The Joker Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

The Joker Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 17, 2019

Peter Patzak's "The Joker" a.k.a. "Lethal Obsession (1987) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of German label Subkultur Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include original trailers for the film; alternate opening sequence; outtakes; archival publicity materials; and more. In English or German, with optional German subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Detective Bogdan

The only reason The Joker exists is because its director, Peter Patzak, was addicted to the ’80s. If he is still able and willing to discuss the film, he would probably offer a different explanation, but it won’t matter much. The simple truth is that you just can’t make a film like The Joker unless the ‘80s are in your system. Period.

The plot is so awful and with so many cheesy twists and turns that it is actually legitimately brilliant. The prologue alone deserves to be praised as classic ‘80s material because over the span of a few minutes it basically sums up perfectly everything that made the films that emerged from the decade special. A man with a gun quietly enters a hotel room and executes two naked guys and a naked girl while they are having a threesome. Before he disappears in the shadows of the night, he casually drops an ace on the floor, which later on allows detective Jan Bogdan (Peter Maffay) and his superior Axel Baumgartner (Armin Mieller-Stahl) to conclude that he is Dr. Proper (Michael York), a professional hitman with a formidable reputation. Bogdan then goes to work to find out who has been paying Dr. Proper to take out various underworld players and quickly concludes that Serge Gart (Elliot Gould), a semi-legit and very ambitious businessman, is his man. But because he does not have enough to arrest him, Bogdan goes back on the streets and starts digging deeper to connect the two men, and when Gart is informed that he has become a target for the police he orders a couple of his goons to take out the detective. Shortly after, while Bogdan has dinner with his girlfriend Daniella (Tahnee Welch) in the Italian restaurant that her father runs, a bomb explodes, and he becomes paralyzed from the waist down. During a difficult recovery period, Bogdan vows to get Gart and destroy his business empire, even if it means that he has to turn his back on old partners and consider working with Dr. Proper.

Patzak breaks the narrative into multiple episodes that easily could have been used in the early days of MTV to promote up-and-coming pop and rock artists. There are only a few that feel a bit too provocative and explicit, but even they eventually would have been used in a late-night program of some sort. (Maffay walking in the middle of the busy neon-lit streets right before the bomb explosion is classic MTV material).

The acting is seriously exaggerated, but it is what infuses the drama and the action with a heavy retro flavor that makes the end product look very chic. And Maffay, who is the star of the film, isn’t the only offender; York, Gould, Mieller-Stahl, and even Welch join the fun as well. It is what makes the film borderline surreal -- it is drunk on ‘80s posturing and attitudes that make Highlander look like a classic Oscar-winning drama. (Mike Figgis’ Stormy Monday, which came out a year later, uses pretty much the same formula to impress. However, it works with very different ‘ingredients’. Sting is a much better actor than Maffay, and all of the supporting cast was on the same page).

The catchy tune that ex-Rainbow keyboardist Tony Carey sings, “Bedtime Story”, is what years ago led this writer to research the film and then find a way see it. It is great, and because it is used so many times throughout the film, it is virtually impossible to forget.

Patzak shot the film on location in Hamburg with two different cinematographers, Dietrich Lohmann (Deep Impact), and Igor Luther (Coup de Grace).

*This recent release of The Joker is sourced from an exclusive new 4K restoration of the film that was completed by LSP Medien in Germany. It also features fully restored original English and German audio tracks. (The English audio track is the one that was used for the international market).

The Joker Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.66:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Peter Patzak's The Joker arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Subkultur Entertainment.

The release is sourced from a brand new and exclusive 4K restoration from the OCN, which was completed by LSP Medien on behalf of the German label. The end result is fantastic. The film looks exceptionally vibrant and healthy, and fluidity is as good as it can possibly be in 1080p. Also, this is a typical for the '80s film with a great deal of neon-lit footage that boasts some stunning primary colors and nuances, all of which look terrific after the 4K makeover. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. Predictably, grain is nicely exposed and resolved. Overall image stability is excellent. The entire film is also free of age-related imperfections. (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. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).

The Joker Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are four standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (Stereo), German DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (Theatrical Stereo Mix), German DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (TV Stereo Mix), and Hungarian Dolby Digital 1.0. Optional German subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I viewed the film with the English track, which features some studio overdubbing that reminds of the conventional English dubs that are present on a lot of Italian genre films from the '70s and '80s. Obviously, Elliott Gould and a number of other actors are not dubbed, but the track has some of that familiar quality. Its technical characteristics are excellent -- the dialog is crystal clear and stable, while the music sound simply terrific. (The music has a huge role, so to hear it sounding this good is a big deal).

The Joker Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

NOTE: All of the supplemental features on this Blu-ray release are perfectly playable on North American Blu-ray players, including the PS3.

• Isolated Music Track - presented as DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0.

• German Teaser Trailer - remastered German theatrical teaser trailer for The Joker. In German, not subtitled. (1 min, 1080p).

• German Trailer - remastered German theatrical trailer for The Joker. In German, not subtitled. (4 min, 1080p).

• International Theatrical Trailer - international theatrical trailer for The Joker. In English, not subtitled. (4 min, 1080p).

• Alternate Opening - in English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Outtakes - outtakes and raw footage from the shooting of The Joker. Silent. (7 min, 1080p).

• Script - a complete copy of the original script for The Joker. In German. (1080p).

• Publicity Materials - a gallery of vintage promotional and media materials for the film. (7 min, 1080p).

• Cover - reversible cover.

The Joker Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Everything you will see cited in old and negative reviews of The Joker comes from people that do not understand or appreciate the particular type of '80s excess and kitsch that give this film its identity. Whether he realized it or not, Peter Patzak was absolutely addicted to the '80s, and less than ten minutes into his film it is painfully obvious that it was so. I discovered The Joker many years ago after hearing Tony Carey's song on a clip from the film and never forgot about it, though later I could not track it down on DVD. Needless to say, this new Blu-ray release from Subkultur Entertainment, which is sourced from a first-class exclusive new 4K restoration, is one of the year's biggest and most pleasant surprises for me. After all these years, it was absolutely incredible to see the film looking so good. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.