Assassination – Kino Lorber (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1967
Director: Emilio Miraglia
Writers: Emil Bridge, Massimo De Rita, Luciano Ercoli, Lou Stateman
Cast: Henry Silva, Fred Beir, Evelyn Stewart, Peter Dane, Bill Vanders, Alfredo Varelli, Roberto Maldera, Karl-Heinz Menzinger, Gunther Scholtz, Gert von Zitzewitz

Release Date: November 15th, 2019
Approximate running time: 100 Minutes 55 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono English, DTS-HD Mono Italian
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $24.95

"Time, memory and fear have no more meaning for Secret Service man John Chandler (Silva) as he awaits his ultimate fate on death row…until he’s offered an opportunity for resurrection. By altering his appearance through plastic surgery, John becomes his fictitious long-lost brother, Philip, as part of a subterfuge plot to take down a nefarious crime lord." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "2022 4K restoration".

Assassination comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 36.7 GB

Feature: 31.8 GB

Sourced from a 2022 4K restoration, this transfer is in great shape and free of any print debris or other damage. Colors look good, flesh tones look correct, image clarity is consistently strong, and any compression issues are minor. That said, when it comes to black levels, though they generally look good, there are several moments where they are not as convincing as they should be.

Audio: 4/5 (DTS-HD Mono English), 3.75/5 (DTS-HD Mono Italian)

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in English and a DTS-HD mono mix in Italian. Both audio mixes are in great shape. There are no issues with background hiss or distortion; dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. Range-wise, both audio mixes are satisfactory. And there, the differences between these two audio mixes are minimal, with the English track sounding slightly more robust. There are removable English SDH subtitles for the English language track.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical theatrical (2 minutes 59 seconds, DTS-HD mono English, no subtitles), an audio Commentary by film historian Howard S. Berger, Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson, and a slipcover (limited to first pressing). 

Other extras are trailers for The Hills Run Red, Code of Silence, Arabesque, Diabolically Yours, Grand Slam, The Champagne Murders, The Sicilian Clan, The Night Following the Day, and Impasse.

Summary:

Assassination is the directorial debut of Emilio Miraglia, a filmmaker who would only go on to direct five more films. Notable films directed by Emilio Miraglia include Frame Up, The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave, and The Red Queen Kills Seven Times.

During its heyday in the 1960s and 1970s, Italian cinema was known for its genre cycles. And though some of these genre cycles were brief, the most popular ones would go on to produce hundreds of films. Eurospy was a 1960s genre cycle spawned by the success of Goldfinger, and it had reached its apex by 1968, making it one of the briefer Italian film genre cycles. Though not one of the more successful Italian genre cycles, Eurospy films would influence the widely popular Poliziotteschi cinema that ruled 1970s Italian cinema.

Based solely on this premise, a man who is about to be executed on death row is given a second chance if he works for the government. That said, Assassination should have turned out much better than it did. Fortunately, there are some aspects of Assassination that make it entertaining to watch. Notably, Henry Silva (Cry of a Prostitute) played the dual role of brothers John and Philip Chandler. He once again delivers a brooding performance where he dominates every time he is on screen. Besides Henry Silva, the only other performance that leaves any lasting impression is Evelyn Stewart's (The Bloodstained Butterfly) in the role of Barbara, John Chandler’s wife.

Assassination has all of the production elements that are associated with Eurospy cinema. There are plenty of double crosses, the plot moves along at a good clip, and the twist ending serves as the perfect climax. Though Italian films are known for their scores, Robby Poitevin’s (The Hired Killer) score for Assassination is far removed from what one would expect from an Italian film. Ultimately, fans of Eurospy cinema should enjoy Assassination.

Assassination gets a good release from Kino Lorber that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and an informative audio commentary, recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer