The Seven-Ups Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

The Seven-Ups Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 15, 2016

Philip D'Antoni's "The Seven-Ups" (1973) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British label Signal One Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include original trailer and teaser for the film; exclusive new video interviews with producer and director Philip D'Antoni, actor Tony Lo Bianco, and technical advisor Randy Jurgensen; exclusive audio commentary with writer and film expert Richard Harlan Smith; plenty of promotional materials; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Buddy

The Seven-Ups is the one and only film Philip D’Antoni directed. It was released theatrically in 1973, exactly two years after William Friedkin’s hugely successful The French Connection, which D’Antoni had produced for Twentieth Century Fox. A number of actors that appeared in The French Connection returned for The Seven-Ups, including Roy Scheider and Tony Lo Bianco.

The film is set in New York City where a group of cops known as The Seven-Ups are tracking down elusive criminals and putting them behind bars. The leader of the group is Buddy (Scheider), a smart veteran with great instincts who understands exactly how the underground world works. When Buddy and his three partners go to work, they routinely do things that ordinary cops can’t. In a way, they are above the law, but no one questions their methods. What their superiors demand are results -- and this is exactly what The Seven-Ups deliver.

Buddy’s direct connection to the underground world is Vito Lucia (Tony Lo Bianco), a childhood friend from the Italian neighborhood where he grew up who has the type of information he needs. Buddy also has information that allows Vito to stay a few steps ahead of his competitors. The two trust each other and understand that even a very small mistake in their partnership can unleash a string of tragic events.

While Buddy and his partners are working on a high-profile case, someone begins kidnapping mafia bosses and causes a great deal of disturbance amongst their families. Buddy’s superiors urge him to find out who is behind the drama, but as soon as he begins gathering information he loses one of his men and gets stuck in a much bigger conflict that actually threatens to destroy his team.

The Seven-Ups is impossible not to compare to The French Connection because it essentially uses the same blueprint that made Friedkin’s film a box office hit. Indeed, D’Antoni brings in a lot of the same raw atmosphere that gave The French Conenction its identity and the majority of his characters are shaped up in similar ways. This isn’t a bad thing as The Seven-Ups certainly delivers its message with the proper authority, but everything that makes it work emerges as a mirror image of what Friedkin did in The French Connection, and the truth is that he is a superior director and stylist. It becomes obvious as soon as the final credits roll. This film just does not quite hit with the same emotional intensity that The French Connection has.

The acting is solid, but this is hardly surprising as so many great actors have parts in the film. Scheider and Lo Bianco convey a wide range of emotions that make their characters and the dilemmas they face look very authentic. The supporting cast also includes Victor Arnold, Jerry Leon, Ken Kercheval, Bill Hackman, Joe Spinell, and the great Richard Lynch, who has a small role here but looks absolutely incredible.

The big chase sequence was shot on location in New York City with the cooperation of NYPD. This is the type of high-quality gritty footage that is no longer possible to produce for an action film.

The minimalistic soundtrack blends some atonal material with edgy psychedelic jazz themes. It was created by Don Ellis, who also worked on the soundtracks for the two French Connection films.

The Seven-Ups Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Philip D'Antoni's The Seven-Ups arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Signal One Entertainment.

The release has been sourced from a pre-existing master. I did some direct comparisons with the Koch Media's release and the basic characteristics are virtually identical, which is why I think that Signal One Entertainment worked with the same Fox master that Koch Media used.

The bulk of the film looks good. During the daylight footage detail and clarity are consistently pleasing, though in some areas the native limitations of the master become quite obvious. The darker/indoor footage is a bit shaky. There are a couple of sequences where some light noise pops up and overwhelms the grain; light flicker is noticeable as well. The good news here is that there are no traces of recent degraining and sharpening adjustments. So while in some areas it is easy to see that density isn't optimal, the film still retains a pleasing organic appearance. Colors are balanced well, but if a new master is produced there is no doubt that there will be a much wider and healthier range of primaries and nuances. There are no large cuts, damage marks, torn frames, or stains to report. My score is 3.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Seven-Ups Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit). Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The lossless audio track has not been remastered, but I think that it serves the film rather well. During the long chase sequence clarity and especially depth are quite good. Don Ellis' score has very important role in the film and also easily breathes -- there are no sudden spikes or drops in dynamic activity before or after transitions; balance is also very good. The dialog is stable and easy to follow, but at times some extremely light background hiss can be felt.

