6.5 | / 10 |
Users | 3.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A band of desperate terrorists take over the American ambassador's home in London, and their violence sets into motion a chain of events that could lead to nuclear war.
Starring: Lewis Collins, Judy Davis, Richard Widmark, Edward Woodward, Robert WebberThriller | 100% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: LPCM 2.0
None
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Ian Sharp's "Who Dares Wins" a.k.a. "The Final Option" (1982) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Arrow Films. The supplemental features on the disc include a brand new audio commentary with legendary producer Euan Lloyd and director Ian Sharp; the documentary feature "The Last of the Gentleman Producers"; and a making of. Without optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
Lewis Collins as Peter Skellen
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Ian Sharp's Who Dares Wins arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Arrow Films.
Generally speaking, the high-definition transfer is pleasing but at the same time very inconsistent. Fine object detail varies, clarity fluctuates and contrast levels are not always as consistent as I assume they could be. For example, many of the indoor scenes look soft, at times even noisy. On the other hand, the outdoor footage looks sharper, but, again, clarity isn't consistent. The film's color-scheme is pleasing, but do not expect lush and well saturated colors - blues, greens, reds, browns and blacks look notably soft. Mild edge-enhancement is often easy to spot. I also noticed halos during a couple of scenes. Macroblocking, however, is not an issue of concern. Blown through a digital projector, the film looks relatively stable but lacks real depth (I have to assume that this is at least partially due to the lensing). Small flecks and small scratches are easy to spot. All in all, I have t conclude that Who Dares Wins could have looked better, but at the same time I feel that there are a number of source limitations that contribute greatly to how the film currently looks in high-definition. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location. Please note that there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu. The main feature and all of the supplemental features are also available on a separate DVD).
There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: English LPCM 2.0. For the record, Arrow Films have not provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.
The English LPCM 2.0 track is surprisingly strong. The bass is potent and the high-frequencies prominent. The rock concert, in particular, sounds terrific (again, surprisingly so). The action scenes form the second half of the film sound good, but do not expect your system to get a serious workout - the audio effects are extremely limited. The dialog is clean and stable, and I did not have any trouble following it, but optional English subtitles for the main feature should have been included. For the record, I did not detect any disturbing pops, cracks, or hissings to report in this review.
Note: All of the supplemental features on this Blu-ray disc are encoded in PAL. Therefore, if you reside in North America, or another region where PAL is not supported, you must have a Region-Free player capable of converting PAL to NTSC, or a TV set capable of receiving native PAL data, in order to view them.
Commentary - an audio commentary with legendary producer Euan Lloyd and director Ian Sharp. This is a wonderful, very informative commentary that offers an abundance of information about the production history of the film, the events that inspired it, its message and characters. Mr. Lloyd's comments, in particular, are outstanding. (The comments about the real attack on the Iranian Embassy in 1980 are also terrific).
The Last of the Gentleman Producers - a wonderful piece on producer Euan Lloyd and his involvement with the film industry. In English, not subtitled. (38 min).
Making of - a standard featurette offering a look at the production history of Who Dares Wins (part of the Electric Theater Show series). In English, not subtitled (25 min).
Ian Sharp's Who Dares Wins has not aged particularly well, but I think that some viewers may argue that this is actually what makes it entertaining. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of British distributors Arrow Films, looks acceptable and sounds very good. It also arrives with a brand new, truly fascinating commentary with producer Euan Lloyd and director Ian Sharp. The disc is Region-Free. RECOMMENDED.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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