The Corrupt Ones Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

The Corrupt Ones Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 7, 2017

James Hill's "The Corrupt Ones" a.k.a. "Die Hölle von Macao" (1967) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of German label Alive/Filmjuwelen. The only bonus feature on the disc is an original trailer for the film. The release also arrives with an 18-page illustrated booklet with writings on the film and promotional materials. In English or German, without optional subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

One hell of a beating for a medallion

James Hill’s adventure thriller The Corrupt Ones was clearly inspired by the early James Bond films with Sean Connery, but has a lot more in common with lesser known period gems like Deadlier Than the Male, The Liquidator, and the Agent 077 films with Ken Clark. Many of these films are full of underpolished and sometimes flat-out awkward material that make them look ‘bad’ in the eyes of various of ‘professional’ critics, but this is the very reason why I think that the majority of them are actually a lot more entertaining. (A friendly tip: For optimal results, plan to see them late at night with a glass of well-aged whiskey).

Robert Stack plays a handsome American freelance photographer named Cliff Wilder who has been dispatched to Macao to gather material for an article that will be published in a prestigious magazine. However, when we first meet him he is actually on the Mainland, secretly photographing an all-female prison camp guarded by Commie soldiers, and when one of the guards accidentally discovers him, he quickly jumps in a speedboat owned by a contrabandist (Maurizio Arena) who is also on the run. Back in Macao the two fugitives end up in a lousy bar, but before they can finish their drinks the contrabandist panics, hands Wilder a heavy piece wrapped in a cloth and begs him to hide it for him until they meet again. It is here that Wilder’s life suddenly begins to spin out of control because he discovers that the heavy piece is a rare ancient Chinese medallion that a lot of very interesting people in Macao have been searching for, amongst them an ambitious gangster (Christian Marquand), a merciless triad leader (Ah Yue Lou) and his beautiful partner (Nancy Kwan), the local police chief (Werner Peters), and a European beauty (Elke Sommer) who may or may not have been working together with the contrabandist.

The film is reportedly based on an original story by Hungarian writer Ladislas Fodor but my guess is that the bulk of the material actually came from the mind of screenwriter Brian Clemens (TV’s The Avengers), quite possibly with some notable contributions from producers Artur Brauner (Fanny Hill ) and Nat Wachsberger (They Came to Rob Las Vegas). It is just that kind of a crazy project that looks like it combines ideas from multiple sources -- it begins as a James Bond knock-off and then gradually evolves into an Indiana Jones-type of wild adventure film before it literally ends up with a bang.

In order to be entertaining and attractive these types of exotic adventure films need three things: equally enthusiastic director and cast, nice exotic locations and a skillful cinematographer to ‘see’ them right, and a healthy dose of attitude. The Corrupt Ones has all three. Stack and Sommer are very much at ease with each other and during the many outrageous adventures appear to genuinely enjoy the characters they play. Kwan, Marquand, and Peters respond with an equal passion that helps tremendously the attitude that the film needs to make the awkward material look chic. Cinematographer Heinz Pehlke’s contribution is probably most susceptible to criticism because there is a lot of movement and it often feels like a lot is being crammed to meet some lofty expectations, but the film simply tries to be a lot of different things at once and almost certainly he was asked to go big and bold as often as possible. (It is likely the main reason why high-octane action footage and panoramic shots overlap quite awkwardly).

Dusty Springifield’s classic track “The Corrupt Ones” is heard after the tense prologue and at the end of the film.

The Corrupt Ones Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, James Hill's The Corrupt Ones arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Alive/Filmjuwelen.

The film must have been remastered -- not fully restored -- fairly recently because aside from a few small rough spots it looks quite nice in high-definition. A lot of the well-lit close-ups, for instance, boast really good depth and clarity, while the darker footage maintains a nice overall balance. There are a few sequences where momentary drops in terms of density and fluidity can be spotted, but it is rather easy to tell that the condition of the master that was used is responsible for them. There are no traces of compromising degraining and sharpening adjustments, but ideally grain exposure should be better. Also, during some of the indoor footage some light crushing can be fairly easy to see, though it does not really have a substantial impact on depth and even on very large screens the visuals remain very pleasing. Colors are surprisingly well balanced, but my feeling is that saturation and nuances could be even better. Image stability is good. Finally, I noticed some very quick unevenness in the top and bottom end of the frame during two sequences, but there are no serious age-related imperfections to report. All in all, while there is room for some cosmetic improvements, the overall quality of the presentation is indeed very good. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

The Corrupt Ones Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and German DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English or German subtitles are not provided for the main feature.

The English track is the original audio track, but some post-production overdubbing was clearly done and as it is often the case with these types of tracks occasionally you will likely notice some mild unevenness. Clarity and depth, however, are very good. The music and effects also shine in all the right places. There are no serious age-related imperfections, such as strong hiss or distortions in the high-frequencies, either. This being said, optional English subtitles would have been greatly appreciated.

The Corrupt Ones Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original German trailer for The Corrupt Ones. In German, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Trailers - trailers for other Alive/Filmjuwelen releases.

• Booklet - 18-page illustrated booklet with writings on the film and promotional materials. In German.

The Corrupt Ones Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Robert Stack is an American photographer who accidentally becomes a target while visiting Macao in this wildly entertaining adventure thriller directed by James Hill (Born Free). If you pick up The Corrupt Ones and enjoy the old-fashioned action and exotic atmosphere, also consider Deadlier Than the Male and Code 7, Victim 5, as currently both have very attractive price tags. The German release that we have reviewed here is Region-Free and perfectly playable on North American players, including the PS3. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.