Downtown Heat – Full Moon Features (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Spain, 1994
Director: Jesús Franco
Writers: Jesús Franco, Michael Katims
Cast: Mike Connors, Josephine Chaplin, Óscar Ladoire, Craig Hill, Philippe Lemaire, Lina Romay, Antonio Mayans, Víctor Israel

Release Date: March 12th, 2024
Approximate Running Time: 98 Minutes 22 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: Dolby Digital Stereo English, Dolby Digital 5.1 English
Subtitles: N/A
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $21.95

"It's a lurid tale of a vengeful jazz musician, his murdered wife, her punk rock lesbian lover and a gang of vigilantes set on bringing down a sadistic drug cartel, all set to relentless jazz-funk soundtrack." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 3.75/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "new HD transfer from the original negative."

Downtown Heat comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 21.1 GB

Feature: 19.8 GB

The source is in great shape. Flesh tones look correct, colors look correct, black levels are strong, and any compression-related issues are minor.

Audio: 3.75/5 (Dolby Digital Stereo English), 3.5/5 (Dolby Digital 5.1 English)

This release comes with two audio options, a Dolby Digital stereo mix in English and a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix in English. Both audio tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced. Range-wise, these two tracks do a good job when it comes to the action sequences. That said, the Dolby Digital 5.1 mix offers a slightly more expanded audio experience.

Extras:

Extras for this release include trailers Naked Girl Murdered in the Park, Love Letters of a Portuguese Nun, Sexy Sisters, Voodoo Passion and Women in Cellblock 9.

Summary:

Directed by Jess Franco, a prolific filmmaker who made more than 200 films and whose career spanned seven decades. Downtown Heat comes from his later period, right before he made the move to shooting on video.

The narrative revolves around a jazz musician who joins forces with two jaded cops who help him take down a drug kingpin who had his girlfriend murdered.

Downtown Heat starts off as a police procedural, only to morph into a revenge film. And though Jess Franco does a good job handling the basic elements of downtown heat, the result is one of the most bland mainstream films that Jess Franco has ever worked on.

When it comes to the visuals, despite employing Jess Franco’s favorite technique, zooms, there is nothing else about the visuals that is identifiable with Jess Franco's distinct visual style. In fact, the visuals are pedestrian, mostly master shots and closeups. That said, the only time the visuals remind you this is a Jess Franco film is when it comes to nudity.

Throughout his career, casting in one area where Jess Franco usually comes out ahead. And with Downtown Heat, he puts together a good cast that features a few of his regulars and some recognizable Eurocult faces. Unfortunately, when it comes to the performances, they are best described as serviceable.

From a production standpoint, Downtown Heat actually has more resources than most of the films that Jess Franco worked on. And though he makes the most of his resources, it is hard to look past what feels like work for hire. Ultimately, Downtown Heat is bottom-tier Jess Franco.

Downtown Heat gets a strong audio/video presentation from Full Moon Features.

Written by Michael Den Boer