Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		4.0

Strangled Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 18, 2018

Winner of Best Cinematographer and Best Supporting Actress Awards at the Hungarian Film Critics Awards, Arpad Sopsits' "Strangled" a.k.a. "A martfüi rém" (2016) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Montage Pictures/Eureka Entertainment. The only bonus feature on the disc is an original trailer for the film. In Hungarian, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Followed

The film reconstructs real events that took place in Hungary during the early ‘60s, though it is very difficult to tell just how accurately it does so. But this is essentially irrelevant because director Arpad Sopsitis actually uses these events to tell a much bigger story whose authenticity can very easily be corroborated.

The location is the provincial town of Martfü where life has a steady rhythm and nothing exciting ever happens. The majority of its residents are employed in a big Soviet-style factory that has started crumbling after decades of irresponsible centralized management. When a mysterious maniac rapes and kills a young woman that worked in the factory, however, the town comes alive and the local community and political leaders immediately demand that the authorities do whatever it takes to track him down and put him behind bars as quickly as possible. Soon after, Reti Akos (Gábor Jászberényi) is arrested, and after he confesses to the murder he is promptly sent to prison. Then a series of overlapping segments, some short flashbacks, reveal how Reti attacked the victim and how he is being assaulted by other prisoners who have zero tolerance for rapists.

When a few years later another woman is found dead the town instantly panics because the modus operandi of the new killer (Karoly Hajduk) appears almost identical to that of Reti. The aging veteran detective Bota (Zsolt Anger), who identified and captured Reti, and the younger and overly ambitious investigator Katona (Zsolt Trill) are immediately dispatched to study the murder scene and craft an explanation that would calm down the local residents and their leaders. But the two men develop different theories, and each then vows to prove that the other is wrong. Meanwhile, after another woman is discovered strangled, Bota and Katona’s superiors begin to wonder whether years ago they might have caught and convicted the wrong ‘killer’.

The main story about the botched murder case is quite interesting, but it is a smart ruse to cut open the belly of the “workers’ paradise” that after WW2 the Communist government in Hungary supposedly built for its people. Basically, while following the investigations of the two detectives and revealing how the killer targets his victims, director Arpad Sopsits goes to work to show how an utterly corrupt system and its hypocritical lackeys can not only freely bent but completely reshape reality so that the socio-political status quo in the country is never questioned or disrupted. In the final act where the killer is successfully profiled, Sopsitis even demonstrates how there is hardly any difference between him, the people that have been hunting him and his victims. Quite predictably, they all emerge as disillusioned and traumatized individuals that simply cope with their misery in different ways.

The leads and the supporting actors are excellent. A couple of the gruesome killings are pretty bold, but it never feels like Sopsits was on a mission to test the audience. In fact, exactly the opposite is true as it is quite clear that the excellent period ambience was always his top priority.

Strangled Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Arpad Sopsits' Strangled arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Montage Pictures/Eureka Entertainment.

The entire film looks quite incredible in high-definition. It has a very stylized period appearance that favors plenty of unique color fonts and nuances that are very effective. During a few of the flashbacks highlights and contrast are also manipulated to enhance the desired ambience (see screencapture #6). Detail and depth are superb, though when a few of the above-mentioned stylistic enhancements are present minor native fluctuations can be observed. Image stability is fantastic. Lastly, there are no purely transfer-specific anomalies to report in our review. Outstanding technical presentation. (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).

Strangled Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Hungarian DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The film's audio design is crucial for the unique period ambience. Fortunately, the lossless track handles it with great ease and efficacy. There isn't a lot of conventional dynamic movement that Hollywood blockbusters typically promote, but separation and a top-range of organic sound effects do some incredible things for this film. Great audio mix. For the record, there are no audio dropouts or digital distortions to report in our review.

Strangled Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original theatrical trailer for Strangled. In Hungarian, with English subtitles. (3 min).

Strangled Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Folks, if you are interested in quality contemporary foreign films, I strongly encourage you to pay very close attention to the various titles that are being released on Blu-ray under the banner of Eureka Entertainment's sister label, Montage Pictures. Every single one that I have seen so far has turned out to be a very unique and impressively produced film of the type that the overwhelming majority of you will not see playing at your local cinema. Strangled comes from Hungarian director Arpád Sopsits, and while it chronicles a very interesting murder case, it actually offers an outstanding dissection of the Communist regime that generations of Hungarians had to endure after the end of WW2. It is a really well-made and incredibly atmospheric film that I believe will appeal to a wide range of viewers. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.