6.5 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
An Italian policeman investigates a series of murders involving people in prominent positions. Left behind at each murder scene is a drawing of a salamander. The policeman begins to suspect these murders are linked to a plot to seize control of the government.
Starring: Franco Nero, Anthony Quinn, Martin Balsam, Sybil Danning, Christopher LeeThriller | Insignificant |
Mystery | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
BDInfo
None
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
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.
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 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" 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.
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