Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Stir Crazy Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 3, 2024

Sidney Poitier's "Stir Crazy" (1980) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the release include new program with composer Tom Scott; new program with critic Michael B. Gillespie; vintage promotional materials; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Jailbirds

Stir Crazy is the most successful of the four films Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder made. In 1980, it grossed over one hundred million dollars at the box office, easily outperforming formidable competitors like Friday the 13th, The Blues Brothers, Ordinary People, and Caddyshack.

After hitting rock bottom in New York City, good friends Harry (Pryor) and Skip (Wilder) jump in a beat-up van and head South, where life is easier and the girls are prettier. When the van breaks in Greenboro, Arizona, the “center of the Sunbelt”, the two are forced to get jobs in a local bank – entertaining its clients while wearing giant woodpecker suits. Shortly after, the bank is robbed by thieves wearing identical giant woodpecker suits, and Harry and Skip, while cursing their luck, are arrested by the authorities. A very unsympathetic judge then hands the newcomers lengthy sentences and dispatches them on their way to prison.

While working hard to blend in and stay alive, Harry and Skip cook up a plan to break out of prison. They agree to participate in a big rodeo organized by the warden (Barry Corbin) and his counterpart from another prison (Nicolas Coster), both compulsive gamblers itching to bet a small fortune on their chosen winner, and use the chaos to regain their freedom. But the most suspicious man in the prison, a jealous former rodeo rider-turned-deputy (Craig Nelson), cooks up a different plan to make Harry and Skip’s lives even more miserable.

Sidney Poitier worked with an original screenplay provided by Bruce Jay Friedman, but it has been said that of the four films Pryor and Wilder made Stir Crazy has the most of their famous improvisational work. This is arguably why Stir Crazy is the most fluid of the four films. Indeed, while the other films often create the impression that Pryor and Wilder are expected to dominate as they go through contrasting situations scripted to begin and end in particular ways, Stir Crazy chronicles one big and wild adventure that frequently reveals interesting secondary characters. As a result, when Pryor and Wilder begin engaging them, it becomes easier for them to expand their improvisational work, and they do a lot more of it.

But the sense of humor that permeates Stir Crazy remains unchanged, which is unquestionably a good thing because it is crucial in all four films. Pryor and Wilder are again quick-witted straight shooters who instantly take advantage of any situation where a joke can be effective, and this also helps them expand their improvisational work, some of which features fresh new material, too. In the final act, for instance, the romantic subplot does not seem out of synch precisely because of this development.

Poitier’s direction is the obvious weak link. It seeks and emphasizes realism, but Stir Crazy is impossible to see and think of as an authentic prison film. Indeed, it seems more than a bit odd that a lot of effort and money went into ensuring that Stir Crazy has the right prison look and the right environment to go along with it. Most of Stir Crazy was shot on location at a big state prison in Arizona, with more than three hundred prisoners working as extras, and numerous heavily armed guards constantly monitoring them. However, it does not take a genius to conclude that real characters like the ones Pryor and Wilder play would have never been able to prosper there and organize an escape.

Despite the obvious disconnect between its visual style and sense of humor Stir Crazy is very easy to describe as a very good film. Pryor and Wilder’s excellent chemistry produces too much quality material, more than two-thirds of it is clearly improvised.

Poitier collaborated with German-born cinematographer Fred Schuler, who would go on to lense Arthur, Easy Money, and Fletch.

Stir Crazy 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, Stir Crazy arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films.

I have in my library this Australian release of Stir Crazy, which is sourced from the same old master that was used to produce this release. The master is supplied by Sony Pictures.

While Stir Crazy can look fresher, I think that it looks very, very good in high-definition. For example, there are a few areas with small yet noticeable density fluctuations, but neither delineation nor depth suffer significantly there. Virtually all of these fluctuations are inherited, so if a proper 4K master is created, they will be minimized, not eliminated. In darker areas, where old master usually reveal weakness, shadow and other subtle nuances are very convincing. Color balance is convincing, too. Select primaries and nuances can be tweaked to appear more vibrant, but saturation levels already good, and the overall color temperature of the visuals is correct. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. Grain exposure could be a bit more even, but there are no troubling anomalies. The surface of the visuals is healthy, too. All in all, while there is room for minor cosmetic improvements, at the moment Stir Crazy has a very pleasing 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).

Stir Crazy Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I did not encounter any anomalies to report in our review. All exchanges are very clear, sharp, and easy to follow. Balance is good, too. During the action material dynamic intensity is quite nice, but elsewhere there isn't much that can make an impress, especially younger viewers. However, this is how the film's soundtrack was finalized, and these are the native qualities the lossless track reproduces.

Stir Crazy Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Tom Scott: Law and Order Funk - in this new program, composer Tom Scott recalls how he was offered the opportunity to score Stir Crazy, what it was like to work with Sidney Poitier, and he put together the soundtrack for the film. In English, not subtitled. (12 min).

• Michael B. Gillespie: The Defiant One - in this new program, critic Michael B. Gillespie discusses the life and career of Sidney Poitier. In English, not subtitled. (16 min).

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critics Max Evry and Bryan Reesman.

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for Stir Crazy. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Image Gallery - a collection of vintage promotional materials for See No Evil, Hear No Evil.

• Book - a limited edition exclusive 100-page book with new essay by Jeff Billington, extracts from archival interviews with Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder, archival production reports on Stir Crazy, extracts from the films' pressbooks, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and technical film credits.

Stir Crazy Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

While a very enjoyable film, Stir Crazy should have been a legitimately mad film from start to finish. In its current form, it frequently seeks and emphasizes realism, which is odd because Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder's characters are incompatible with it. What effectively negates this issue is the quality of the improvisation work the two stars do before the camera, which is a lot and quite diverse. Stir Crazy is one of three films included in Pryor & Wilder, 1980-1991, a three-disc box set produced by Indicator/Powerhouse Films. If you decide to pick it up for your library, please keep in mind that it is Region-B "locked". HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.