal actors, American International Pictures' promotion of the film, etc. The commentary was recorded exclusively for Kino Video.

• Trailers - a collection of trailers for the following Kino Video releases:
  
  1. Special Delivery
  2. Seven
  3. The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
  4. Busting
  5. The Reincarnation of Peter Proud

• Cover - reversible cover with vintage poster art

• Booklet - 22-page booklet with promotional images for other Kino Video releases.

Special Delivery Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

You won't have to spend a lot of time looking to find other films that have rehashed the same or similar material that Paul Wendkos used to shoot Special Delivery, but this is one serious charmer that is absolutely impossible to dislike. It has that authentic energy that so many good '70s films have, and once it gets going it just refuses to care about the cliches that it has to plow through. I like this attitude a lot, and it is the reason why I very rarely get disappointed when I view a genre film from the '70s. Kino Video's new release of Special Delivery is sourced from a very strong organic 4K remaster that was prepared by Paramount Pictures Archives. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.