Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

The Salamander Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf November 19, 2017

1981’s “The Salamander” is meant to be a hard-charging conspiracy thriller, adapted from a novel by Morris L. West. The final cut keeps the general outline of chills and spills, but lacks a considerable amount of energy and clarity, asking the audience to play the name game with a host of Italian characters and their cloudy motivations. The production has all the advantages a movie could ask for, leading with an all-star cast, a rousing score by Jerry Goldsmith, and Italy itself, which provides a memorable backdrop for all kinds of political and personal manipulations. And yet, while stuffed with threats and troublemaking, “The Salamander” is a frustratingly flat effort.

While Franco Nero claims the lead role, he’s backed by an impressive cast that includes Martin Balsam (who gives the movie’s best performance), Sybil Danning, Christopher Lee, Anthony Quinn, Cleavon Little, Eli Wallach, and Claudia Cardinelle. The ensemble is tasked with inhabiting duplicitous types and, for Danning, a love interest for Nero, who portrays a detective assigned to uncover a growing conspiracy in the political system of Rome, finding himself in too deep with seemingly refined types who deal directly with murder.

Unfortunately, “The Salamander” is more tell than show, slogging through mind games between the characters as the detective wiggles closer to a culprit, or perhaps an entire condemnation of Roman leadership. The screenplay (written by Robert Katz) elects to forgo proper introductions for most of the participants, leaving the writing a spilled tray of last names, while handholding, weirdly upbeat narration from Nero’s character tries to glue the conspiracy together. It doesn’t work, though occasional action is helpful, getting the cop on hunt as he deals with car chases and assassination attempts. And, to add some needed spice to the bland effort, a fight scene between a jock strap-clad Nero and Paul L. Smith (portraying a cartoon brute) is included, offering just enough oddity to make one wish there was more of this funky stuff in the rest of the picture.

The Salamander Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation provides satisfactory clarity for "The Salamander," which is a feature that's primarily made up of heated close-ups and gorgeous Italian locations. The viewing experience handles both adequately, providing facial particulars and dimensional distances, presenting a filmic look at the strange encounters that make up the movie. Colors are also preserved, with bolder hues emerging from period costumes and street life, while skintones are natural. Delineation is acceptable, never slipping into solidification. Whites are bloomy throughout. Source is largely free of damage.

The Salamander Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix emerges with comfortable clarity, finding Goldsmith's rousing score supporting the effort with appealing instrumentation and position. Dialogue exchanges are strong, handling differences in accents and thespian intensity without slipping into distortion. Sound effects are blunt but effective, and crowd atmospherics are satisfactory.

The Salamander Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features producer Paul Maslansky.

• Interview (5:53, SD) with John Steiner is a strangely crude chat with the actor, who's filmed inside his home while checking emails. More stream of consciousness than a detail sit-down with the interviewee, Steiner shares brief thoughts on his co-stars and his time working in the Italian movie industry, with its constant employment and strange dubbing practices. Steiner doesn't seem pumped to be talking about himself (the interview includes him yawning), and he offers only the bare minimum of information about "The Salamander," which, apparently, was a hit in Rome.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (2:19, SD) is included.

The Salamander Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"The Salamander" means to tighten the noose around the neck of Nero's character as the detective gets closer to discovering just what's going on in Rome. The escalation isn't there, dulled by laborious dialogue and the addition of a romance, which is included to warm the picture up for a wider audience. "The Salamander" doesn't have a cracking pace or interest in the macabre. It's just a standard issue thriller that doesn't get the blood pumping or the brain swirling. It's a curiosity for the cast and Goldsmith's contribution, but the rest is quite forgettable.