The Anderson Tapes Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

The Anderson Tapes Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 28, 2023

Sidney Lumet's "The Anderson Tapes" (1971) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include an audio commentary by critic Glenn Kenny and vintage trailer for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Sidney Lumet’s film The Anderson Tapes tells two different stories and one of them remains incredibly relevant today. Most people that have seen it, however, seem to be under the impression that it is a nice yet dated and fairly straightforward caper film.

The first story is about the charismatic thief Duke Anderson (Sean Connery) who decides to rob a big luxury building in the heart of Manhattan. His ambitious plan takes shape soon after he visits his former girlfriend, a classy hooker named Ingrid (Dyan Cannon), who lives in the building and has been in a relationship with some shady character with deep pockets. Duke figures that if the rest of the tenants are as wealthy as Ingrid’s lover, then there will be enough to steal from them that will allow him to comfortably retire somewhere warm and sunny. So he quickly hires a team of trusted pros that will help him get the job done.

The second story emerges gradually, as Duke reaches out to a local mafia boss (Alan King) with a request to help him fund the operation and then begins working with his team on the details. Between the meetings and the preparations some agents are seen wiretapping cars and apartments and then collecting information that is redirected to shadow figures representing unknown government agencies. By the time Duke and his team enter the building and go to work, there is already a full-blown second operation on display whose targets are many of the same people that are being robbed.

So what exactly is going on in this film?

It delivers the same warning that Francis Ford Coppola’s The Conversation will offer a couple of years later. It is that Big Brother is everywhere and is listening -- you don’t know it only because you can’t see it, but even if you could see it, you probably would not believe that it is him. The main difference between the two films is that Lumet’s film only identifies his presence and walks away, while Coppola’s film becomes obsessed with his working methods and eventually ends up questioning his morality.

There is plenty of light humor in the film so anyone expecting the actual robbery to be as intense or meticulously staged as those seen in genre classics such as Peter Yates’ Robbery or Jules Dassin’s Rififi will almost certainly be disappointed. In terms of tone and style Lumet’s film is a lot closer to Bruce Geller’s Harry in Your Pocket and possibly Daryl Duke’s The Silent Partner.

The supporting cast includes several excellent actors, such as Ralph Meeker, Martin Balsam, a very young Christopher Walken, and the criminally underrated Stan Gottlieb.

The Anderson Tapes 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, The Anderson Tapes arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

Currently, I have only one other release of The Anderson Tapes in my library. It is this release from British distributors Indicator/Powerhouse Films. I did several comparisons between the two and can confirm that both are sourced from the same master. This is an older master that was supplied by Sony Pictures.

The good news is that there are no traces of problematic digital work, so generally speaking, the visuals tend to convey good organic qualities. The not-so-good news is that they also tend to look dated and reveal limitations. For example, grain exposure can be quite uneven, and in darker sequences, including indoor sequences, noise can become prominent. Unsurprisingly, delineation and depth can become shaky, too. (I think that the UK release handles some of these darker areas a little better, but the discrepancy is not substantial). Color balance can be more convincing as well. For example, there are some good primaries but saturation levels and balance should be more convincing. The same can be said about the existing range of supporting nuances as well. Image stability is good. Some minor stabilization can be made but they will not make a big difference. I did not encounter any large cuts, debris, warped or torn frames to report. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your location).

The Anderson Tapes 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.

The lossless track is very good. I think that clarity, depth, and stability are solid throughout the entire film. There might be a bit of room for cosmetic improvements, like stabilization and minor dynamic optimizations, but I am confident that a future remastering job will not produce a noticeably superior audio track.

The Anderson Tapes Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original theatrical trailer for The Anderson Tapes. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• TV Spot - a vintage TV spot for The Anderson Tapes. In English, not subtitled. (1 min).

• Audio Commentary - in this audio commentary, critic Glenn Kenny discusses in detail the narrative structure of The Anderson Tapes, some of the more interesting characterizations and plot details, and Sidney Lumet work, the careers of some cast members, etc. Previously, the commentary appeared on Indicator/Powerhouse Films' release of The Anderson Tapes.

• Cover - reversible cover with vintage poster art for The Anderson Tapes.

The Anderson Tapes Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Until now, in the United States The Anderson Tapes was available on Blu-ray only via this double-feature release from Mill Creek Entertainment, which was not particularly good. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from the same older master that Sony Pictures supplied for the previous release but offers a slightly better presentation. To look as good as it can and should on Blu-ray, The Anderson Tapes will have to be fully restored in 4K, which is possible but at the moment seems very unlikely. RECOMMENDED.