The Seven-Ups Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Greeting - a short filmed greeting from producer and director Philip D'Antoni. In English, not subtitled. (1 min).

• Trailer - original theatrical trailer for The Seven-Ups. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Teaser - original theatrical teaser for The Seven-Ups. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• The Seven-Ups Connection - in this brand new video interview, producer and director Philip D'Antoni recalls how he entered the film business, and discusses his professional relationship with William Friedkin (the two collaborated on the The French Connection), the production history of The Seven-Ups, the original story by Sonny Grosso that inspired it and Al Ruben's script, some of the similarities and differences between The Seven-Ups and The French Connection, his interactions with various cast members, the shooting of the chase scenes, the authentic look of the film, Don Ellis' music score, etc. Philip D'Antoni also has some very interesting comments about Cruising. The interview was conducted exclusively for Signal One Entertainment. In English, not subtitled. (22 min).

• A Tony Lo Bianco Type - in this brand new video interview, actor Tony Lo Bianco explains how he was cast for the role of Vito Lucia in The Seven-Ups, and discusses some of the similarities and differences between Vito Lucia and Sal Boca (the character Tony Lo Bianco plays in the The French Connection), his preparation work, his interactions with select cast members, the shooting of the key scenes, the success of The French Connection, etc. The interview was conducted exclusively for Signal One Entertainment. In English, not subtitled. (22 min).

• Real to Reel - in this brand new video interview, technical advisor Randy Jurgensen discusses his work in the NYPD (homicide department/twenty years), his initial encounter with Philip D'Antoni and contribution to The French Connection, some real crime cases that influenced how certain events and relationships were depicted in The French Connection and The Seven-Ups, his technical assistance during the shooting of The Seven-Ups, etc. The interview was conducted exclusively for Signal One Entertainment. In English, not subtitled. (25 min).

• Cut to the Chase - in this new featurette, Philip D'Antoni, Randy Jurgensen, and Tony Lo Bianco explain how the big chase scenes in The Seven-Ups were shot. There are also comments about the shooting of The French Connection. The featurette was produced exclusively for Signal One Entertainment. In English, not subtitled. (14 min).

• The Anatomy of a Chase - presented here is an archival promotional featurette for The Seven-Ups. Included in it are comments from cast and crew members and archival footage from the shooting of the film on the streets of New York City. The featurette was produced in 1973. In English, not subtitled. (9 min).

• Original Super 8 Version - presented here is an original edited Super 8 version of The Seven-Ups. In English, not subtitled. (17 min).

• Randy Jurgensen's Scrapbook - presented here is a collection of archival stills with narration by Randy Jurgensen. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Lobby Cards, Stills and Media Gallery - presented here is a collection of original promotional materials for The Seven-Ups. With music. (3 min).

• Audio Commentary - in this exclusive audio commentary, writer and film expert Richard Harlan Smith discusses the socio-cultural environment in which The French Connection and The Seven-Ups emerged, important details from the careers of different cast members, how and where key scenes from The Seven-Ups were shot, some editing choices, Don Ellis' music score as well as his background in jazz, Richard Lynch's career and the the 1967 incident in New York's Central Park in which he set himself on fire, etc.

The Seven-Ups Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Philip D'Antoni's The Seven-Ups is a great companion piece to William Friedkin's The French Connection. I like it, but I have to be honest and say that it is not as effective as Friedkin's film. This recent release from Signal One Entertainment comes with an excellent selection of exclusive new and archival supplemental features that offer a great deal of factual information about the two films and the socio-cultural environment in which they emerged. Consider adding it to your collections, folks. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.