Almost Human - Code Red (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1974
Director: Umberto Lenzi
Writer: Ernesto Gastaldi
Cast: Tomas Milian, Laura Belli, Henry Silva, Anita Strindberg, Ray Lovelock

Release Date: February 27th, 2018
Approximate running time: 99 Minutes 23 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: R
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Italian, DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English, English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: OOP

"Giulio Sacchi (Tomas Milian, Tepepa, Sonny and Jed, Sex with a Smile) is a psychotic small-time thief with a chip on his shoulder who’s leaving a slew of dead bodies all over Milan. Now he’s got a plan to make a quick and easy jackpot: kidnap the daughter of a local billionaire and hold her for ransom. And nothing is going to stop Giulio from getting his money -- not even Inspector Walter Grandi (Henry Silva, Cry of A Prostitute, Trapped, Foxbat, Shoot, Day of The Assassin), Milan’s toughest cop who’s hot on Sacchi’s trail. Now the police are racing to find the kidnapped girl and stop the ticking human time bomb before he explodes and leaves more death and carnage in his wake." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Brand-new HD master!"

Almost Human comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.6 GB

Feature: 24.9 GB (99 Minute Version), 13.2 GB (U.S. theatrical release)

The source for this brand-new HD transfer is in great shape. Colors look accurate, details look crisp, and black levels remain strong throughout. The grain looks natural, and there are no issues with compression. And when compared to previous home video releases of this film, the transfer for this release is a substantial upgrade.

Audio: 4/5 (DTS-HD Mono Italian), 4.25/5 (DTS-HD Mono English)

This release comes with two audio options: a DTS-HD mono mix in English and a DTS-HD mono mix in Italian. The English language track is in very good shape. Dialog comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and Ennio Morricone’s score sounds appropriately robust. It should be noted that the Italian language track has a few moments where the audio sounds distorted. Included with this release are two subtitle options: English SDH for the English language track and English subtitles for the Italian language track.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a reversible cover art, an interview with director Umberto Lenzi titled The Outlaw (29 minutes 1 second, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an archival interview with actor Tomas Milan titled Milan Unleashed (28 minutes 29 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles) and an archival featurette titled Like a Beast…Almost (35 minutes 32 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles).

Other extras include a brand-new HD scan of the U.S. theatrical release of this film, under the title "Almost Human" (92 minutes and 4 seconds, DTS-HD mono English, no subtitles).

Rounding out the extras are the Italian theatrical trailer for Almost Human, the U.S. theatrical trailer for Almost Human (under the title The Death Dealer) and trailers for The Violent Professionals, The Last Hunter, Ironmaster, and Seven Blood-Stained Orchids.

Summary:

Almost Human was directed by Umberto Lenzi, who is best remembered for Cannibal Ferox, a notorious film that was banned in thirty-one countries. He was a versatile director who worked in just about every genre. The genre that he excelled the most in was the Italian crime film genre.

With Almost Human, he creates a claustrophobic atmosphere that builds to a fever pitch. And there is an escalation with a new act of violence that culminates in this film’s final confrontation. This moment also serves as a release, not only for the characters in the film but the audience as well.

Umberto Lenzi always makes good use of the widescreen frame, and Almost Human is filled with interesting compositions and symbolic imagery. One shot, in particular, stands out from the rest. It is during a scene where Giulio and his two accomplices have taken the occupants of a home hostage. And in this scene, they hang their hostages from a chandelier before mowing them down with their machine guns.

Ennio Morricone's ever-reliable score includes a few notes that sound suspiciously like the main theme from Sergio Sollima's film Revolver.

It is ultimately this film’s two leads, Tomas Milian (The Big Gundown, Don’t Torture a Duckling) in the role of Giulio Sacchi and Henry Silva (The Manchurian Candidate, Cry of a Prostitute) in the role of Inspector Walter Grandi, that serve as this film’s anchor. The performances do a superb job of driving home this film’s nasty tone.

Tomas Milian is one of the most celebrated character actors to ever work in Italy. And he has created some of the most memorable characters who are overflowing with over-the-top bravado. And it is because of this that he often lifts average or lesser material and makes it nearly impossible to look away. Giulio Sacchi is a character that Tomas Milian was born to play. And when watching his performance in Almost Human, one can see hints of some of his other heavy roles that he has played over the years.

Henry Silva is cast in a role that is the polar opposite of the killers and other sinister roles that he has become known for. His portrayal of Inspector Walter Grandi is arguably one of his strongest performances. He delivers a pitch-perfect portrayal of an obsessive cop who will do just about anything to catch his man. His performance captures just the right amount of intensity without ever teetering over the edge. Ultimately, Almost Human is a brutal film that contains all of the moments of sleaze and visceral violence that have since become synonymous with the Italian crime film genre.

Though now OOP, this original Blu-ray release by Code Red came with two versions of the film and a pair of extras that were not ported over for Code Red’s re-release. That said, Almost Human gets an exceptional release from Code Red, highly recommended.

                                                   Screenshots U.S. theatrical release.

Written by Michael Den Boer