Dead
Man's Wire
(2025/Row-K/Alliance Blu-ray)/Falling
Down 4K (1992/Arrow 4K
Ultra HD Blu-ray + Blu-ray*)/Follow
Me Quietly
(1949/RKO/Warner Archive Blu-ray)/The
Outfit (1973/MGM/Arrow
Blu-ray/*both Warner/MVD)/Richard
Fleischer: Journeyman
(2026/by Jason A. Ney/University Press Of Kentucky)
4K
Ultra HD Picture: B+ Picture: B-/B/B/B Sound: B-/B/C+/C+
Extras: D/B/C-/B Films: C/B+/B-/B- Book: B
PLEASE
NOTE:
The Follow
Me Quietly
Blu-ray is now only available from Warner Bros. through their Warner
Archive series and can be ordered from the link below.
Now
for some thrillers, a few classics, and a book on a great, underrated
director who helmed one of them...
Gus
Van Sant's Dead
Man's Wire
(2025) is the director's take on an sick, sad, ugly event in 1977, a
would-be business success (here played by Bill Skarsgard, who does
not look or sound enough like the man who he actually plays)
kidnapping an employee from a business he has targeted and expects
some serious ransom money. The uglier twist is that he eventually
ties the victim to his shotgun so he can kill him instantly with zero
chance for the victim to escape.
It
becomes a spectacle and the man our kidnapper wanted to talk to (Al
Pacino, purposely cast to echo his great performance in the classic
Sidney Lumet film Dog
Day Afternoon,
which this film wishes it was) leading him to grab someone else.
Instead of dealing with it in hard terms as Lumet did, Van Sant is a
little too interested in being meditative on all this without much
character study, recreating the look, feel and mood of the 1970s
instead of just recreating said time and telling the story in the
rawest terms.
The
result is a shockingly average film in a serious subject that gets a
little too trivialized for its own good by this. Van Sant has
talent, but is more hit than miss as a filmmaker. Cary Elwes and
Colman Domingo lead the supporting cast.
There
are no extras.
Joel
Schumacher's Falling
Down 4K
(1992) is back again, this time in 4K and expanded special editions
by Arrow as the film becomes more relevant than ever. Years ago, we
covered the DVD edition and the film in its fullness at this link:
https://fulvuedrive-in.com/review/8634/Falling+Down+%C3%A2%E2%82%AC%E2%80%9C+Del
Some
reactionaries are still trying to write it off as some kind of
fascist film, while a new argument has something to do with bashing
fathers everywhere (as if all divorced fathers are as very mentally
ill as Douglas' is here) and might even be a possible distraction to
nullify the film's many important points and great moments. Either
way, more and more have caught up to this ahead of its time film and
we can now see the makers were more on target than they could have
imagined.
Extras
include
an archival audio commentary by director Joel Schumacher, editor Paul
Hirsch, screenwriter Ebbe Roe Smith, LA Times writer Shawn Hubler,
and actors Michael Douglas, Michael Paul Chan, Vondie Curtis-Hall,
and Frederic Forrest
Man
on the Edge, a brand new interview with screenwriter Ebbe Roe
Smith
At
War with the World, a brand new interview with composer James
Newton Howard
Going
Home, a brand new location featurette revisiting the real-life
Los Angeles sites used in Falling Down
Deconstructing
D-Fens, an archival interview with Michael Douglas
Original
Theatrical Trailer
Image
Gallery
and
a collectors' booklet featuring new writing on the film by film
critics Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Simon Ward.
Richard
Fleischer's Follow
Me Quietly
(1949) holds the distinction as the first film RKO released under
then new owner Howard Hughes, co-written by Noir legend Anthony Mann,
that screenplay was cut down a bit, but the result is still an
interesting crime Noir about a serial killer who is taunting the
police and seems to keep one step ahead of the police. This includes
William Lundigan as the main cop, who just keeps missing the killer,
who is mocking them all.
Dorothy
Patrick is the gal trying to get an exclusive about the murders for
her tabloid, but he is not happy to help her or even see her. This
is played for a bit more comedy, comic relief and a bit of silliness
than you would expect in this genre, though that starts to change as
the story moves along.
With
some creepy moments, great shots and a solid supporting cast led by
Jeff Corey, this has plenty to offer for its short 59 minutes running
time and as it adds up, all pays off in the climax. Fleischer was
able to see this become a hit that slowly helped him become a big
Hollywood director and it holds up pretty well. I had not seen it
for eons, but was glad to see it again and very much recommend it for
those who like a good Noir mystery.
Extras
include an Original Theatrical Trailer and Dark
Shadows installment of the Crime Does Not Pay
live-action short series.
John
Flynn's underrated The
Outfit
(1973) with Robert Duvall is also receiving an upgrade form Arrow
(who cannot save and restore enough of Duvall's output for my tastes)
and is a film we reviewed in its older warner Archive DVD release at
this link:
https://fulvuedrive-in.com/review/14072/Estranged+(2015/Well+Go+USA+Blu-ray)/A+Killer+In
I
still do not think it is a masterpiece, but a near-great thriller
from the
Donald E. Westlake
'Parker' book, though Duvall's character has been renamed here. It
is a combination revenge/character study film that is still better
than most of its kind in recent decades, it shows once again that he
is one of the greatest actors of his time and of all time and a more
complex, smart, intelligent way to adapt a book. Add the music,
editing and great supporting cast and it is a must-see for all
serious film
fans.
Karen
Black, Joe Don Baker, Robert Ryan, Timothy Carey, Richard Jaeckel,
Sheree North, Marie Windsor,Jane Greer, Joanna Cassidy and Elisha
Cook Jr. remind us of how many great actors we used to have al the
time and how many great, unsung casting people we used to have as
well. Glad to see it getting the upgrade!
