The Last Hunter Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

The Last Hunter Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 22, 2019

Antonio Margheriti's "The Last Hunter" (1980) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Code Red. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage international trailer for the film as well as new video interviews with stars Tony King and John Steiner. In English, without optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The key quality that made so many of the copycats that Italian directors delivered during the 1970s, 1980s, and the early 1990s entertaining was their enthusiasm. Of course, there were plenty of stinkers that were unwatchable, but once the Italians figured out how to capitalize on the popularity of the big Hollywood hits it did not matter that occasionally they delivered a dud. At the end of the day they were still making a lot of money. And the more money they made, the more enthusiastic they became about their art. What killed the golden goose was the expansion of the home video market -- VHS started the process and DVD finished it off. Most of the money that Italian producers used to put in outlandish copycats were slowly redirected from the theatrical business to the home video business because the margins looked better, and once the cycle was initiated the enthusiasm began disappearing. By the early 1990s the golden era of the Italian copycats, and all those outlandish genre films that are now considered cult classics, was all but over. The only positive was that many of them became easier to rediscover.

Antonio Margheriti made The Last Hunter under the ‘American’ alias Anthony Dawson and his film is a prime example of the type of copycats that flooded the Italian film industry during the early 1980s. Instead of targeting one big blockbuster, however, with The Last Hunter Margheriti went after two -- the first was directed by Michael Cimino, and the second by Francis Ford Coppola.

In Margheriti’s film, New Zealander David Warbeck plays the jaded American Captain Henry Morris, who after losing one of his men during a friendly carnage in a lousy Saigon brothel agrees to do a very dangerous mission to clear his head. His end destination is a remote camp somewhere deep in the jungle where the VCs (the Vietnamese communists) have built a massive radio tower and started broadcasting their propaganda to the American forces in the region. Morris must locate the tower, deactivate its transmitter, and then bring it down. Immediately after a helicopter drops him in the jungle, he is picked up by a squad of commandos, which is also followed by the foreign photographer Jane Foster (Tisa Farrow), and together they begin moving toward the VC camp. But when the commandos that are supposed to show him the way begin dying Morris is forced to rely on his instincts, which initially only slow him down but later on gradually make him ponder whether he might have embarked on a suicide mission.

The psychological horror that defined Cimino’s The Deer Hunter and Coppola’s Apocalypse Now is on full display in Margheriti’s film. In fact, it is the core piece of its narrative. But because it lacks the acting talent and grand vision that made The Deer Hunter and Apocalypse Now genre classics, Margheriti brings in a huge dose of the unique enthusiasm that was mentioned earlier in this article. This removes the copycat element from the identity of his film and introduces a new one, which is essentially the type of identity that most Italian exploitation films adopt. Needless to say, the end product is a shockingly excessive, at times flat-out deranged film about a war that existed only in Margheriti’s head.

According to old reports Margheriti and his cinematographer Riccardo Pallottini went back and shot on the many locations in the Philippines that Coppola and his team picked for Apocalypse Now. They even used some of the same local extras.

The Last Hunter Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encored with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Last Hunter arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Code Red.

It is easy to tell that the release has been sourced from a fresh remaster because despite various source limitations and fluctuations the film actually has the type of fresh organic appearance that older master cannot produce. So, what are some of these limitations and fluctuation? The source that was used to produce the new master is clearly not the OCN, which of course is perfectly fine. However, there are some small density fluctuations that appear in daylight and darker footage that affect fluidity. Also, the grain can appear a bit noisy at times, and elsewhere shadow definition isn't optimal either. Depth ranges from decent to good, but on a larger screen the fluctuations can cause some obvious unevenness. I don't find it distracting at all, however, because the film still has plenty of good organic qualities. Color saturation and stability can be better, and nuances can be expanded. Image stability is good, but my guess is that there is some footage that comes from multiple sources. (Hardly surprisingly for an Italian genre film). Some tiny dirt spots and stains remain, but overall the film looks rather healthy. (Note: This is a Region-Free release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

The Last Hunter 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 not provided.

Clarity and stability are very good. However, if you turn up the volume quite a lot you will hear some extremely light background hiss. It is never distracting, but it is something that can very easily be removed with modern digital tools. Also, there is room for some balance improvements. Italian genre films from the '80s are notorious for having dub tracks that are reveal unevenness and this film has one such track. Optional English subtitles should have been included.

The Last Hunter Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interview with Tony King - in this new video interview, actor Tony King remembers how he was cast to play Sgt. George Washington and remembers what it was like to work with David Warbeck, Tisa Farrow, and other cast members, as well as director Antonio Margheriti. The interview was conducted exclusively for Code Red. In English, not subtitled. (20 min, 480/60i).

• Interview with John Steiner - in this new video interview, actor John Steiner discusses his contribution to The Last Hunter and time at the Philippines while working with Antonio Margheriti.The interview was conducted exclusively for Code Red. In English, not subtitled. (9 min, 480/60i).

• Trailer - a vintage international trailer for The Last Hunter. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 480/60i).

• Additional Trailers - additional trailers for other Code Red releases.

The Last Hunter Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Last Hunter delivers the type of outrageous genre fun that Italian exploitation films are famous for. It borrows a lot from The Deer Hunter and Apocalypse Now but it is actually a lot easier to place next to over-the-top firecrackers like Predator. It is great to see in the wee hours of the night, when the mind is too tired to question its plot holes and logic. This recent release is sourced from a fresh remaster and features a couple of very nice new interviews that were conducted exclusively for Code Red. RECOMMENDED.