Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

Who'll Stop the Rain Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 19, 2022

Karel Reisz's "Who'll Stop the Rain" (1978) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Scorpion Releasing. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new program with actor Richard Masur; exclusive new audio program with associate producer Roger Spottiswoode; exclusive new audio commentary by film historians Daniel Kremer and Scout Tafoya; vintage theatrical trailer for the film; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

When I left the Marines, I made myself a promise. Never again am I going to be screwed up by morons. The next mother who tries to make me back off is going to have to live it out with me.

It is a great shame that Karel Reisz’s Who’ll Stop the Rain remained in the shadow of Michael Cimino’s The Deer Hunter. They are both great films that were released in 1978, but the latter became so big and so quickly that in a way made it impossible for many people to appreciate the brilliance of the former. Believe it or not, I have always liked Who’ll Stop the Rain a little bit better because it is more intimate and casual, more direct in its revelation of the bitter truths that defined the era it emerged from. It is another serious hard-hitter too, but without the spectacular fireworks, grand drama, and politics of The Deer Hunter.

The final days of the Vietnam War, somewhere in Saigon. Fed up with the carnage in the jungle and deeply disillusioned, war correspondent John Converse (Michael Moriarty) convinces his best pal, Ray Hicks (Nick Nolte), a marine officer, to bring back to the States two kilos of pure heroin. Hicks has never smuggled hard drugs before, but he knows how to play the system because he has been dealing grass since the beginning of the war. Converse tells Hicks that when he reaches California all he needs to do is call his wife, Marge (Tuesday Weld), who will receive the heroin and pay him $1,000 for his work.

Hicks uses his old tricks and easily smuggles the heroin through customs, but after he phones Marge, realizes that she does not know anything about the deal. When the buyer (Anthony Zerbe), who turns out to be a crooked government agent from Washington D.C. working with a couple of vicious thugs, comes knocking on Marge’s door, Hicks helps her get her daughter to a friend who agrees to hide her in Canada and then together they head south. But the buyer and the thugs begin tracking them down shortly after they enter Arizona.

Reisz borrows plenty from Robert Stone’s bestseller Dog Soldiers, and in some foreign territories his film was even released with the same title, but ultimately, I don’t think it is fair to describe it as an accurate cinematic adaptation. Why? If you read Dog Soldiers, you will discover that Hicks, whom Stone had modeled after Neal Cassady, the Beat Generation icon, does not have a whole lot in common with the marine Nolte plays. In fact, aside from their frustration with the era’s socio-political climate, these characters process the drama around them in completely different ways. For example, Nolte’s frustration is directly related to his discovery that the country he left behind when he went to war has undergone a disturbing transformation. Watch the sequence where Nolte walks into his favorite bar and asks the bartender what happened to the old pool tables that used to attract guys like him, while the topless strippers are dancing behind him. The tone of the question, the cynical response, and Nolte’s immediate facial expression are the perfect proof that Reisz never viewed Cassady’s philosophy of life as the foundation of the story his film tells. Furthermore, the cynicism that becomes an inseparable part of Nolte’s frustration isn’t of the kind that blatantly rejects ‘the old way’ and the actions of his comrades in Vietnam. What unleashes Nolte’s anger is the mass indifference on display, the odd vacuum it has created, and the empowerment of various shady characters. It has all gone wrong while Nolte was away, risking his life in the jungle. Now, as a war veteran, not only is Nolte a nobody at the very bottom of American society, but he is a target again for shady characters that are making the most of the chaos politicians have created.

Of course, the great irony is that Nolte isn’t a classic good guy either. He is someone who has repeatedly found ways not to follow the orders of the “morons” in the Army and a grass dealer. And yet, his anger is the litmus test that is exposing everything that has gone wrong during his absence.

It is not surprising that the tone of the film fluctuates a lot. There are extreme contrasts all around Nolte and Weld, so the bad and the good, as well as the sad and the funny frequently merge. These extreme contrasts make the country look oddly irrational, even bizarre, like a junkie that has done a few lines of the white powder Nolte and Weld are chased for.

Reisz worked with cinematographer Richard H. Kline, who lensed some of the best genre films that emerged during the ‘70s and ‘80s.

Creedence Clearwater Revival’s classic tune “Who’ll Stop the Rain?” can be heard multiple times throughout the film.

