The Hell with Heroes Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

The Hell with Heroes Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 11, 2024

Joseph Sargent's "The Hell with Heroes" (1968) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new audio commentary by filmmaker/historian Steve Mitchell and author Steven Jay Rubin and vintage trailer. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Brynie

I have not seen all of the films Rod Taylor made during the 1960s and 1970s, which is something that I have been trying to rectify for a while now. However, the more of these films I see, the more convinced I become that Taylor should have had a very different career. Indeed, Taylor was a remarkably handsome actor and looked spectacular before the camera. When he was surrounded by equally beautiful ladies, he routinely looked like the perfect actor to play James Bond, too. He was classy and naturally irresistible, very witty, and his body appeared built for action. His only flaw might have been his macho personality, which easily revealed his Australian roots. Could this have been the reason Taylor did not consistently get big parts in big Hollywood productions? I do not know. What I do know is that he had the look and talent that could and should have made him a Hollywood superstar.

Directed by Joseph Sargent in 1968, The Hell with Heroes is everything I expect a good action film made during the decade to be. It unites several wonderful actors, it looks great, and, perhaps most importantly, it works hard to entertain an adult audience. This last bit about the adult audience usually makes the biggest difference when I sit down to view an action film from the 1960s because I find that it legitimizes even the most ridiculous story. In the 1960s, which saw a worldwide explosion of exotic action films, there were a lot of these ridiculous stories, too. However, and this is very important to underscore, the legitimizing of the ridiculous stories did not occur because some screenwriters and directors figured out how to manage the exotic in them better. Some screenwriters and directors figured out that these stories needed authentic characters who spoke and behaved like adults. They could still do silly things from time to time, but when they did, they would do them like adults.

What I just described is the very reason the story that is told in The Hell with Heroes works quite well, too. It begins two years after the end of WWII and the bulk of it is set in the fictitious North African country of Oran where two former U.S. Air Force pilots, Brynie MacKay (Taylor) and Mike Brewer (Pete Duel), do transportation jobs on demand with a dingy plane. There is not a lot of business around, but MacKay and Brewer make enough to spend plenty of time in the area’s most famous nightclub and chase the ladies. This seemingly very simple and most pleasurable cycle of existence is disrupted when international smuggler Lee Harris (Harry Guardino) hires the two to transport a load of contraband goods to France and then convinces them to become his partners. It is a temporary deal, at the end of which MacKay and Brewer would be able to have their own plane and enough cash to never again take any risky jobs. At first, the partnership works as described by Harris, but when someone alerts the French and American authorities in the area about his dealings, everyone is forced to begin improvising. However, MacKay unexpectedly falls in love with Harris’ girl, Elena (Claudia Cardinale), who has a dark past and cannot be legally in the country, and all hell breaks loose.

The Hell with Heroes easily could have turned out like Mozambique (1964) and Code 7, Victim 5 (1964), or half a dozen other films like them. It has plenty of exotic material and enough action to entertain an unpretentious audience that would have expected it to be a mostly decent James Bond copycat. After all, this was the classic blueprint that a lot of these exotic action films utilized during the 1960s.

But The Hell with Heroes is not that kind of easily forgettable action film. It uses its fireworks and drama to reintroduce several big truths about life, one of which is almost spelled out on the original poster that was created for it. (This poster is also used as the cover of the Blu-ray release). What is this truth? It is that there are two kinds of people, sellers and buyers, and all of their supposedly unique qualities are just a façade that hides their true identity. Once this is revealed, the world becomes a much easier place to understand and navigate.

While the entire cast is very good, Taylor shines the brightest and sets the tone of The Hell with Heroes. He looks like a genuine tough guy with a proper grasp of how cynical the world truly is and a clear understanding that he is running out of time to find someone special to share the rest of his life with. When Cardinale comes along, he risks everything to claim her, but not like an action hero would. His tough guy turns out to be just another loner with a big heart.

The Hell with Heroes Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Hell with Heroes arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from a very nice exclusive new 2K master that was struck from an interpositive. While the film looks slightly softer than it should and there are a few optical with a bit of dirt, I loved what I saw on my system. All visuals had a very attractive appearance with very strong organic qualities. Delineation, clarity, and depth ranged from very good to excellent in a few areas, and grain exposure was convincing. (You will see some fluctuations, but some are introduced by the original cinematography). Fluidity could be slightly better, but overall it is great. Color balance is terrific. I think that only if the film is transferred to 4K Blu-ray saturation levels and balance can be significantly improved. Here, all primaries and supporting nuances look excellent. In a few areas, you will notice some unevenness, but this is a source issue. Image stability is very good. I did notice a few blemishes, but there are no large cuts, damage marks, warped or torn frames to report. (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 Hell with Heroes 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. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

I did not encounter any issues to report in our review. All exchanges are very clear, sharp, and stable. In a couple of areas, I did notice some small unevenness, but it is quite easy to tell that it is inherited. Quincy Jones' soundtrack is very active and produces plenty of good dynamic contrasts. In the upper register, I did not notice hiss or crackle.

The Hell with Heroes Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by filmmaker/historian Steve Mitchell and author Steven Jay Rubin (Combat Films: American Realism). The two commentators have a lot to say about the style and visual appearance of The Hell with Heroes, Joseph Sargent and Rod Taylor, the film's publicity and the era from which it emerged, etc.

• Trailer - presented here is a remastered vintage U.S. trailer for The Hell with Heroes. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

The Hell with Heroes Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

While a very different film, Joseph Sargent's The Hell with Heroes is as good of a discovery as John Guillermin's P.J.. Both films introduce legit tough guys played by two outstanding actors at the peak of their careers, and both produce some tremendous visuals. I am a very big George Peppard fan, but I am beginning to think that I am not as big of a Rod Taylor fan simply because I have not been able to see all of the films he made during the 1960s and 1970s. I had a terrific time with The Hell with Heroes and thought that it looked wonderful after it was remastered in 2K. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.