- Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
- Video Codec: AVC/MPEG-4
- Resolution: 1080p/24 (23.976Hz)
- Audio Codec: English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 (48kHz/24-bit)
- Subtitles: N/A
- Region: B (Region-Locked)
- Certification: 18
- Discs: 2 (1 x Blu-ray + 1 x DVD)
- Studio: StudioCanal (UK)
- Run Time: 99 Mins.
- Blu-ray Release Date: January 23, 2012
- RRP: £22.99
[amazon-product region=”uk” tracking_id=”bluraydefinit-21″]B004OQJS5O[/amazon-product]
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Overall
[Rating:3.5/5]
The Film
[Rating:4/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:2/5]
Click thumbnails for high-resolution 1920X1080p screen captures
(All TheaterByte screen captures are lightly compressed with lossy JPEG at 100% quality setting and are meant as a general representation of the content. They do not fully reveal the capabilities of the Blu-ray format)
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The Film
[Rating:4/5]
I hesitate to refer to Rolling Thunder as an “exploitation” film, though it is known as such in a lot of circles. This mildly violent, slow-burner from 1973 was one of the major influences on Quentin Tarantino, but its violence and sexuality are mild and mostly suggested, rather than overt, especially an early scene that triggers this road revenge film.
A “home from Vietnam” fish out of water crime drama, Rolling Thunder finds the POW Major Charles Rane (William Devane) returning to his Texas home town where his once idyllic life has been disrupted by his seven years away in the detention camp. Granted a hero’s welcome with the prize of a red convertible Cadillac and a case of over $2,000 in silver dollars, one for each day he was in captivity, Charles, finds himself struggling to fit in with normal life and keep his family together – his wife wants a divorce, and his son, doesn’t know him.
One day, when he comes back home, a group of thugs break into his house and hold him at gunpoint demanding to know where he hid his silver coins. When he refuses to tell, they begin to torture him and, eventually, wound him terribly. When his wife and son arrive, they are shot dead. Bent on revenge, Charles hits the road with a hot blonde (Linda Haynes) groupie who is infatuated with him to hunt down his family’s killers and enlists his POW buddy Johnny (Tommy Lee Jones) for an inevitable gun blazing showdown to the death.
Like many films from the 70s, Rolling Thunder isn’t a constant bombardment of action or special effects. Instead the film builds slowly, taking its time to introduce you to and get you inside the head and motivations of the characters. It does that with great effect and Devane is superb as the off-kilter back from “over the there” Vietnam vet with the short fuse who just happens to have the ultimate trigger come along to set him off on a path of mayhem.
Video Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
The AVC/MPEG-4 1080p/24 transfer of Rolling Thunder from StudioCanal does look film-like and authentic to the era from which the film heralds, but I can’t say it is a particularly reference quality release at all. From the opening credit sequence there is a lot of visible source damage – scratches, specks of dirt and dust, etc. I was hoping these things would settle down once the body of the film came around, as is often the case, but it never really does. There’s coarse grain throughout and somewhat soft detail at all times, making the whole image look rather rough.
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
There is a strong DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 (48kHz/24-bit) soundtrack offered as the sole audio option. It has clean dialogue, a good sense of depth and audio separation and no crackle or audible noise.
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:2/5]
The supplements include excellent commentaries, a brief interview with actress Linda Haynes hwo speaks about her career and working on the film, and some trailers and TV Spots.
The supplements:
- Audio Commentary with Co-screenwriter Heywood Gould, Moderated by Roy Frumkes
- Interview with Linda Haynes (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 00:10:28)
- Original Theatrical Trailer with Audio Commentary from Filmmaker Eli Roth (1.33:1; 1080i/50 -upscaled)
- Original Theatrical Trailer (1.78:1; 1080i/50)
- Original TV Spot (1.85:1; 1080i/50)
- DVD
The Definitive Word
Overall:
[Rating:3.5/5]
This is a forgotten gem that will perhaps gain a larger audience now that StudioCanal is finally bringing this classic revenge drama to Blu-ray for everyone in the UK or anyone with a region-free or Region B player. Recommended.
Additional Screen Captures
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[amazon-product region=”uk” tracking_id=”bluraydefinit-21″]B004OQJS5O[/amazon-product]
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.co.uk
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
Overall
[Rating:3.5/5]
The Film
[Rating:4/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:2/5]
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