The Caper of the Golden Bulls Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

The Caper of the Golden Bulls Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 1, 2020

Russell Rouse's "The Caper of the Golden Bulls" (1967) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The only bonus feature the disc is an exclusive audio commentary by critic by critic Phillipa Berry. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

We enter the bank right here, boys.

If you approach Russell Rouse’s final film, The Caper of the Golden Bulls, expecting it to be an authentic crime thriller like the ones Jose Giovanni’s name is usually attached to, you will be disappointed. On paper, its story may sound a lot like the one that Giovanni’s The Sewers of Paradise tells, but these two films offer very different types of entertainment. In Giovanni’s film, the bank job is seen as a process that can be properly completed only by exceptionally well-prepared and methodical men -- the kind of men that he used to work with, before he got busted and imprisoned in La Santé. (Giovanni’s real-life experience as a thief was precisely the reason why during the ‘60s and ’70s he became the go-to guy for various European directors who made crime films. The Big Risk, The Hole, and Second Wind, which are considered genre classics now, would have turned out very differently without his expertise). In Rouse’s film, the bank job is essentially one big and rather exotic adventure. It is also handled by a colorful crew that would have never survived in the world Giovanni emerged from.

I wanted to offer the above comparison for two simple reasons. First, The Caper of the Golden Bulls can be a very entertaining film, but only if you approach it with the right set of expectations. Second, while it is a crime film, it does not see crime as a serious process. It is a classy film with a good sense of humor that actually does some very particular things to make you drift away for a while and forget your troubles. I realize that this description may sound somewhat generic, but I assure you that if you mentally prepare yourself to see that kind of light film when its final credits roll, you will be enormously pleased that you had given it a chance.

Retired American thief Peter Churchman (Stephen Boyd) has become a legit businessman and opened up a posh club in a small southern Spanish town where there is never a shortage of tourists willing to spend their hard-earned cash. Business has been so good that Churchman has even entertained the idea of selling the club and simply enjoying life like his clients do. But the arrival of former partner Angela (Giovanna Ralli) and her French companion Francois Morel (Vito Scotti) suddenly forces Churchman to begin entertaining a very different scenario, which could permanently put him behind bars for entirely different reasons. Angela demands that he does one final job, stealing a large collection of historic jewels from El Banco Nacional in Pamplona during the annual ‘running of the bulls’, and if he refuses, she would immediately point the authorities to a large brown envelope containing documents and detailed descriptions of every single job he has done with his crew. If Churchman accepts Angela’s ‘offer’, he would be able to protect his current image as a businessman by picking up the envelope from a deposit box in the bank where the jewels are kept. Much to the annoyance of his girlfriend (Yvette Mimieux), Churchill reluctantly chooses the first option, and shortly after reunites with former crew members The Irishman (Noah Keen), Canalli (Tom Toner), and Bendell (Henry Beckman).

The film is light and often quite funny, but it is definitely not scripted to be a hilarious farce. When Churchman and his crew go to work, the film spends quite a bit of time chronicling their progress while building the right type of atmosphere to make their job appear at least somewhat legit. However, there are too many distractions that counter the suspense and ultimately make the film look a lot like a Stanley Donen project -- it is unapologetically exotic, very colorful, and a lot more elegant than an authentic caper should be.

These types of hybrid films are definitely a thing of the past, and because they don’t fit the classic genre profiles, they are often misjudged. I enjoy them because even the most unrealistic amongst them do things to promote life as a beautiful roller-coaster ride. It is the form of cynicism-free cinematic escapism that, in the digital era, I miss the most.

The Caper of the Golden Bulls 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 Caper of the Golden Bulls arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from a very, very beautiful 4K master. I spotted a few very light scratches and tiny blemishes, but they are the type of cosmetic imperfections that nine out of ten times I find irrelevant. The rest looks is very solid and the film often looks stunning. Some minor density fluctuations remain -- with the most obvious one appearing during the opening credits -- but delineation, clarity, and depth are typically outstanding. I also like the color grading a lot. The primaries are very solid, lush but not boosted, and supported by excellent ranges of healthy nuances. There are no traces of problematic digital work. There is a room for small encoding optimizations, but the technical presentation is very strong. All in all, I just could not be more pleased with the way this film looks in high-definition now. My score is 4.75/5.00. (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).

The Caper of the Golden Bulls 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.

There are no technical or encoding anomalies to report in our review. I viewed the film with the audio turned up quite a bit because some of the accents are rather thick and the upper register remained consistently solid. Depth is good and there are no balance fluctuations. Dynamic intensity -- especially during the blasts in and around the bank -- is also very nice.

The Caper of the Golden Bulls Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - critic Phillipa Berry shares plenty of excellent information about the novel by William P. McGivern that inspired the film and some key changes that were made in it, the film's genre identity (with some great comparisons highlighting other crime films), and the careers of the people that made the film. A very well researched commentary that is worth listening to in its entirety. The commentary was recorded exclusively for Kino Lorber.

• Trailers - trailers for the following titles from Kino Lorber's catalog:
  
  1. Topkapi
  2. The Brink's Job
  3. Loophole
  4. The Real McCoy
  5. The Mercenary
  6. The Neptune Factor

The Caper of the Golden Bulls Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Caper of the Golden Bulls offers the exact form of exotic cinematic escapism I hoped it would, and I enjoyed every minute of it. It feels a lot like a Stanley Donen project, so if you approach it expecting the type of credible tense atmosphere that defines the likes of Rififi and The Sewers of Paradise, you are more than likely going to be disappointed. Plan to see it on a night when you revisit Deadfall, another very stylish caper in which Giovanna Ralli compels a great thief to do a risky job, and I guarantee that when its final credits roll, you will be pleased you had given it a chance. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from a beautiful 4K master, supplied by StudioCanal, and features an excellent audio commentary by critic Phillipa Berry. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.