7.5 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
French secret agent Joss Baumont is sent to one of the African countries to kill their president Njala. However, at the last moment the political situation changes and the French secret service turns him in to the African authorities, and he is sentenced to a long-term imprisonment. After the daring escape he returns to France and deliberately informs his former chiefs of his presence promising them to kill Njala who has just arrived to the country with the official visit.
Starring: Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Desailly, Cyrielle Clair, Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu, Jean-Louis RichardForeign | 100% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Crime | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.67:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Georges Lautner's "The Professional" (1981) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include an exclusive new audio commentary by critics Nathaniel Thompson, Howard S. Berger, and Steve Mitchell as well as a vintage trailer for the film. In French, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
The forgotten assassin
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.67:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Georges Lautner's The Professional arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.
I have a couple of older DVD releases of this film, but I am going to reference only the North American release which Lionsgate produced in 2010. (The other two are European releases and in addition to being PAL-encoded are not English-friendly).
The master that was used to source the Blu-ray release was licensed from StudioCanal and is the same master that was used for previous French DVD releases of the film. This means that it is older, but I actually like it quite a lot. It has some typical limitations -- some of the darker footage does not have optimal nuances; shadow definition is inconsistent; highlights can be rebalanced as well. However, there are still a lot of good and even solid organic qualities that ensure a vastly better viewing experience. For example, on the DVD release virtually all of the indoor/darker footage looks very flat and even blocky. Upscaling does not help either because the backgrounds routinely collapse. The much stronger density levels here really are a game-changer as they bring a lot of proper depth, and close-ups in particular can look lovely. The best news is that there are no traces of compromising digital corrections, so if you view your discs on a larger screen, you will discover that the visuals hold up really well. Color balance is convincing, but a proper new 2K/4K master will expand the existing ranges of nuances. Finally, I spotted a few flecks, but there are no distracting debris, cuts, damage marks, warped or torn frames to report. So, I think that this release turned out to be a very nice upgrade and makes it quite easy to enjoy The Professional at home. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English subtiles are provided for the main feature.
I did not detect any issues to report in our review. The dialog is clean, clear, and easy to follow. Balance is also good. The dynamic intensity is as strong as I expected it to be as well, which means that it is actually noticeably better than what the old DVD release offers. (This film has a good mix of action sequences, so there is enough material to spot the difference). I only felt that the famous theme from Ennio Morricone could have been a bit better rounded, but this something that only an entirely new remix can deliver.
Ennio Morricone's soundtrack makes The Professional the genre classic that it is. I am a huge admirer of Jean-Paul Belmondo but the real star in this film is the music. It is beautiful, one of Maestro Morricone's best creations. Kino Lorber's new Blu-ray release is sourced from an older but very nice organic master that was provided by StudioCanal. Pick up a copy for your collection, folks. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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