7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
When the owner of a struggling used car lot is killed, it's up to the lot's hot-shot salesman to save the property from falling into the hands of the owner's ruthless brother and used-car rival.
Starring: Kurt Russell, Jack Warden, Gerrit Graham, Frank McRae, Deborah HarmonDark humor | Insignificant |
Comedy | 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 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Robert Zemeckis's Used Cars (1980) was previously reviewed by my colleagues, Jeff Kauffman and Dr. Svet Atanasov. Scroll down to the Video section to read a comparison of the releases.
Shout Select has brought Used Cars to Blu-ray (#67 in the boutique label's series) for the second time in the US and third worldwide. In 2014 Jeff reviewed Twilight Time's LE and recently, Svet covered the German-based Explosive Media release. Shout's MPEG-4 AVC encode appears in the film's original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 on this BD-50. It appears struck from the same source print TT licensed from Sony and looks bright with vivid colors. (Explosive's image is opened up to 1.78:1.) Grain level is rather thick over the main titles. I spotted very few if any artifacts. In some multi-plane compositions, the background is fuzzy with indistinct details. Discerning viewers may notice moderate crush in nighttime scenes that Jeff alluded to. The main feature has been encoded at an average video bitrate of 30000 kbps while the full disc clocks in at a total bitrate of 37.09 Mbps.
The 112-minute feature comes with the usual twelve chapter markers.
Shout supplies the movie's original DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Dual Mono (1674 kbps, 24-bit) and a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround (3031, 24-bit). I concentrated on the remix (which is also on the TT edition) and outside of f/x during the "auto stampede", it's a very front-heavy track. Dialogue is quite clean and fully comprehensible. There is excellent clarity in the sounds where a character's shoes/boots are planted or moving on gravel. The score by the late Patrick Williams pulsates with energy along the front speakers. Shout has not retained TT's isolated score composed by Williams or the rejected score written by Ernest Gold. La La Land Records' complete soundtrack album featuring both works seems to still be in print.
Optional English SDH are available through the menu and can be activated via your remote.
The acerbic humor of Used Cars is a far cry from the cheery sweetness of Zemeckis and Gale's first collaboration, I Wanna Hold Your Hand (1978). The viewer needs to be in the right mood to take in the mean-spirited tone and the harmful-looking sight gags. It's a picture in which Russell broke free of the innocuous persona he projected in Disney films to portray an unscrupulous salesman here. Jack Warden's very different takes on the Fuchs brothers is a major reason to see Used Cars. Shout Select has added a very good two-part interview with Bob Gale. The image galleries are plentiful with the most extensive stills of any DVD or BD edition. The transfer and two lossless audio presentations largely replicate Twilight Time's. If you're keen on the two isolated scores, I'd suggest fetching the OOP disc. (Explosive Media only includes Williams's music on an alternate track on its disc.) RECOMMENDED to fans of Zemeckis and Russell.
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