The Stone Killer Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

The Stone Killer Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 25, 2017

Michael Winner's "The Stone Killer" (1973) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of courtesy of British distributors Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; promotional materials; audio commentary by film critic Nick Pinkerton; new video interview with actor Paul Koslo; isolated music score; and more. The release also arrives with an illustrated booklet featuring a new essay by film historian Paul Talbot and technical credits. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Rough streets, risky business

The best compliment one can give The Stone Killer is probably to say that it is a fairly decent introduction to the action riches that director Michael Winner and Charlie Bronson delivered a year after it was completed with the classic vigilante thriller Death Wish. There are a few memorable sequences, but for the most part this film feels a lot like a notably uneven final rehearsal.

Bronson plays a veteran New York cop named Lou Torrey who gets transferred to Los Angeles after a clueless DA decides to make a political statement that condemns police brutality. However, on the West Coast the old-timer faces an even tougher crop of criminals and he is left with no other option but to continue using the same ‘controversial’ but proven working methods.

While following some creep involved in a large drug distribution ring, Torrey accidentally discovers that prominent mafia boss Al Vescari (Martin Balsam) is planning an ambitious operation that will profoundly and permanently reshape the underworld. With the help of a team of mercenaries, all Vietnam veterans with advanced military training, Vescari intends to kill the heads of the biggest Italian mafia families in the country and then declare himself capo di tutt'i capi. Torrey and his pals then begin monitoring a hitman obsessed with jazz music named Langley (Paul Koslo) as he has a key role in Vescari’s ambitious plan, but a series of errors force them to start improvising and eventually they decide to confront the mercenaries prematurely. Meanwhile, despite the unexpected developments Vescari vows to finish off what he has started and calls an urgent meeting of the mafia leaders.

The Stone Killer is a perfect example why Winner had a reputation of being a ‘speedy’ director. Indeed, the film moves at such a frenetic pace that at times it actually feels like Winner had a long list of locations that he had to find a way to use in some meaningful way, and he did it by inventing reasons that did not always make perfect sense even to the people that knew the script that he was working with. Balsam and Koslo’s characters essentially give Winner the perfect excuse to do these endless jumps from one location to another, but despite getting a decent sense of the period atmosphere in some pretty interesting urban areas -- such as the one where the black dealer is caught, which apparently was every bit as dangerous even during the shooting of the film -- the footage never blends to become part of a bigger story with some meaningful subplots.

Balsam is the film’s weakest link. He simply does not look convincing as an aging Sicilian boss who has been waiting his entire life to settle an old score. More importantly, the sequences in which his crucial decisions are revealed are edited so poorly that whenever he appears on the screen one is left with the impression that the film is repeatedly attempting to veer off in a different direction, but does not have a clear idea how to properly do it and instead repeatedly stumbles. It is awkward to say the least because the film desperately wants to elevate Balsam’s character to the same level where Bronson’s character appears so that it justifies all of the random action that leads up to grand finale and it never succeeds.

Bronson might have been the only person who knew what type of film Winner should have shot, but kept a relatively low-profile and just did his thing to get paid. He has the right jaded-but-tough cop personality that a lot of these gritty ‘70s police thrillers promoted, but here this simply isn’t enough to hide the film’s seemingly endless flaws.

The Stone Killer 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, Michael Winner's The Stone Killer arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films.

The release is sourced from an older and at times quite inconsistent master. (My guess is that it is actually some sort of a remaster because it has the type of corrections that are visible on older remasters that Sony Pictures did for various deep catalog titles and box office hits such as The Anderson Tapes, As Good as it Gets and Sleepless in Seattle towards the end of the DVD era and then licensed them to various independent distributors). The daylight footage typically has the most convincing appearance. Clarity and depth are relatively pleasing, while density remains fairly consistent. There are a few minor examples of noticeable fluctuations, but they are not the type of distracting fluctuations that would have an impact on your viewing experience. In fact, I think that it is a lot more likely that you would notice that during the daylight footage there are abnormal highlights that have a negative impact on depth and various gentle nuances. The age of the master shows the most during the darker/indoor footage because there are some noticeable issues caused by black crush. Depth and fluidity are also inconsistent, and there are entire segments where a variety of limitations actually flatten the image across the board (you can see examples in screencaptures #7 and 17). There are noticeable traces of grain management, though the film still has a decent organic appearance. There are no traces of problematic sharpening adjustments. Generally speaking the color scheme is convincing, but a new master struck from the OCN will deliver fresher and better saturated primaries and a wider range of healthy nuances. Image stability is good. Ultimately, this is a decent presentation of The Stone Killer, but ideally the film should have a vibrant and consistent organic appearance that is extremely similar to that of the restored The Fury. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).

The Stone Killer Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The lossless track is very good and I am not convinced that if it is remixed there will be some substantial improvements. Perhaps there will be some minor balance adjustments, but depth and clarity are already fantastic. The dialog is clean, stable, and easy to follow, while Roy Budd's memorable retro score easily breathes in the areas where it needs to further enhance the period ambience. There are no pops, audio dropouts, digital distortions, or other age-related imperfections to report.

The Stone Killer Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

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

• Isolated Score - presented as a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track.

• Audio Commentary - in this audio commentary, film critic Nick Pinkerton discusses in great detail Michael Winner's professional relationship with Charlie Bronson, the various locations where The Stone Killer was shot and the type of look its creators desire for it, the era in which the film emerged and some other notable genre pictures with similar identities, Charlie Bronson's unusual career and some crucial choices he made that defined it, the success of Death Wish, etc. I don't know if the commentary was recorded exclusively for Indicator/Powerhouse Films, because the only DVD release that I have of this film does not have it, but it is the best that I have heard in a very long time.

• Mr Blonde - in this new video interview, actor Paul Koslo (Langley) recalls how he became involved with The Stone Killer, and discusses his interactions with Michael Winner and Charlie Bronson as well as his career. (The tension that existed between Paul Koslo and Charlie Bronson is actually documented quite well, and here there are some pretty interesting comments about it). In English, not subtitled. (18 min).

• The John Player Lecture with Michael Winner - the majority of the material in this archival interview focuses on Michael Winner's career and working methods. The director also answers a variety of questions from the public about the nature of the film industry at the time. Conducted by Margaret Hinxman at the National Film Theatre, London, on September 13, 1970. In English, not subtitled. (65 min).

• Gallery - a very large collection of original promotional materials plus imagery from Michael Winner's personal collection.

• Booklet - an illustrated booklet featuring a new essay by Paul Talbot, author of Bronson's Loose! The Making of the Death Wish Films and Bronson's Loose Again! On the Set with Charles Bronson, as well as technical credits.

The Stone Killer Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Michael Winner's The Stone Killer cannot match the brilliant intensity of his classic vigilante thriller Death Wish, but if you are a fan of Charlie Bronson and his work I encourage you to pick up a copy of this release because it has a truly outstanding audio commentary by critic Nick Pinkerton that offers a wealth of great information about the legendary actor and his illustrious career, as well as very intelligent technical analysis of The Stone Killer and some of the films that defined his legacy. I don't know if the audio commentary was recorded exclusively for Indicator/Powerhouse Films' release, but if it was, I hope that the label will consider working again with Nick Pinkerton on future projects. RECOMMENDED.