ADDITION: Kino 4K UHD (October 2023): Kino's have released Sidney Pollack's 1975 political thriller "Three Days of the Condor" to 4K UHD. It is advertised as being a "Brand New 2023 HDR/Dolby Vision Master – From a 2023 4K Scan of the Original Camera Negative." The package has one 4K UHD disc of the film offering two optional commentaries, and one Blu-ray with the film, commentaries, and other supplements. HERE we compared the original Paramount Blu-ray from 2009, the VC-1 encoded Studio Canal Collection Blu-ray later that same year and the 2016 Masters of Cinema Blu-ray. The Studio Canal was awfully green, distorting other colors and we have compared some frame captures below. This new 2160P transfer looks exceptional - a shade darker (even than the second disc BD) but colors gain depth - with a tad blue-leaning - and the higher resolution accentuates contrast and grain. The HDR pass was modest but effective. Black levels rise, flash tones marginally warm losing the orange-hue of the SC 1080P and the overall HD presentation looked highly appealing on my system. It's easily the best I have seen Three Days of the Condor" on digital.   

It is likely that the monitor you are seeing this review is not an HDR-compatible display (High Dynamic Range) or Dolby Vision, where each pixel can be assigned with a wider and notably granular range of color and light. Our capture software if simulating the HDR (in a uniform manner) for standard monitors. This should make it easier for us to review more 4K UHD titles in the future and give you a decent idea of its attributes on your system. So our captures may not support the exact same colors (coolness of skin tones, brighter or darker hues etc.) as the 4K system at your home. But the framing, detail, grain texture support etc. are, generally, not effected by this simulation representation.

NOTE: 62 more more full resolution (3840 X 2160) 4K UHD captures, in lossless PNG format, for Patrons are available HERE

We have recently reviewed the following 4K UHD packages: Witness (software uniformly simulated HDR), Fascination (software uniformly simulated HDR), Lips of Blood (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Others (no HDR), It Came From Outer Space (software uniformly simulated HDR), Don't Look Now, Rosemary's Baby (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Last Wave (no HDR), The Train (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Trial (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Walkabout (software uniformly simulated HDR), Black Magic Rites, The Night of the Hunted (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Rape of the Vampire (software uniformly simulated HDR), Gorgo (software uniformly simulated HDR), Akira Kurosawa's Dreams (software uniformly simulated HDR),  The Man From Hong Kong (software uniformly simulated HDR), One False Move, The Tall T (software uniformly simulated HDR), Cold Eyes of Fear (software uniformly simulated HDR), Rules of the Game (no HDR), The Manchurian Candidate (software uniformly simulated HDR), After Hours, Rain Man (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Changeling (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Night of the Hunter (software uniformly simulated HDR), 12 Angry Men (software uniformly simulated HDR), Branded to Kill (no HDR), Picnic at Hanging Rock (software uniformly simulated HDR), Two Orphan Vampires, The Shiver of the Vampires, Drowning By Number (software uniformly simulated HDR), Serpico (software uniformly simulated HDR), Cool Hand Luke (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Seventh Seal (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Maltese Falcon (software uniformly simulated HDR).

On their 4K UHD, Kino defaults to a DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel track with the option of a surround bump (24-bit) - both in the original English language. Gunfire can punctuate quite a few scenes but the memorable score by Jazz-pianist Dave Grusin (The Midnight Man, The Friends of Eddie Coyle, ...And Justice For All, Candy, The Front) infuses instrumental electronic, blues, funk and jazz keynotes, often in subtle rhythmic ways - to significantly advance the viewing. This includes "Condor! (Theme from 3 Days of the Condor.)" It's flawless in the lossless. The two discs offers optional English subtitles - and is, like all 4K UHD, region FREE, playable worldwide while the second disc Blu-ray is region 'A'-locked.

"Three Days of the Condor" was based on the 1974 novel Six Days of the Condor by James Grady, although the plot was considerably revised for Sidney Pollack's 1975 film. Redford is the bookworm, Turner, able to utilize extraneous knowledge to his survival advantage. Kathy (Faye Dunaway) is willingly drafted to help after they become lovers even as the coldness of her photography exposes her. The characters of Cliff Robertson, Max von Sydow and John Houseman have navigated their way within the CIA system to stay shielded from the truth and motives of their actions. Pollack has used variations of the line, originally in Three Days of the Condor, “You think not getting caught in a lie is the same thing as telling the truth?” in Tootsie (1982), The Firm (1993), and The Interpreter (2005). It is such a smooth conspiracy thriller that we never doubt the possibility of the rogue operative manhunt - the full reasons being above-our-pay-grade. In this way it reminded me of The Bourne Legacy. I consider Kino's 4K UHD release of "Three Days of the Condor" an essential part of a digital library. Strongly recommended!

Gary Tooze