Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

The Incident Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 5, 2019

Larry Peerce's "The Incident" (1967) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include a vintage trailer for the film; audio commentary by the director and Nick Redman; exclusive new audio commentary by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas; Q&A session from a recent screening of the film; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

The night train

For approximately half an hour now, I have been trying to remember if I have seen other films with Martin Sheen where he plays a character that is as repulsive as Artie Connors from The Incident. I came up with two films: Badlands and When the Line Goes Through, and in both Sheen plays bad characters that actually reveal a gentler, sensitive side, which is why they can’t compete with Artie. There is something legitimately nasty about this troublemaker. He oozes meanness of the worst kind, and his eyes reveal pure evil. The other troublemaker that Tony Musante plays, Artie’s pal, Joe Ferrone, did not bother me at all. His macho style is all part of an act, an over-the-top and silly one that can work only in front of folks that hesitate to stand their ground. Artie is an authentic torpedo that can self-destruct without thinking twice, a genuine nutter hiding behind a handsome face.

The events in the film take place over the course of a couple of hours. In the wee hours of the night, a motley crew of New Yorkers get on a train that is supposed to take them to their final destination. They all have good excuses for being out late -- a bored middle-aged guy (Mike Kellin) and his pretentious wife (Jan Sterling) have wasted their time ‘enjoying’ a dull but prestigious party; a Jewish couple (Jack Gilford and Thelma Ritter) has accidentally mismanaged their time; an angry black man (Brock Peters) and his wife (Ruby Dee) have had a pointless disagreement; a shy homosexual (Robert Fields) has tried and failed to befriend a stranger; a troubled businessman (Gary Merrill) has tried to recollect his thoughts while dealing with a partner; a blonde (Donna Mills) has tried to subdue her pushy boyfriend (Victor Arnold); another couple (Ed McMahon and Diana Van Der Vlis) and their exhausted daughter have argued and decide not to take a taxi; and two army pals (Robert Bannard and Beau Bridges) have had a really good time in the city.

A little earlier, the two drunk troublemakers are seen ambushing a stranger, then beating and robbing him. After they finish ‘having fun’, the two disappear into the shadows of the night and eventually reach the train station. Shortly after they board the train car where the other passengers have gathered, the two begin harassing anyone that dares to look them in the eyes.

There isn’t much of a story in The Incident. Once everyone boards the train, director Larry Peerce points the camera at the ensuing mayhem and begins observing it. It is a very simple concept, and a very risky one because the tension and energy of the situation are the only elements that give the film a structure. Everything the actors do must help them grow in a convincing fashion, or the whole ‘story’ becomes a pointless melee where for a short period of time strangers essentially abuse and hurt each other.

Thankfully, there are real sparks in the air that make the action rather fascinating to behold. As noted earlier, Sheen looks completely unhinged and by the time one of the soldiers decides to step up and do what is right, it is impossible not to wish that his character gets a large dose of his own medicine. Musante’s character is supposed to be the bigger bully, but I felt that he was feeding off his pal’s energy and perhaps even relying on him to keep the mayhem going.

Bridges is convincing, but there is a rather long stretch where it does feel like the two soldiers are uncharacteristically quiet.

The city appears a lot like it does in various classic film noirs -- it is dark and unglamorous, a concrete jungle where a lot of bad things happen all the time. Gerald Hirschfeld (Two-Minute Warning) was the man behind the camera.

The Incident 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 Incident arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.

The film looks very healthy, so I assume that at some point it was remastered by Twentieth Century Fox. There are a couple of areas where some of the exterior footage reveals nuances that feel a tad too subdued, but I still liked what I saw a lot. The grading could have been slightly better so that more of these nuances are retained, but there is nothing that actually compromises the organic appearance of the visuals. Grain exposure and consistency are very nice. Image stability is great. A few blemishes can be spotted, but there are no large distracting debris, cuts, damage marks, warped or torn frames to report. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Incident Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The audio has been remastered. It is clean, stable, and properly balanced. However, the original sound design retains many organic sounds and noises, which is why in certain areas you are likely to spot minor dynamic unevenness. There are no pops, audio dropouts, or background distortions to report.

The Incident Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - a vintage trailer for The Incident. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, 1080i).

• Q&A with Larry Peerce - presented here is a recorded Q&A session with Larry Peerce which was held after a screening of The Incident at the Wisconsin Film Festival in 2017. The director answers a number of different questions about the production of the film. In English, not subtitled. (32 min, 1080p).

• Music and Effects Track - presented as LPCM 2.0.

• Audio Commentary One - recorded by director Larry Peerce and Nick Redman.

• Audio Commentary Two - recorded by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas. This commentary was recorded exclusively for Eureka Entertainment's release.

• Booklet - a collector's booklet featuring new writing by film writer Samm Deighan and critic and journalist Barry Forshaw; Welcome to Fear City: A Survival Guide for Visitors to the City of New York a reprint of the notorious pamphlet distributed at the height of New York s crime epidemic, as well as technical credits.

The Incident Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I felt a real Abel Ferrara-esque vibe coming from The Incident. It is quite unhinged at times, and it has that familiar low-budget edge many of Ferrara's early films have. Also, I was very surprised by Martin Sheen's performance too, which as far as I am concerned is the meanest in his entire body of work. I absolutely cannot stand characters like the ones Sheen and Tony Musante play in this film, so I have to give both actors a lot of credit for their solid work because these two really got under my skin and I could not wait to see them get a proper dose of their own medicine. Eureka Entertainment's release is sourced from a strong healthy remaster that was supplied by Twentieth Century Fox. RECOMMENDED.