The Challenge Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

The Challenge Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 4, 2023

John Frankenheimer's "The Challenge" (1982) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new audio commentary by critics Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson and vintage promotional materials for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

"You were set up to bring in a phony sword. Where is the real one?"

American boxer Rick Murphy (Scott Glenn, Man on Fire) is hired by a handicapped Japanese man to smuggle an ancient sword into his country. Immediately after he lands in Japan, however, Rick is abducted and roughed up by a group of gangsters working for a wealthy industrialist who also wants the sword. Rick learns that years ago the sword belonged to the powerful Yoshida family and divided two brothers. The good brother, Toru (Toshiro Mifune, Rashômon) became a samurai, while the bad brother, Hideo (Atsuo Nakamura, Kill!), made millions with shady partners. For a while the sword disappeared, but the brothers kept searching for it, and after it was discovered in America vowed to bring it home.

Rick escapes from Hideo’s gangsters and meets Toru. After one of his students treats him like a punch bag, he begs Toru to teach him how to fight. Meanwhile, Hideo tries to get rid of his brother once and for all, but the killers he sends to his home never return. Eventually, Toru and Rick are forced to confront Hideo and his gangsters on their turf.

The Challenge does not have the depth of John Frankenheimer’s early films, but it has plenty of style to make up for it. And most viewers will likely want to see it precisely because it features some unusually well choreographed and filmed fights. (Apparently, Frankenheimer consulted Steven Segal and the big fights were choreographed with his technical assistance).

A big chunk of the film is dedicated to Rick’s character transformation after he joins Toru’s students. Initially, Rick is a brash and cocky fighter who incorrectly assumes that his instincts and boxing skills will be good enough to either outsmart or defeat his opponents. For a long period of time, there is a lack of trust between him and Toru as well. Later on, however, he emerges as an intelligent fighter and earns Toru’s respect. This segment where Rick is tested and the transformation occurs is arguably the weakest one because the film begins to drag while trying to highlight the very obvious cultural differences between the two men.

There are two subplots that also work against the film’s credibility. The first one brings closer Rick and Toru’s beautiful daughter, Akiko (Donna Kei Benz, Pray for Death), but there is hardly any chemistry between them. The long lovemaking scene comes as an odd surprise. Then, Rick also warms up to a young boy, but their relationship also isn’t given a chance to evolve.

Despite the various narrative inconsistencies, however, The Challenge remains quite comfortable in its own skin. While watching it, one gets the feeling that its creators never aimed to break any new boundaries with it but wanted to raise the level of intensity which other similarly themed films favor. This is something that The Challenge easily accomplishes, and it is what ultimately makes it quite attractive.

Frankenheimer shot The Challenge with Japanese cinematographer Kozo Okazaki, whose credits also include the samurai classic Goyokin (1969) as well as the crime thrillers The Wolves (1971) and The Yakuza (1974).

The Challenge 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 Challenge arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

This release is sourced from the same master that was used to produce the original release of The Challenge from 2016. The master is older and was supplied by MGM.

I revisited the film last night and thought that it looked quite nice on Blu-ray. There are two meaningful improvements that I was able to spot. First, the new presentation of the film has proper gamma levels and in some areas the dynamic range of the visuals is slightly better. Second, the new presentation handles select darker footage a bit better as well. (Unlike the previous release, this release uses a dual-layer disc, so there is more room for encoding optimizations). However, I must remind that several sections of the film reveal very obvious density fluctuations where delineation, clarity, and depth are effected as well. These fluctuations are on the master, and they will be visible even if the in the future the film is fully redone in 2K or 4K. Color balance is convincing. Saturation levels can be improved, but all primaries and supporting nuances look good. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. A few nicks and blemishes can be spotted, but there are no distracting large debris, cuts, warped or torn frames to report. My score is 3.75/5.00. (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 Challenge 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 audio is solid. However, there are a few sequences where its upper range is a bit uneven. The most obvious fluctuations are noticeable when Jerry Goldsmith's score becomes prominent. On the other hand, there are no serious age-related imperfections, which is why clarity is always very nice. Lastly, this release makes it possible to view the film with English SDH subtitles. The previous release did not have them.

The Challenge Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critics Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson. The two gentlemen have done plenty of commentaries for various Kino Lorber releases and this commentary follows a familiar format. If you decide to spend an hour and half with it, you will get plenty of information about the production of The Challenge and its placement in John Frankenheimer's body of work, its style and tone, the careers of some of the actors that contributed to it, its publicity and reception, etc.

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

• TV Spots - presented here are a couple of vintage TV spots for The Challenge. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Cover - a reversible cover with vintage poster art for The Challenge.

The Challenge Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Obviously, it is impossible to place The Challenge among John Frankenheimer's best films. I have always had a soft spot for it and think that can make a pretty impressive double bill if paired with Ridley Scott's Black Rain. (Sydney Pollack's The Yakuza is a very fine film that can be paired with any of the two as well). This reissue of The Challenge is sourced from the same master that the folks at Kino Lorber worked with to prepare their original release of the film in 2016, but offers a slightly better technical presentation of it. Also, it has an exclusive new audio commentary by critics Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.