Who'll Stop the Rain 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, Who'll Stop the Rain arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Scorpion Releasing.

The release is sourced from a recent 2K master that provides a pretty good organic presentation of the film. This is not easy. This film has a lot of very unique visuals with contrasting styles, so many things have to come together right to make them appear convincing. For example, the dreamy footage from the beach and the flashbacks from the war have completely different stylistic personalities, but the master handles them quite nicely. Yes, it is easy to see that delineation and clarity could be a bit better, but all visuals have fine organic qualities and never disappoint. Color balance is good as well. In fact, the party that graded the current master almost certainly used vintage reference materials because the shifts between the different types of material are very convincing. Of course, there is some room for improvement in terms of saturation, but a lot of the films from the same period that Richard H. Kline lensed have qualities that are replicated on this master. (The softer daylight, in particular, is a very familiar feature). Darker areas reveal surprisingly good ranges of nuances as well. Image stability is very good. Finally, I did not encounter any distracting large debris, cuts, damage marks, warped or torn frames to report. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Who'll Stop the Rain Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The lossless track is fine, but I feel that it could use a proper remastering job. Why? Because from time to time it is a bit 'thin'. The upper register is healthy, but it does not have that solid stability you would expect from an excellent audio track. On the other hand, given the nature of the production and the type of contrasting material, there is probably not a whole lot that can be done to substantially open up the audio. So, you don't have to worry about anomalies, but expect to hear what I just described.

Who'll Stop the Rain Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interview with Richard Masur - in this exclusive new program, actor Richard Masur, who plays one of the buyer's unhinged thugs, recalls his initial encounter with director Karel Reisz and the audition for his part, Robert Stone's novel and some of the changes that were made for the film, the controversy surrounding the original title for the film (which was Dog Soldiers and remains the title the film has outside of the United States), as well as the incorporation of Creedence Clearwater Revival's music into the film. Also, there are some very good, and true, observations about Nick Nolte and his acting style. The program was produced by Walter Olsen. In English, not subtitled. (12 min).

• Interview with Associate Producer Roger Spottiswoode - in this exclusive new program, associate producer Roger Spottiswoode discusses his professional relationship with Karel Reisz which started with The Gambler, the director's ability to craft multi-layered stories, how Reisz and Robert Stone came together and how they beliefs overlapped for all the right reasons, as well as the personality of Nick Nolte's characters. Also, there are interesting comments about the film's critical reception. The program was produced by Walter Olsen. In English, not subtitled. (14 min).

• Interview with Screenwriter Judith Rascoe - in this exclusive new program, screenwriter Judith Rascoe recalls how she became involved with Who'll Stop the Rain, the adaptation of Robert Stone's novel (and specifically the effort to the get many great lines from the novel into the film), Karel Reisz's working methods, and Nick Nolte's extraordinary performance. The program was produced by Walter Olsen. In English, not subtitled. (12 min).

• Commentary - in this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by film historians Daniel Kremer and Scout Tafoya. It is a very interesting commentary with plenty of references to other films from the '70s that attempted to capture the zeitgeist of the period immediately after the Vietnam War, the moral rot that allowed for various shady characters to prosper, the conception of Who'll Stop the Rain and its neo-noirish/Americana qualities, Nick Nolte's tremendous performance, etc.

• Trailer - remastered vintage trailer for Who'll Stop the Rain. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Additional Trailers - additional trailers for the following titles from Scorpion Releasing's Blu-ray catalog:
  
  1. Trackdown
  2. September 30, 1955
  3. Rollerball
  4. The Dogs of War
  5. The Norseman
  6. Opposing Force a.k.a. Hell Camp

Who'll Stop the Rain Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Karel Reisz's Who'll Stop the Rain brilliantly recreates the zeitgeist of that very strange period that brought the madness of the Vietnam War to America. It is a fearless film of the kind that it is no longer possible to make, but what is truly impressive is that the bitter truths emerging from it have not lost their relevance. Nick Nolte is astonishing as the jaded marine Ray Hicks, and many believe that his best work is in this film. I wholeheartedly agree. Scorpion Releasing's Blu-ray release is sourced from a nice new 2K organic master and features a very good selection of exclusive new bonus features. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.