4K Ultra HD – US Edition – Kino Lorber – 100 min (Unrated International Cut) – 22 February 2022 (Corrected Audio)
Video format
• Intermediate Master: 4K
• Standard HDR: Dolby Vision
• Ratio: 1.85
Soundtrack
• English DTS-HD MA 5.1
• English DTS-HD MA 2.0
Subtitles
• English
It is brought to the attention of our dear readers as well as the viewing equipment specified and used by each tester of the MaG team, the rendering may differ from one installation to another, whether or not it is calibrated, as well as personal preferences and expectations may influence the rating. Moreover, the images in the article are not representative of the edition tested.
WORK – A hunter who can hunt
Chance, a homeless man from New Orleans, agreed to help Natasha Binder find her father. He soon discovered the body of the latter, a former Special Forces officer, eliminated by the gang of male hunters of the cruel Emil Fouchon. Chance will become their new prey...
Symbol of American failure within a muscular scenario, Jean-Claude Van Damme is here (very well) filmed by a master of the genre, the action magician John Woo, who manages to iconicize his star as a person before him and to confer to the many scenes of action his unique style, especially in terms of editing. Even if this urban western is any for its director, much less for its actor, time has almost made it an indispensable in its genre.
IMAGE – Through the bayou
Apart from a few white dots, this UHD Dolby Vision transfer from a brand-new 4K scan of the original negative (the restoration was supervised by Ops Chef Russell Carpenter) is very spectacular.
Much more dynamic than its HD counterpart and provided with excellent stability, the image captured in 35 mm uses a firm definition (if this is some sweetness inherent to the source), otherwise finer details (clothes, facial features and decors no longer need to be enhanced to be perfectly clear), a more stable and organic silver grain, much better saturated colors to cooled primary (especially red and blue), even more exceptional brightness (lights and other reflections are naturally ultra-glossy), solidified contrasts (more obscure shadows and bolder whites) and more controlled compression (colour banding has lost its place).
With Panasonic DP-UB820 and DP-UB9000 readers, the Dolby Vision stream sparkles all along. To date, Panasonic has not yet proposed any JAMs to solve the problem.
SOUND – Tender ear
A multichannel soundtrack comes in and has a wide width that is well chiseled in voice, dynamics (it flies at the slightest break), basses (for shots and/or explosions), spatialization (there are a lot of environmental atmospheres around here), surround effects (the rear scene has little respite) and the Graeme Revell score.
Despite the absence of a 3D mix that would have benefited many passages, a virtualization DSP allows to capture several sounds (helicopter blades, bayou fauna, sound transitions) in the heights.
Originally published on 07 December 2021 with a mixing concern (the right and left rear channels were reversed) before being recalled, this edition came out corrected on 22 February 2022 (UPC code 738329257903).
CONCLUSION – What became of the American dream?
When one of Van Damme's best films has the right to a special treatment by offering a praiseworthy 4K Ultra HD, the nostalgic of the 1990s must go on his hunt!
Artistic note
7
Video quality
9
Audio quality
9
0
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