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The Revengers [Blu-ray]
(Daniel Mann, 1972)
Review by Gary Tooze
Production: Theatrical: Cinema Center Films Video: Kino Lorber
Disc: Region: 'A' (as verified by the Oppo Blu-ray player) Runtime: 1:48:16.490 Disc Size: 23,394,761,683 bytes Feature Size: 22,761,050,112 bytes Video Bitrate: 24.94 Mbps Chapters: 8 Case: Standard Blu-ray case Release date: August 25th, 2015
Video: Aspect ratio: 2.35:1 Resolution: 1080p / 23.976 fps Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio English 1563 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1563 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit)
Subtitles: None
Extras: • Trailer (2:21)
Bitrate:
Description: The stars of The Wild Bunch, William Holden (Stalag 17) and Ernest Borgnine (Marty) team up again in this action-packed western stylishly directed by Daniel Mann (Our Man Flint). Civil War veteran-turned-rancher John Benedict (Holden) returns home from a hunting trip to discover that a ruthless renegade and his murderous gang of rogues have killed his wife and children. But when Benedict recruits six condemned men to help him extract fatal revenge, he realizes that his newly formed posse answers to no one - they are wild, dangerous and unpredictable killers, much like the men they are pursuing. Will they carry out Benedict's plan or turn the tables and add him to their list of victims? Co-starring Woody Strode (The Professionals) and Susan Hayward (The Lusty Men).
The Film:
Despite the fact that most of the westerns made at this time (early '70s) were "deconstructionist" westerns, which either spoofed or subverted the themes of this genre, occasionally a traditional western got filmed. The Revengers is a traditional western. John Benedict (William Holden) returns to his ranch, only to find all his cattle stolen and his family murdered. He vows to exact revenge on Tarp (Warren Vanders), the varmint who did this to him. He recruits a treacherous gang of convicts, bribing the warden for their release, and makes his move. When the attack fails, the convicts aren't interested in making another try. Instead, they shoot him and, leaving him for dead, head off to follow their own concerns. On her way to a new landholding, Elizabeth (Susan Hayward) stumbles upon the injured man, and nurses him back to some semblance of health. She begs him to drop his revenge plan, but he resumes his quest, receiving unexpected help along the way from Hoop (Ernest Borgnine), one of the renegade ex-convicts.
Respectable rancher (Holden) hires six convicts from a Mexican chain gang to help track down the renegade white man (Vanders) who led the raiding party of Indians which massacred his family. The body of the story concerns the highly dubious relationship between the rancher, who is rapidly becoming corruptible, and the ex-cons, expressing varying degrees of corruption, integrity and loyalty. All of which culminates in a morally-charged confrontation with the comanchero; but relying heavily on (useless) action for want of ideas, it's mainly a matter of guys galloping through forests, over mountains, and through blizzards to the point of exhausting boredom. Excerpt from TimeOut located HERE
Image : NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc. The single-layered Kino Lorber Blu-ray of The Revengers looks very impressive in 1080P. Probably more to do with the film's striking visuals and a pristine source. Detail is very crisp, colors look natural and bright - and the vast majority of the film is shot outdoors. There is plenty of depth in the 2.35:1 frame and on HD produces gorgeous visuals - both in the Mexican countryside vistas and occasional close-ups. This Blu-ray provides a remarkable and pristinely clean presentation. No complaints about the image
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Audio :Kino Lorber use a DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel track at 1563 kbps (16-bit) in the original English language. There are plenty of effects in the film - gunfire, explosions etc. and they come through with a modicum of depth. The score is by Italian composer Pino Calvi - who really only did this and handful of other film and TV projects. It all sounds fine with clear but I think the film may have benefitted from a stronger, more memorable, score. There are no subtitles offered and m y Oppo has identified it as being a region 'A'-locked.
Extras : Only a, very poor quality, trailer.
BOTTOM LINE: Gary Tooze August 23rd, 2015
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About the Reviewer: Hello, fellow Beavers! I have been interested in film since I viewed a Chaplin festival on PBS when I was around 9 years old. I credit DVD with expanding my horizons to fill an almost ravenous desire to seek out new film experiences. I currently own approximately 9500 DVDs and have reviewed over 5000 myself. I appreciate my discussion Listserv for furthering my film education and inspiring me to continue running DVDBeaver. Plus a healthy thanks to those who donate and use our Amazon links.
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