Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

The Devil's 8 Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 8, 2022

Burt Topper's "The Devil's 8" (1969) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Scorpion Releasing. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new program with actor Larry Bishop and trailers. In English, with optional English SDH surtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

It is a shame that there isn’t an American equivalent of Mark Hartley’s superb documentary Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation! because we need such an authoritative project to reveal how badly American independent genre films from the 1970s and beyond were misunderstood and mistreated. Yes, I am aware that there are a couple of very good documentaries about the legacies of Roger Corman and The Cannon Group, but they mention only a tiny fraction of the great independent genre films that were either destroyed by mainstream critics or completely ignored. Hartley’s documentary places various developments in a proper context and does a terrific job of highlighting the reasons Australian mainstream critics mischaracterized what they were witnessing, which was an explosion of creativity that could not be controlled. A similar documentary about the fate of the original independent low-budget Americana, for instance, could force many cinephiles to rediscover some tremendous gems, many of which should have been declared cult films a long time ago as well.

I decided to mention Hartley’s documentary because I am convinced that if Burt Topper had made The Devil’s 8 in the Land Down Under the Aussies would have been claiming that it is one of their greatest Ozploitation classics. And rightfully so because this film does absolutely everything a great genre gem from the late 1960s should and then supersizes it to ensure that no one would ever question its enthusiasm. And yet, for some very odd reason, in America it is not considered a great genre film.

What could have been a good reason to ignore The Devil’s 8?

The answer to this question might be in the exclusive new interview Larry Bishop did for Scorpion Releasing’s recent Blu-ray release of The Devil’s 8. In it, Bishop reveals that The Devil’s 8 reminds him a bit of Robert Aldrich’s classic The Dirty Dozen, which could have been why critics dismissed it. But is this really why The Devil’s 8 suffered the fate it did? Did mainstream critics see it as a cheap replica of The Dirty Dozen and then promptly discarded it? If true, it is incredible, because The Devil’s 8 is actually a superb piece of Americana with a genuine personality of the kind that once experienced cannot be forgotten.

The plot is simple but there are surprises galore. Federal agent Ray Faulkner (Christopher George) is ordered to take down a gang of moonshiners whose leader (Ralph Meeker) is protected by some of the state’s most powerful bureaucrats. Faulkner poses as a road gang convict and, while in prison, helps several lifers escape. Then, after he frames them and they are captured by the authorities, he offers them a deal: work with him to destroy the moonshiners and get a chance to regain their freedom, or return to prison and spend the rest of their lives rotting in high-security cells.

Despite the possibility of regaining their freedom, the lifers force Faulkner to use his best negotiating skills, so it takes some time before they form a team and he begins training them. Some do not get along particularly well, so Faulkner has to manage their egos and biases as well. When the time comes to go to work, a few question their decision to stay with Faulkner and begin fantasizing about improvising and regaining their freedom in a different, less dangerous way.

There is a lot of very wild action in The Devil’s 8 but it is not of the kind that makes it easy to compare it to The Dirty Dozen. The action is not even of the kind that you will witness in Thunder and Lightning and The Last American Hero. (Both are solid genre films from the same period that put the spotlight on the moonshine business as well). It is a lot like the action that makes Steel Arena a breathtaking piece of Americana that can never be replicated by an American filming crew again. Indeed, some of the dangerous driving and car crashes are so intense that it is something of a miracle that all of the stunt specialists emerged unharmed.

The most attractive aspect of the production, however, is its casual atmosphere. It creates the impression that everything that takes place before Topper’s camera is entirely organic and extracted from a mad documentary that someone was allowed to do on a budget. It is why every single frame of The Devil’s 8 oozes pure Americana.

Faulkner’s lifers are played by Ross Hagen, Fabian, Cliff Osmond, Tom Nardini, Ron Rifkin, Robert DoQui, and Bishop.

The Devil’s 8 is based on an original story by Larry Gordon, who produced one of my all-time favorite films, The Driver. The great John Milius was one of three writers that helped convert the story into a screenplay.

The Devil's 8 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 Devil's 8 arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Scorpion Releasing.

The release is sourced from an exclusive 2K master. The film can look rather rough at times because there are traces of aging and restoration work was not done on the raw files. However, I am fine with this because the entire film has a solid organic appearance. Yes, of course, it would have been great to have it properly restored, but this release very well could have been transferred from an awful old master, so considering what was done to get the film on Blu-ray with the available funds for it, I am perfectly fine with it. Delineation, clarity, and depth can fluctuate, but on my system the visuals look quite pleasing. Color balance is convincing, though in some areas there are traces of fading that affect the primaries and select nuances. There are absolutely no traces of problematic digital corrections. Image stability is good. Various nicks, blemishes, and even a few large marks can be seen, but I already mentioned above that the film has not been restored. To sum it all up, what you are getting from this release is a solid organic presentation of the film but without any restoration work. (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 Devil's 8 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 dialog is clear and easy to follow. However, there are some spots with small but noticeable unevenness. Dynamic intensity is good, but I have to speculate that if the audio is fully remastered and dynamic balance improved, in certain areas the contrasts would be more effective. Why exactly? Because there is plenty of action and the music does some interesting things to strengthen the intended atmosphere. On the other hand, the entire film has a low-key personality that is typical for an Americana, so it is quite possible that some of the unevenness I mentioned would be retained.

The Devil's 8 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interview with Larry Bishop - in this exclusive new program, Larry Bishop, who plays the character of Chandler, recalls how he became involved with The Devil's 8, what it was like to work with Burt Topper (and why he became he one of his best friends) and the rest of the cast, and what the atmosphere was during the shooting process. Mr. Bishop also mentions some of the other big genre films he made and even quickly addresses his all-time favorite film, Paths of Glory. The program was produced by Walt Olsen. In English, not subtitled (14 min).

• Trailer Reel - a collection of trailers for the following releases from Scorpion Releasing's catalog:
  
  1. Angel Unchained
  2. The Cycle Savages
  3. Eye of the Tiger
  4. Trackdown

The Devil's 8 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Ignore the old claims that The Devil's 8 is just a poor reimagination of The Dirty Dozen. It is a terrific piece of Americana whose casualness and authenticity are absolutely irresistible. To be honest, this isn't too surprising given the terrific group of actors that made it as well as the fact that the great John Milius worked on its script. I enjoyed it tremendously. Scorpion Releasing's Blu-ray release of The Devil's 8 is sourced from a somewhat rough but solid 2K master and features a very nice new program with actor Larry Bishop. If you decide to pick it up for your collection and reside outside of North America, please keep in mind that it is Region-A "locked". HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.