6.8 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
An FBI agent of Native-American descent is assigned to a troubled reservation in the Badlands in hopes that his heritage will gain the trust of the "traditional" Indians. Loosely based on events on the Pine Ridge Reservation in the 1970s.
Starring: Val Kilmer, Sam Shepard, Graham Greene, Fred Ward, Fred Dalton ThompsonThriller | Insignificant |
Crime | Insignificant |
Mystery | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English, English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
If you haven't seen Val Kilmer's very personal, very moving 2021 documentary, Val -- narrated by his son, whose voice is a dead ringer for the now nearly silent actor's younger self's vocal intonations -- you're really missing out. An actor I enjoyed but never really appreciated throughout the 1980s and '90s, Kilmer is more than just a kind, giving personality when he steps off a movie set; he's a generation's on-screen everyman; an action hero who wears his heart on his sleeve, an antihero struggling with the moral conundrums of vengeance, or the villain desperately trying to redeem his actions. And he likely won't be with us all that much longer. (Top Gun: Maverick was almost certainly his last screen appearance.) Which is why an oft-forgotten 1992 film like Thunderheart is so much fun, even if it ultimately doesn't venture that far beyond the boundaries of genre cliche. Kilmer is young and electric, working to forge a career separate from his contemporaries, and his efforts show.
Thunderheart's 1080p/AVC-encoded video transfer came as a nice surprise. While I suspect the use of an ever-so-slight application of noise reduction, the film looks great, almost in spite of its thirty-plus years, and doesn't have any major discernible flaws. Colors are extremely warm (it is the desert after all) but exceedingly lifelike, with only a handful of shots exhibiting overly flushed facial hues. Contrast and black levels are dialed in with aplomb, giving the film enough of a sweat-dripped neo-noir aesthetic to nail cinematographer Roger Deakins (yep, that Roger Deakins) and Apted's chosen look and intended visual tone. Detail teeters between nearly excellent and excellent as well, with crisp, halo-free edge definition and plenty of fine textures, along with carefully delineated shadows that don't disappoint. The print doesn't struggle either. There's no pesky specks, damage or wear-n-tear, and the encode avoids blocking and banding without exception. A hint of crush interferes with a few darker shots, but no worries; Thunderheart never wanders too far off path.
Thunderheart's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track is merely fine. Fidelity and dynamics aren't problematic by any means, nor is there any looming issue to point to. The mix is merely okay, putting too much emphasis on James Horner's at-times overbearing score and infusing sound effects with canned weight and presence. Ah well. Dialogue is clear and intelligible at all times. Prioritization is otherwise adequate. LFE output is solid (just not very chest-thumping when called upon). And rear speaker activity does a good job creating fairly immersive outdoor environments. More natural ambient elements and more exacting directionality might have made investigative scenes that much more impactful, but again, we have a Horner score to highlight (Apted seems to say from the mixing bay). Again, nothing is bad. Just too ordinary and heavy-handed (and underwhelming) to soar.
Two extras are included on the Blu-ray release of Thunderheart: a fairly decent audio commentary featuring screenwriter John Fusco (and ported over from previous DVD editions) and the film's bland-yet-overwrought theatrical trailer.
Thunderheart isn't a quintessential '90s classic but it does deserve more love, even if only for Kilmer's career-rising performance. Sony's Blu-ray delivers on the AV front as well thanks to a striking video presentation. Its lossless audio track may be borderline serviceable and it lacks compelling extras (beyond its screenwriter commentary), but there's enough here to warrant a look.
4K Restoration
1973
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