The Last American Hero Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		4.0

The Last American Hero Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 16, 2019

Lamont Johnson's" The Last American Hero" (1973) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Swiss label Explosive Media. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film and a collection of production stills. In English, with optional English and German subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The whiskey runner

You can instantly tell that someone was paying very close attention to the way the cars are driven in this film -- very close attention. That someone was the man that Jeff Bridges plays, Junior Johnson, the North Carolina native who ditched the illegal whiskey business and went on to become a NASCAR driver. And not just a NASCAR driver, but one of the 50 greatest NASCAR drivers of all time.

The film opens up somewhere in the Carolina hills where Junior Jackson (Bridges), his brother Wayne (Gary Busey) and their father (Art Lund) are operating an illegal whiskey still to make ends meet. In the middle of the night, they load up Junior’s car, and he hits the road to make a delivery. Less than half an hour later, he nearly gets caught by state troopers, who have been trying to nail the ‘night runner’ that has been evading them for months.

Eventually, the business is discovered and destroyed, and the head of the family placed behind bars for an entire year. A crooked lawyer then casually informs Junior and Wayne that some extra dough can buy the old man better care and protection from the guards.

To get the dough for the lawyer and help their mother (Geraldine Fitzgerald) put food on the table, Junior begins negotiating with Hackel (a predictably outstanding Ned Beatty), an old-school ‘businessman’ who runs the demotion derby and a variety of other races that the locals like to attend. When Junior gets the third-place cash prize without ever being in a derby, Hackel reluctantly agrees to let him participate in one of the races as well. Junior’s fearless driving then instantly makes him a star in the eyes of single female fans like Marge (Valerie Perrine), and a threat to established drivers like Kyle Kingman (William Smith). However, to stay in the game Junior needs a proper car, not the old ‘runner’ that he has been using, and the only man willing to give him one is Burton Colt (Ed Lauter), a veteran manager who wants his drivers to understand and always keep in mind that he calls all the shots.

The foundation of Lamont Johnson’s film comes from Tom Wolfe’s famous article "The Last American Hero is Junior Johnson. Yes!”, which Esquire Magazine published in 1965. The film was greenlighted nearly a decade after it, with the iconic driver serving as a technical consultant for the racing footage.

The loose and laid-back atmosphere, which some viewers may rightfully point out makes the film appear dated, is actually the exact reason why it feels so fresh and authentic today. There are all sorts of ‘common folk’ jokes flying in different directions, for instance, that add quite a special flavor, plus the glamour that could have made the film look like a super-long NASCAR commercial is never given a chance to flourish. As a result, Johnson’s transformation from a whiskey runner into an ambitious and dangerously fearless professional driver looks entirely legit.

The racing footage has a near-documentary quality that fits the story and the style of the film really well. There are some very original, and bold, for the era camera shots that offer extremely close looks at swerving and crashing cars, as well as beautifully composed overhead shots with the racing tracks and the big crowds of spectators enjoying the activities. (For reference, the quality of the racing footage ranges from as good as to even better than the one that is present in Mark Lester’s terrific Steel Arena).

The entire cast is excellent. Bridges does look and sound like a Southern boy that is willing to risk everything while pursuing a big dream, and Busey plays the younger brother with a casual attitude that does not feel borrowed for the part. Lund, Lauter and Beatty are the familiar old pros doing typical high-quality character work.

Jim Croce’s classic tune “I Got A Name” is heard a few times throughout the film.

The Last American Hero Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVCand granted a 1080p transfer, Lamont Johnson's The Last American Hero arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Explosive Media.

The release is sourced from an older master, likely the same master that Twentieth Century Fox used some years ago to produce the North American DVD release of the film. While there is certainly room for meaningful improvements, I like it. Some of the visuals look a bit 'thicker', with areas where natural light is prominent also a tad more contrasty, but overall the film has a stable organic appearance. (The master that was created by the studio was from an element that is at least a generation away from the OC, so coupled with the fact that it was also done on older equipment the end product is not exactly surprising). Delineation ranges from good to very good, though some of the darker footage is missing small nuances. Fluidity is good, but a new 4K/2K remaster will refine grain and improve its exposure, and by doing so will deliver an even 'tighter' image with more pleasing fluidity. Color balance is very good. Some highlights can be improved, but there is nothing that will affect negatively your viewing experience. There are no large debris, cuts, damage marks, warped or torn frames to report. My score is 3.75/5.00. (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 Last American Hero Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are only two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and German DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English and German subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they split the image frame and the black bar below it.

I thought that the lossless English track handled the racing footage really, really well. For a period film from the '70s, it's got plenty of oomph and separation is great. (Instead of pushing the car noise in the back, the audio balances it nicely with the dialog and then keeps dynamic levels in check). The guys that prepared the current master for Twentieth Century Fox must have cleaned up the audio as well because the mid-/high registers are free of distortions, pops, cracks, hiss, and other such common age-related imperfections.

The Last American Hero Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - a fully remastered original U.S. trailer for The Last American Hero. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Gallery - a nice collection of vintage promotional materials and production stills for The Last American Hero. With music. (4 min, 1080p).

• Trailers - a collection of trailers for other releases from Explosive Media's catalog.

• Cover - reversible cover.

The Last American Hero Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Last American Hero has an incredible retro vibe and a dream cast of old-school stars that make it an instant genre classic. I love it, but only recently found out that Explosive Media had released it on Blu-ray, The release is sourced from an older master that was provided by Twentieth Century Fox, but I think that the technical presentation is quite nice as well as a decent upgrade in quality when compared to what is on the old North American DVD release of the film. (The audio upgrade is excellent). Fans of the film will be pleased to know that the release is also Region-Free. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.