Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

The Offence Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 28, 2015

Sidney Lumet's "The Offence" (1972) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film, and new video interviews with filmmaker Christopher Morahan, assistant art director Chris Burke, costume designer Evangeline Harrison, and composer Harrison Birtwistle. The release also arrives with a 36-page illustrated booklet featuring: "On The Offence by Mike Sutton" and "An Interview with Sidney Lumet on The Offence" by Susan Merrill. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Johnson

A very atmospheric slow-motion sequence shows veteran police Detective Sergeant Johnson (Sean Connery, The Great Train Robbery) interrogating a suspect (Ian Bannen, The Flight of the Phoenix) and then smashing his face. After Johnson is restrained by his colleagues, the film goes back in time and chronicles the events leading to the detention of the suspect.

Initially, Johnson is seen monitoring an elementary school in an area where three girls have been raped. Johnson is concerned because the place is too chaotic. Soon after, a girl is reported missing and Johnson and his colleagues begin searching for her. The girl is found, but because she is in a state of shock, Johnson is unable to get a good description of her attacker.

A local resident, however, contacts the police with helpful information and they arrest Kenneth Baxter. Johnson’s colleagues question him and when he eventually arrives at the police station tell him that there is no doubt that Baxter is their man. The old-timer also gets a chance to look Baxter in the eyes and quickly concludes that he is the wanted rapist.

After Johnson, the police chief appears and announces that Baxter will be charged only after enough evidence is presented that he could have raped the girls. The procedural mumbo jumbo annoys Johnson, and he sneaks in the room where Baxter is held and relieves the only guard there. Then he begins interrogating the Baxter without being authorized to do so. The exchanges are so intense that eventually the two men forget about the roles they are supposed to play – Johnson being the reputable cop and Baxter the innocent man. This is when Johnson smashes Baxter’s face and his colleagues rush in and restrain him.

The rest of the film focuses on Johnson’s remarkable character transformation and the ‘logic’ behind it. There are two new confrontations as well. First, the angry Johnson confronts his wife (Vivien Merchant, Accident), who struggles to understand his sudden collapse, and later Johnson is confronted by a senior officer (Trevor Howard, Gandhi), who knows exactly why he has been forced out of his comfort zone.

The film is fascinating to behold because it shows that there really isn’t any difference between Johnson and Baxter -- they are both animals that hurt people for different reasons; they are also equally capable of adapting to their environment and hiding their true identities. (Like Johnson, Baxter is also a well respected married man).

The performances are fantastic. Connery’s intensity is outstanding and his violent outbursts look very authentic. Bannen is equally convincing as the rapist who gets a dose of his own medicine. Howard is electrifying while confronting the detective.

The film is based on John Hopkins's play This Story of Yours. The confrontations have a distinctive theatrical style and language, but the outdoor footage easily could have been extracted from a classic British film noir.

A top-notch ambient soundtrack from Harrison Birtwistle effectively enhances the moody atmosphere.

The Offence Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.67:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Sidney Lumet's The Offence arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Eureka Entertainment.

The high-definition transfer has been struck from the same dated master Kino Video accessed when they prepared their Blu-ray release of The Offence in the U.S. Unsurprisingly, the film has the same inconsistent appearance. Indeed, select close-ups look decent, but large parts of the film look disappointingly flat. Plenty of the darker footage, for instance, has poor shadow definition and as a result clarity isn't as convincing as it should be (see screencaptures #8, 10 and 13). Traces of sharpening (with numerous halo effects) can also be spotted throughout the entire film (see screencaptures #10 and 16). Grain is visible, but it is clumpy and in many cases actually awkwardly distributed. Color saturation is also far from impressive. In fact, in the very beginning of the film there is some obvious color fluttering (light color pulsations). The good news is that there are no large debris or cuts, though a few tiny specks remain. Overall image stability is also very good and there are no encoding anomalies to report in this review. All in all, this is a serviceable presentation of The Offence, but it is very clear to see that there is plenty of room for substantial improvements. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

The Offence Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0 (Mono). Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

Depth and clarity are very good. Some extremely light background hiss can be felt, but it never becomes distracting. Harrison Birtwistle's very atmospheric score opens up the film quite well -- see the noirish sequence around 00:43:01 mark -- and balance is very good. The dialog is stable and easy to follow, but I have to give props to Eureka Entertainment for the inclusion of the optional SDH subtitles as I am sure that they will be appreciated by a number of viewers. (Kino's Blu-ray release of The Offence does not have optional English SDH subtitles).

The Offence Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original theatrical trailer for The Offence. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Christopher Morahan - presented here is a new interview with Christopher Morahan (Clockwise, Paper Mask), who adapted John Hopkins' play This Story of Yours into The Offence. The director discusses the origin of the play, the film adaptation and the casting process, Sean Connery's involvement with the project, etc. In English, not subtitled. (9 min).

• Chris Burke - in this new video interview, assistant art director Chris Burke discusses Sidney Lumet's working methods, the sets that were built for The Offence, the footage that was shot around Reading (where the young girl is seen disappearing), etc. In English, not subtitled. (9 min).

• Evangeline Harrison - in this new video interview, costume designer Evangeline Harrison discusses Sean Connery's appearance and recalls her contribution to The Offence. In English, not subtitled. (5 min).

• Sir Harrison Birtwistle - in this new video interview, composer Harrison Birtwistle explains in detail how he scored The Offence. In English, not subtitled. (11 min).

• Booklet - 36-page illustrated booklet featuring: "On The Offence by Mike Sutton"; "An Interview with Sidney Lumet on The Offence" by Susan Merrill; and technical credits.

• Music & Effects Track - presented as LPCM 2.0.

The Offence Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Does it take a monster to take down a monster? Sidney Lumet's very intense crime thriller The Offence offers plenty of food for thought while two men from opposite sides of the law clash and all hell breaks loose. The Offence will soon be available on Blu-ray in the United Kingdom courtesy of local distributors Eureka Entertainment. The technical presentation is quite uneven, but the release comes with some excessive new supplemental features. Consider adding it to your collections if you can find it on sale.