7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Willie is a gangster's henchman turned "supergrass" (informer) trying to live in peaceful hiding in a remote Spanish village. Sun-dappled bliss turns to nerve-racking suspense, however, when two hit men come calling to bring Willie back for execution.
Starring: Terence Stamp, John Hurt, Tim Roth, Ralph Brown (I), Albie WoodingtonThriller | Insignificant |
Crime | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Stephen Frears' "The Hit" (1984) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage trailer; archival interview with Terence Stamp; and archival audio commentary with director Stephen Frears, writer Peter Prince, actors Tim Roth and John Hurt, and film editor Mick Audsley. The release also arrives with an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by film critic Graham Fuller as well as technical credits. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Hit arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.
The technical presentation reveals limitations that are common on older masters. For example, the entire film has a softer appearance and in darker areas depth can be quite inconsistent. Delineation isn't optimal either, especially in areas with plenty of nuanced lighting that produced equally nuanced shadows. Grain is 'looser' than it should be, often appearing noisy as well (see screencapture #7). The color scheme is convincing, but there is definitively room for improvement. There are no traces of problematic digital adjustments, and this is one of the biggest strengths of the current master. (In 2013, we reviewed this Region-B release of The Hit from Italian label Eagle Pictures and as you can see on it there are plenty of anomalies that were produced by filtering adjustments and weak encoding). Image stability is good, but a brand new master should give the film an even tighter appearance. All in all, the current presentation of The Hit looks slightly dated, but it has decent organic qualities that ensure a pleasing viewing experience. My score is 3.25/5.00. (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).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.
The audio is stable and clear. It has nice depth as well. Dynamic nuances are quite good, but while I viewed the film a couple of times I felt that whenever they emerge the audio could be better rounded. It is hard for me to tell if this is a source limitation, but I am going to speculate that a new master will probably produce a slightly better result.
There are a lot of people out there that have seriously overhyped The Hit and even argued that it is one of the greatest British crime films of the last century. It is not that kind of a masterpiece, folks. However, there is a lot of old-fashioned style in it that makes it look really, really cool. (The original trailer for the film features a killer theme by Eric Clapton and Roger Waters, and is in fact one of the best to emerge from the '80s). Criterion's upcoming release is sourced from an older but decent remaster that was supervised by cinematographer Mike Molloy. RECOMMENDED.
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