Review by Gary Tooze

Production:

Disc:

Video:

Audio:

• Audio Commentary by Film Historian Richard Harland Smith
• Trailers - The Quatermass Xperiment (2:13), The Earth Dies Screaming (2:14), 99 River Street (2:13) and No Highway in the Sky (2:09)

Bitrate:

 

 

Excerpt from B+N 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 A Game of Death looks fairly good in 1080P. Detail and the early muddy contrast seem to pick-up as the film runs along - as, possibly, the density of the source improves. It can be a shade inconsistent with tighter close-ups followed by less sharp visuals. I liked many of the shots with interesting lighting and shadow useage. There are speckles but no extreme damage. There is a heavy texture but I wouldn't say it's the biggest attribute. This Blu-ray gave me a watchable, and pleasurable, viewing in regards to the picture quality. It's not dynamic but very serviceable.

CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kino Lorber use a DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel track at 1553 kbps (16-bit) in the original English language. There are effects in the film - but are limited by the production quality. There is some minor depth. The Paul Sawtell (Inferno, Silver City, The Fly, Denver and Rio Grande, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea), an a mix of other composers, score exports an ominous horror-based tone and is very supportive of this fine thriller. The dialogue was not crisp but consistent - and probably on-par with the production. There are optional English subtitles offered and my Oppo has identified it as being a region 'A'-locked.

Extras :

I've really been enjoying audio commentaries by film historian Richard Harland Smith - and this is no exception. He references this re-make with background of the performers, Wise and adds plenty of detail on clips used from the original, to garner further appreciation of the production. It's light and well-paced. There are also trailers for The Quatermass Xperiment, The Earth Dies Screaming, 99 River Street and No Highway in the Sky.

 

 

BOTTOM LINE:
I had never seen A Game of Death but it's very much like the original The Most Dangerous Game. So, I enjoyed it quite a lot - as well as the minor differences. It's such a good story and I loved the slow build - great atmosphere of the luxurious house on the deserted island and the one-dimensional characters. Really, if you enjoyed the original - then this has the same appeal. The Kino Lorber Blu-ray is solid enough for a rewarding viewing and the commentary adds further value. Fans of the genre and era are encouraged to see this.  NOTE: At the writing of this review it is 38% OFF at Amazon.