The Last Valley Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		2.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		2.5

The Last Valley Blu-ray Movie Review

It wishes it was fun.

Set during the Thirty Years War (which lasted from 1618 to 1648), The Last Valley is an action-adventure adapted from the original novel by J.B. Pick. Executive produced by Martin Baum (The Killer Elite, The Wilby Conspiracy), The Last Valley is highlighted by a performance from the great Michael Caine. Fans of the great actor: take note.

A little known and mysterious valley offers a chance at prosperity and peace to the few inhabitants who manage to discover it. The village is stumbled upon by a head-strong captain (Michael Caine) and a gifted professor, Vogel (Omar Sharif). The captain leads a group of ruthless warriors who fight for anyone who will pay. Will peace be maintained in the quiet valley or will war befall its destiny?

Religious turmoil remains at the fore-front of the story. Encountering the beautiful peasant, Erica (Florinda Bolkan), the captain now ponders his future. Can the captain find true love or will his vengeful lust for glory win all?

The best thing about The Last Valley is the performance by Michael Caine. While there are many elements of the film which are a bit underwhelming, Caine is in true form. The actor always has something charismatic about him. The role is not one of his absolute best but he finds moments to transform the part in to something more invigorating. There is a sense of depth to his performance which seems to be missing from some of the other cast members.

The cinematography by Norman Warwick (They Came From Beyond Space, The Abominable Dr. Phibes) and John Wilcox (The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires) doesn't impress as well as one would hope for an action-adventure epic. The style seems far too outdated compared to modern epics. The lighting is similarly disappointing (with too many scenes obscured by darkness). The cinematographic efforts were not as impressive as I had hoped to find.

"Where's Michael Caine?"

The art direction by Peter Mullins (Where Eagles Dare, Incident at Midnight) is also lacking. The production design and art design are both average-at-best. There are times where the film seems produced-for-television. The low-budget aspect of the filmmaking is hard to ignore. It gives the experience a stage-like quality that is not becoming for a feature-film production.

The costumes by Yvonne Blake (Superman, Goya's Ghosts) might be one of the saving graces of the production. There are a number of impressive costumes featured throughout the film. These efforts were appreciated and give the filmmaking a better backdrop than nearly any other element of the production. Blake showcases her talents as a designer.

The music by John Barry (Out of Africa, Peggy Sue Got Married) is a mixed-bag. While there are moments where the score seems suited to an action-adventure epic, the filmmaking is no match. Everything seems misplaced: the visuals and the musical cues are misaligned and do not go well together. There is something frustrating about the score for The Last Valley. While the music might sound impressive on its own, it falters while accompanying this production.

Edited by John Bloom (Gandhi, Closer), The Last Valley could not be saved by the editing. There are far too many scenes which go on for far too long. There are also far too many unintentionally comedic moments which should have been left on the cutting-room floor. Unfortunately, while the cut is never a bore, there are many scenes which I wish would have been removed altogether.

James Clavell (The Great Escape, The Fly) wrote and directed The Last Valley. While the filmmaker might have found success in other productions, The Last Valley isn't one of his finest efforts. The production is over-the-top and it misses the mark. Perhaps the biggest issue with the film is Clavell's decision to make every action-scene so utterly unbelievable. The action scenes are unintentionally funny and there is no sense of dramatic depth during any of the (exorbitant) death scenes. The Last Valley is far from a masterpiece: it barely qualifies as decent in most respects. Only see it for the performance by Michael Caine.

The Last Valley Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber, The Last Valley is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition presentation in a theatrical aspect ratio of 2.34:1 widescreen. This was an enormously disappointing presentation of the feature-film. The scan used is faded and worn. The presentation seems decidedly dated (from an older master). A new restoration would have been appreciated. Rather, the transfer demonstrates weak colors (which are quite faded and unnatural looking), and there are plenty of moments sprinkled throughout the transfer where thin scratches or small amounts of dirt can be seen on the print. Some shots even look blown out and unnatural.

Then there's the worst drawback to the print: telecine wobble. The print is somewhat inconsistent in image stability. During the opening scenes of the film, the telecine wobble is readily apparent (and it feels like a major distraction). Later during the presentation, there are other scenes which also wobble and suffer from some slight image stability problems. Making matters even worse, the print sometimes has a rainbow-like effect with the edges showcasing thin lines of fluctuating color in a rainbow-style appearance. Shadow detail is also sub-par and underwhelming. Ultimately, this is a old master that might be watchable but is far from impressive. The Last Valley could have looked so much better.

The Last Valley Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The audio on the release is a bit less frustrating than the video presentation but it is also nothing to write home about. The film is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio mono. The audio is listenable throughout and offers a decent sound quality. There isn't a ton of distortion or hiss on the track. However, the audio seems decidedly average: it lacks punch (with little in the way of a quality LFE soundstage) and it simply sounds a bit thin. Even so, dialogue is clear and easy to understand. The score is perhaps the biggest disappointment (and showcases the 'thin' sound-stage).

Optional English subtitles are provided.

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

Audio Commentary by Film Historians Howard S. Berger, Steve Mitchell, and Nathaniel Thompson

The release also includes a selection of trailers promoting other releases available from distributor Kino Lorber: Billion Dollar Brain (SD, 2:44), The Destructors (SD, 2:51), The Wilby Conspiracy (HD, 2:16), The Holcroft Covenant (SD, 2:49), and Juggernaut (SD, 2:54).

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

Michael Caine delivers an impressive performance in The Last Valley. Unfortunately, the filmmaking suffers in most other respects. The direction is uninspired and the action-scenes are far too over-the-top. A mixed-bag that fails to be the action-adventure epic it so desires to be. The Blu-ray release from Kino Lorber is similarly underwhelming. The release features a lackluster video-audio presentation. For fans only.