Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Stick Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 1, 2020

Burt Reynolds' "Stick" (1985) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include a vintage trailer for the film and exclusive new audio commentary by critic Nick Pinkerton. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Dealing in Miami

It took Burt Reynolds almost a decade to come back and direct another feature film after Stick. However, I don’t think that it mattered much because Stick officially ended up his ambitions to be a legit powerhouse behind the camera, like Clint Eastwood. (By the way, this is the exact same comparison that Nick Pinkerton makes in the new audio commentary that he recorded for this release, which did not surprise me at all because it is simply unavoidable). There are some quite detailed theories explaining precisely why Reynolds lost interest in directing and just kept on acting in other people’s films, but I don’t believe that there was actually a single event that convinced him to walk away. The critical reception of Stick? Nope. Reynolds apparently gave up on the film as soon as the hotshots at Universal demanded that he produces their cinematic version of Elmore Leonard’s novel, so when later on the critics pulled out the pitchforks he could not care less -- after all, they weren’t trashing his film. So, what happened? If I had to guess I would say that by the early ‘80s Reynolds already knew that even the iconic auteurs were a dying breed and it was only a matter of time before the industry irreversibly transformed itself. The internal drama with the Universal people was simply the obvious proof that he was right, so after he collected his pay for Stick he basically checked out for good.

If I am right, and I think I am, then Stick should be quite the stinker, right? Wrong. It is actually a pretty interesting film, but with one major flaw, which is that it is not exactly truthful to Leonard’s novel. (And this is precisely the reason why Leonard flat-out hated it). Indeed, the entire film is like an exotic cocktail mixed up by a bartender that wanted to do something special with it but did not have all the right flavors at his disposal -- for various reasons. So, even though the bartender started mixing the flavors with the proper enthusiasm, his creation could not meet his expectation. This is the impression I get while viewing Stick. It’s got some great flavors, some wonderful colors, but from time to time their dosages just don’t feel right. I’ve had a few such cocktails -- the top tastes great but the bottom is off.

Here are a couple of examples that should make it clear to you what I mean. The opening sequence copies the opening sequence of Walter Hill’s Hard Times and prepares for a rustic macho thriller. Reynolds’ character, Stick, jumps off a freight train entering Miami, but in the back there is a very atmospheric electronic theme that would have been perfect in Michael Mann’s Thief. So, right away it becomes painfully obvious that the film wants to go in multiple directions at the same time. Later on, Stick, who has just gotten out of prison, hooks up with a bubbly pal doing business with some very shady characters, and when a deal goes bad a truly vicious albino killer (Dar Robinson) is dispatched to get him. This killer is a very interesting character, but he just does not look like the kind of guy that would take orders from the people that he is working for. Rather predictably, whenever he pops up the narrative hurts his legitimacy and the film begins to struggle with its given identity, which is basically a metropolitan replica of the one that Reynolds had for Gator. The oddest material, however, features a kooky drug dealer wearing a blond wig (Charles Durning), who routinely reports to a big crime boss (Castulo Guerra) that looks and routinely behaves like a closeted male escort. You get the picture now? One half of the film is unapologetically macho, the other is loose and with a very special sense of humor, and they are kept together by a stylish, very ‘80s electronic music score.

Obviously, this isn’t the film Reynolds had in mind. But you know what, because it wasn’t mixed up right it actually constantly surprises. I don’t mind being surprised this way. In fact, I would have enjoyed it even more if it was a little wackier.

Stick 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, Stick arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from an older master that was supplied by Universal. Thankfully, it is a good one. There are a couple of tiny white flecks that pop up here and there, and in some sequences the backgrounds do not have optimal nuances, but there are no traces of problematic digital corrections and this basically ensures that the entire film has a fine organic appearance. Many close-ups actually look very nice, plus on a larger screen the fluidity of the visuals remains solid. Colors are stable and healthy, but a brand new master should easily expand some of the current nuances. Overall image stability is great. (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).

Stick 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.

I did not detect any technical issues to report in our review. The audio is very clean, stable, and nicely balanced. It also has a rather impressive range of dynamic nuances, which together with the stylish electronic soundtrack give the film quite an '80s attitude. Ironically, this is also what makes it painfully obvious that Burt Reynolds did not have a final say on the film.

Stick Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - a vintage trailer for Stick. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, 480/60i).

• Commentary - critic Nick Pinkerton deconstructs the film and has plenty of interesting things to say about Burt Reynolds' career as a director and actor. The commentary was recorded exclusively for Kino Lorber.

• Image Gallery - a collection of behind the scenes and promotional materials for Stick.

• Additional Trailers - additional trailers for the following titles from Kino Lorber's catalog:
  
  1. Navajo Joe
  2. 100 Rifles
  3. Sam Whiskey
  4. Fuzz
  5. White Lightning
  6. Gator
  7. Semi-Tough
  8. Malone

Stick Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The hotshots at Universal definitely wanted Stick to be a very different film, not the one that Burt Reynolds had in his head. But you know what, I think that as it is Stick is often seriously unpredictable, which is why I enjoyed it quite a bit. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from an old but pretty good master, so ignore vintage reviews that have argued that Stick is a trainwreck and consider picking up a copy of it for your collection. I am certain it will put you in a good mood and even inspire you to revisit some other older films from Reynolds' body of work. RECOMMENDED.