Extras
include a brand new, feature length audio commentary track by critic
& author Jedidiah Ayres and film critic Mike White of The
Projection Booth Podcast
The
Man With the Getaway Face, a brand new appreciation of author
Donald E. Westlake (aka Richard Stark) by Westlake expert Levi Stahl
Paths
Not Taken, a brand new appreciation of the film by critic Walter
Chaw
Tapping
into the Outsider, a brand new featurette on The Outfit
and the Parker novels by Alissa Marmol-Cernat and Shay Dennis,
creators of Tough Business: A Parker Site
Archival
interview with filmmaker Walter Hill on director John Flynn
Theatrical
trailer
Image
galleries
Reversible
sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tony
Stella
and
a collectors' booklet with new writing by critics Chris D, Glenn
Kenny, and Priscilla Page.
You
can read more about the film's amazing soundtrack by the brilliant
Jerry Fielding at this link:
https://fulvuedrive-in.com/review/254/Point+Blank/The+Outfit+(Limited+CD
Last
but not least is a solid new biographical book, Richard
Fleischer: Journeyman
by Jason A. Ney (2026,) an extremely well researched and thorough
look at one of the best filmmakers Hollywood ever had that you might
not know about. Though he made some bad or mixed films to go with
his good ones (like Follow
Me Quietly
as reviewed above,) he was a professional many believed in, though he
also had more than his share of naysayers and goofs to deal with.
And they kept getting his name wrong in the press, advertising and
more.
The
book starts with his family and his parents, his father of whom is
the animation legend Max Fleischer, who gave the world Betty Boop,
Popeye and Superman in expensive Technicolor shorts. The man who
also invented rotoscoping and was Walk Disney's big rival until his
studio dissolved as he fought with his brother Dave as WWII set in
and his second animated feature Mr.
Bug Goes To Town
bombed.
Giving
us that background as we follow Richard's rise in the world and
Hollywood, we get all kinds of insight into his life, the time he
lived in, a rare look behind the scenes in Hollywood and all the big
names he worked with and crossed paths with over the decades. As a
fan, I was impressed with the detail and glad to see him getting the
respect he deserves as a filmmaker and artist.
For
those unfamiliar, Fleischer's other great and key films include the
original Narrow
Margin
(1952,) Violent
Sunday,
20,000
Leagues Under The Sea,
The
Vikings,
Compulsion,
Barabbas,
Fantastic
Voyage,
Che!,
10
Rillington Place,
See No
Evil,
The
New Centurions,
Mandingo,
Ashanti,
The
Jazz Singer
remake with Neil Diamond,
the bizarre combination of Conan
The Destroyer
and Red
Sonja,
the original 70mm musical Doctor
Dolittle,
Soylent
Green
(which I wish the book had more to say about) and the underrated,
unintentionally hilarious Amityville
3D.
It is hard to believe a filmmaker with those kinds of credits could
be hardly known now, but that is sadly the case.
The
author knows and understands this, thus the title and the resulting
content. Richard
Fleischer: Journeyman
is one of the best and most interesting books of the year,
entertainment industry, filmmaking and otherwise, so if you like
reading books, its a great read and worth your time.
Now
for playback performance. The 2160p HEVC/H.265, 2.35 X 1, Dolby
Vision/HDR (10; Ultra HD Premium)-enhanced Ultra High Definition
image on Falling
Down 4K
more than makes up for some of the flaws and complaints the older
Blu-ray (not reviewed) had, with no off parts and really showing off
how good the Panavision framing and compositions are, along with its
solid use of color and underrated editing. The best viewing since I
saw this when it came out on 35mm film, I have always used the film
as a video demo since the old 12-inch analog LaserDisc days,
fo0llowed by the decent DVD release.
The
1080p 2.35 X 1 regular Blu-ray is even a bit better than the older
Blu-ray, but no match for the 4K and both
come with DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 4.0 or 2.0 lossless mixes, with
the 4.0 rarely heard and the best sonic choice. Its the upgrade all
fans will be happy to see as the world finally catches up with the
film on a larger scale.
The
1080p 1.85 X 1 Full Resolution digital High Definition image on Dead
Man's Wire is at least
consistent, but soft and a little off at times, though some of that
is the 1970s styling the makers chose, while the DTS-HD MA (Master
Audio) 5.1 lossless mix is quiet and not bad, but lacks a consistent
soundstage. The combination is watchable, but slightly weak in an
unexpected way.
The
1080p 1.33 X 1 black & white digital High Definition image
transfer on Follow Me Quietly
sometimes shows the age of the materials used, but this looks
really good otherwise and is great another RKO gem has been saved.
The DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 2.0
Mono lossless mix is as restored as possible, but the sonics show
their age, so only expect so much. This is likely the best the film
will ever sound.
The
1080p 1.85 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer on The
Outfit
is a fine jump in quality over the old Warner Archive DVD (reviewed)
and also rarely
shows the age of the materials used, the MetroColor in Noir mode
working out just fine. The PCM
1.0 Mono is good and better than the old lossy sound on the Dolby
Digital DVD, but it still feels more limited than it should
(especially as compared to the terrific CD soundtrack) and
disappoints a little bit. Otherwise, a fine upgrade the film was and
is highly deserving of.
To
order the Follow
Me Quietly
Warner Archive Blu-ray,
go to this link for it and many more great web-exclusive
releases at:
https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/ED270804-095F-449B-9B69-6CEE46A0B2BF?ingress=0&visitId=6171710b-08c8-4829-803d-d8b922581c55&tag=blurayforum-20
-
Nicholas Sheffo
