7.4 | / 10 |
Users | 4.2 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
A sadistic warden asks a former pro quarterback, now serving time in his prison, to put together a team of inmates to take on (and get pummeled by) the guards.
Starring: Burt Reynolds, Eddie Albert, Ed Lauter, Michael Conrad, James HamptonSport | 100% |
Crime | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
4K Ultra HD
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Robert Aldrich's "The Longest Yard" (1974) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new audio commentary by critics Alain Silver and Kames Ursini; archival audio commentary by Burt Reynolds and writer/producer Albert S. Ruddy; archival featurettes; and vintage trailer. In English, without optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
An early morning in the tough life of a quarterback
Kino Lorber's release of The Longest Yard is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free. However, the Blu-ray is Region-A "locked".
Please note that some of the screencaptures that appear with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc, including the actual color values of this content.
Screencaptures #1-32 are from the Blu-ray.
Screencaptures #35-40 are from 4K Blu-ray.
The 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray discs introduce a brand new 4K makeover of The Longest Yard. In native 4K, the new 4K makeover can be seen with Dolby Vision or HDR. I chose to view it with HDR.
In 2020, we review this Blu-ray release of The Longest Yard that was prepared by Australian label Via Vision Entertainment. The release is sourced from an older but very good organic master that was supplied by Paramount Pictures. I did numerous comparisons between the previous release and the native 4K presentation of the 4K makeover, as well as the 1080p presentation of the 4K makeover.
The new 4K makeover produces visuals with more attractive surfaces -- grain exposure is a tad more even and density levels are slightly better. The entire film looks healthier now as well. On the previous presentation, I spotted a few blemishes and nicks, but on the 4K makeover, all such imperfections are eliminated. I was surprised to see that delineation, clarity, and depth are practically identical on both presentations. In fact, there are a couple of areas where the older presentation performs better. For example, in the final act, once the game begins, I spotted several very obvious examples of light smearing, which is usually related to digital manipulation(s). In 1080p, the smearing is even easier to spot, but in native 4K, trained eyes will quickly notice that depth and background details are very shaky as well. I took several screencaptures to highlight what I observed on my system -- see examples here and here. Color saturation is improved. However, black crush emerges and in quite a few areas the uptick in quality that native 4K content should reveal is effectively negated by it. When you add the light smearing to it, many of these areas begin to look underwhelming. You can see an example here. For what it's worth, the previous presentation reveals light black crush too, but I repeatedly went back and forth to spot the same or similar smearing and I could not. I saw various signs that reveal the age of the master. Excluding the blacks, color balance is very good. HDR produces visuals with a superior dynamic range, but this is to be expected. Image stability is excellent.
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.
I did not encounter any issues to report in our review. The audio is clear, stable, and easy to follow. Dynamic intensity is good, but a part of me was secretly hoping to hear some minor enhancements during the action/game footage that would expand the dynamic field a bit. However, I think that the audio simply replicates the minor limitations of the original soundtrack.
4K BLU-RAY DISC
I found this 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray release of The Longest Yard rather underwhelming. It introduces a brand new 4K makeover of the film that is very similar to the one Paramount Pictures prepared for Pretty Baby. Certain areas of the film reveal anomalies that are typically associated with degraining adjustments and they become quite easy to recognize on a large screen. Naturally, if you want it in your collection, my advice would be to find a way to test it first. RECOMMENDED to the fans.
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