6.5 | / 10 |
Users | 2.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
In a futuristic London, the rising sea levels mean that large areas are under feet of water. Hauer plays a cop who previously lost his partner to some strange creature. Now the creature is back and is after him.
Starring: Rutger Hauer, Kim Cattrall, Alastair Duncan, Michael J. Pollard, Alun ArmstrongHorror | 100% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Sci-Fi | Insignificant |
Crime | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: LPCM 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
None
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Tony Maylam's "Split Second" (1992) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors 101 Films. The only supplemental feature on the disc is a gallery with scenes from the Japanese cut of the film. In English, without optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
Caught
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Tony Maylam's Split Second arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors 101 Films.
The release has been sourced from a dated master and it shows practically everywhere. There are various close-ups where detail is rather decent, but during wider shots -- such as the panoramic shots showing the polluted London -- depth isn't convincing. The bulk of the film is also quite dark and the problematic shadow definition further exacerbates the flatness. The best news here is that there are no traces of recent attempts to resharpen and repolish the film. Also, color saturation should be better, but there is a decent range of (mostly weak) color tonalities. Overall image stability is good. All in all, the film does not look as convincing as it should and it is easy to see that there is plenty of room for various substantial improvements, but the current presentation is tolerable. (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).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles have not been provided for the main feature.
Music has a very important role in the film. It does not just enhance the tense atmosphere, it is an integral part of it. Fortunately, even though the audio has not been fully remastered, the lossless track opens up the film very well. Depth is especially good, though it is obvious that there is some room for improvement. The dialog is stable and free of background hiss. Also, there are no audio dropouts or distortions to report in our review.
Tony Maylam's futuristic thriller Split Second fits somewhere between Ridley Scott's Blade Runner and John McTiernan's Predator, but I think that it would appeal primarily to folks who have a soft spot for Richard Stanley's Hardware. Similar to Hardware, it has a very unique atmosphere and a fantastic '90s soundtrack that make it perfect to see very late at night. The film could and should look a lot better on Blu-ray, but in the United States even the old DVD release is now out of print. If you can play Region-B discs, get a copy for your collection now, and let's hope that soon we will see a better local release. RECOMMENDED (with some reservations).
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