The New York Ripper (1982/Lucio Fulci/Blue Underground Blu-ray)
Picture: B-
Sound: B- Extras: C Film: C+
There is no doubt that Lucio Fulci is a good director
(some would say great) and that he has directed his share of effective films
(like Lizard In A Woman’s Skin) but
his up-the-ante serial killer film The
New York Ripper (1982) may have had suspense and been effective in drawing
out its murder scenes without being outright torture porn, but the film’s
attempt to combine the Italian Giallo style he helped pioneer with the raw side
of the famous locale never quiet meshes here and we get an awkward thriller as
a result.
We get the usual set-up of a killer committing some very
ugly, gruesome murders while daring the police to catch him if they can. Jack Hedley (For Your Eyes Only, Space
Precinct, U.F.O.) and Howard
Ross (Battle Of Neretva) lead a good
cast in this suspenseful-enough thriller.
However, the screenplay (co-written by Fulci) is not able to escape some
formula and convention, even when it wants to follow that to play against
it. As compared to then-recent Brian De
Palma thrillers of the time (Blow Out
and especially Dressed To Kill), it
has not aged as well and does not have as much impact. It is however one of Fulci’s better films and
a part of his auteuristic cannon, so it is required viewing at least once and
this Blu-ray is the best possible way to set it now outside of a good film
print.
The 1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image was shot
in Techniscope when they were no longer doing three-strip dye-transfer
Technicolor films, so this is a little grainy and soft overall, but I give
Director of Photography Luigi Kuveiller (Flesh
For Frankenstein, Blood For Dracula,
Argento’s Deep Red) marks for making
it more engaging than it might have been otherwise. Color is good for the time and I believe the
claim that this comes from the original camera negative. The DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 7.1 mix does its
best to upgrade the original optical mono theatrical soundtrack, also included
here for purists as a Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono track, but I prefer the DTS as it
is warmer and brings out sounds and qualities the Dolby or any mono track ever
could. Francesco De Masi’s score is an
interesting mix of elements that do work and others that have dated, which is
not necessarily a bad thing.
Extras include the Theatrical Trailer, NYC Locations: Then
& Now and “I’m An Actress”
interview with Zora Kerova.
- Nicholas Sheffo
