Get Mean: 2-Disc Limited Edition – Blue Underground (Blu-ray/DVD Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1975
Director: Ferdinando Baldi
Writers: Ferdinando Baldi, Lloyd Battista, Wolf Lowenthal
Cast: Tony Anthony, Lloyd Battista, Raf Baldassarre, Diana Lorys, Mirta Miller

Release Date: October 27th, 2015
Approximate running time: 90 Minutes 16 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: OOP

"When an American cowboy stumbles upon a gypsy family in a wind-swept ghost town, they offer him a fortune to escort a princess back to her home in Spain. But this silent Stranger finds himself in over his head (and strung up by his feet) when he gets caught in the middle of an epic battle involving Vikings, the Moors, brutal barbarians, evil spirits, a raging bull, and a diabolical Shakespeare-quoting hunchback. Tired of their never-ending attempts to kill him, the cowboy arms himself to the teeth with guns, dynamite and a special surprise. Now it's the Stranger's turn to GET MEAN!” – Synopsis provided by the Distributor

Video: 4/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "brand-new High Definition transfer".

Get Mean comes on a 50 GB  dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 35.2 GB

Feature: 19.4 GB

The source used for this transfer is in great shape. Colors look very good, image clarity and black levels are strong, compression is very good, and there does not appear to be any digital noise reduction.

Audio: 3.75/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in English. The audio is in good shape, dialog comes through clearly, and ambient sounds are well represented. Range-wise, there are several instances where the volume of sounds fluctuates. Included are removable English SDH, removable French subtitles, and removable Spanish subtitles.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a poster & stills gallery, three radio spots (1 minute 57 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), English language theatrical trailer (3 minutes 23 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), French language theatrical trailer (3 minutes 21 seconds, Dolby Digital mono French, no subtitles), deleted scenes (8 minutes 28 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an interview with director Ferdinando Baldi (8 minutes 19 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Italian with non-removable English subtitles), an interview with executive producer Ronald J. Schneider (9 minutes 50 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an interview with actor Lloyd Battista (11 minutes 33 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an interview with actor Tony Anthony (23 minutes 12 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with Tony Anthony, Lloyd Battista, Ronald J. Schneider and moderator David Gregory, and a 20-page booklet with cast & crew information, and an essay titled People Are Strange, When You’re a Stranger.

Other extras are theatrical trailers for A Stranger in Town (2 minutes 23 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), The Stranger Returns (2 minutes 16 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), The Silent Stranger (2 minutes 31 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), Blindman (2 minutes 52 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), Comin at Ya (2 minutes 38 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles) and Treasure of the Four Crowns (1 minute 52 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles).

Included with this release is a DVD that has the same content as the Blu-ray included as part of this combo release.

Summary:

Directed by Ferdinando Baldi, whose other notable films include Texas, Adios, Django, Prepare a Coffin, Forgotten Pistolero, Blindman, Nine Guests for a Crime, and Terror Express. Get Mean is part of a series of Stranger films; the three films are A Stranger in Town, The Stranger Returns, and The Silent Stranger.

The narrative revolves around a princess who has been living in exile from her homeland of Spain and enlists the help of an American cowboy by making a financial offer that he cannot refuse.

Just when you think that you have seen everything that could be seen in the spaghetti western genre, along comes a film like Get Mean that knocks you off your feet with its most unconventional take on this well-traversed genre. And the majority of its contemporaries were shifting the focus away from stylized acts of violence in favor of a more lighthearted version of the genre that was anchored by humor. Fortunately, there are always going to be those films that walk to the beat of their own drum, and Get Mean is one of those rarified examples where a spaghetti western finds the perfect balance between humor and stylized acts of violence.

The premise takes one of the genre's most common scenarios: a protagonist who pits several characters against each other with promises of riches, and in return, this helps the protagonist achieve their goals. This is where things familiar end, as Get Mean is not just content to be another western. Since the protagonist reluctantly becomes a fish out of water when they quickly find themselves in over their heads in a foreign land, things only get more bizarre as the bad guys in Get Mean are cut from a different cloth. The bad guys are barbarians who have invaded the land and now occupy it. The protagonist, with no help from anyone else, must come up with a way to help the princess he is escorting regain power.

From a production standpoint, one would be hard-pressed to find any faults in Get Mean. The visuals are rock solid, and the numerous action set pieces are all inventive and well-constructed. Also, there are many scenes that give Get Mean a much larger scope than its limited resources. Most noticeably, a battle scene occurs shortly after the protagonists’ arrival in Spain. And of course, another standout action set piece is the finale, which goes for broke as they just throw in everything imaginable into this scene.

When speaking about Get Mean, everything begins and ends with Tony Anthony’s performance in the role of The Stranger. There is no denying that this is his show, and he delivers an extraordinary performance that elevates everyone around him. Another notable performance is by Lloyd Battista in the role of a hunchback barbarian named Sombra, who idolizes Richard III. Other recognizable faces include Mirta Miller (Vengeance of the Zombies) and Diana Lorys (The Awful Dr. Orlof) in the role of the Spanish princess. Ultimately, Get Mean is a fun film that Spaghetti western fans should thoroughly enjoy.

Get Mean is a first-rate release from Blue Underground that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and a wealth of extras, recommended.

Note: Blue Underground has re-released Get Mean in stand-alone Blu-ray and DVD releases.

Written by Michael Den Boer