The Toxic Avenger Collection – Troma Films (4k UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Dates: USA, 1984 (The Toxic Avenger), USA, 1989 (The Toxic Avenger Part II, The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie), USA, 2000 (Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV)
Directors: Michael Herz, Lloyd Kaufman (The Toxic Avenger, The Toxic Avenger Part II, The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie), Lloyd Kaufman (Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV)
Cast: Andree Maranda, Mitch Cohen, Jennifer Babtist, Cindy Manion, Robert Prichard, Gary Schneider, Mark Torgl (The Toxic Avenger), Ron Fazio, John Altamura, Phoebe Legere, Rick Collins, Lisa Gaye, Jessica Dublin, Michael Jai White, Paul Borghese (The Toxic Avenger Part II, The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie), David Mattey, Clyde Lewis, Heidi Sjursen, Paul Kyrmse, Joe Fleishaker, Mark Torgl (Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV)

Release Date: October 24th, 2023
Approximate Running Times: 82 Minutes 10 Seconds (The Toxic Avenger), 108 Minutes 39 Seconds (The Toxic Avenger Part II), 103 Minutes 30 Seconds (The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie), 108 Minutes 52 Seconds (Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / HDR10 (All Films)
Rating: R
Sound: DTS-HD Stereo English (All Films)
Subtitles: English SDH (All Films)
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $139.95

"Tromaville, New Jersey has a monstrous new hero! The Toxic Avenger is born when meek mop boy Melvin (Mark Torgl, The First Turn-On) falls into a vat of toxic waste after being relentlessly bullied by the jerks in the health club where he works. Now Toxie is here to serve and protect the people of Tromaville from evildoers out to destroy him and the town!" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5 (4K UHD), 4.25/5 (Blu-ray)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfers, "New 4K scan and restoration (from the films' original camera negatives*) of each film presented in their original 1.85:1 aspect ratio in HDR."

The Toxic Avenger comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 58.7 GB

Feature: 56.4 GB

The Toxic Avenger comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 34.6 GB

Feature: 23.6 GB

The Blu-ray uses the same source as the 4K UHD does for its transfer.

The Toxic Avenger Part II comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 61 GB

Feature: 59 GB

"The original negative of The Toxic Avenger Part II, while complete, was missing several short dialogue sequences in the opening third, which had been removed for pacing reasons. Although no film materials for these sequences could be located, in order to present the most complete version possible, these short segments were inserted from the highest quality digital master."

The Toxic Avenger Part II comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 37.8 GB

Feature: 31.2 GB

The Blu-ray uses the same source as the 4K UHD does for its transfer.

The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 60 GB

Feature: 57.8 GB

The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 37.8 GB

Feature: 29.4 GB

The Blu-ray uses the same source as the 4K UHD does for its transfer.

Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 60.5 GB

Feature: 58.7 GB

Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 39.3 GB

Feature: 31.6 GB

The Blu-ray uses the same source as the 4K UHD does for its transfer.

The sources for these four film transfers are in similar shape; they have all been sourced from original camera negatives, and said sources are in great shape. That said, there are still some very minor instances of print debris, and when later films use footage from earlier films in the series, the quality is not as strong as the bulk of that film's transfer.

When it comes to color saturation, image clarity, contrast, and black levels, these areas have never looked better than they do for these transfers. Also, compression is solid, there is a healthy amount of grain throughout these transfers, and all of these transfers always look organic.

Audio: 4.25/5

Each film comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD stereo mix in English. When compared to previous home video releases that only came with Dolby Digital audio tracks, these new DTS-HD audio tracks are a noticeable improvement. All audio tracks sound clean, free of any background noise or distortion. Dialog always comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. Range-wise, these tracks do a great job with ambient sounds, and the scores all sound appropriately robust. Included are removable English SDHs for each film.

Extras:

Extras on The Toxic Avenger 4K UHD disc include an introduction by co-director Lloyd Kaufman (1 minute 35 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), an archival audio commentary with actors Robert Prichard, Gary Schneider, and Dan Snow, and an archival audio commentary with Lloyd Kaufman.

Extras on The Toxic Avenger Blu-ray disc include an archival introduction by Lloyd Kaufman (4 minutes 22 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a trailer for The Toxic Avenger (3 minutes 11 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), Mark Torgl’s special video (6 minutes 18 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), 40 years of Troma (2 minutes 3 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a behind the scene production slideshow, an archival interview with actress Jennifer Baptist (18 minutes 39 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with Robert Prichard (2 minutes 37 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with Mitch Cohen (8 minutes 47 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with Dan Snow (4 minutes 38 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with co-director Michael Herz (15 minutes 23 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival audio commentary with Robert Prichard, Gary Schneider, and Dan Snow, an archival audio commentary with Lloyd Kaufman, and trailers for The Toxic Avenger II, The Toxic Avenger III: The Last Temptation of Toxie, Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV, and Return to Nuke ‘Em High.

Extras on The Toxic Avenger II UHD disc include an introduction by co-director Lloyd Kaufman (1 minute 56 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), an archival audio commentary with Lloyd Kaufman, and editorial department Ronny Thomas and Sean McGrath.

Extras on The Toxic Avenger II Blu-ray disc include an archival introduction by Lloyd Kaufman (3 minutes 6 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a trailer for The Toxic Avenger II (2 minutes 19 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), "Radiation March" short film directed by Lloyd Kaufman (56 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), The American Cinematheque Honors 40 Years of Troma (2 minutes 3 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), original DVD intro (41 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), Japanese News Report On The Filming of The Toxic Avenger Part II (3 minutes 7 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese, no subtitles), an interview with actress Lisa Gaye (2 minutes 15 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), "At Home with Toxie" mockumentary (3 minutes 51 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival audio commentary with Lloyd Kaufman, Ronny Thomas and Sean McGrath, and trailers for The Toxic Avenger, The Toxic Avenger III: The Last Temptation of Toxie, Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV, Troma’s War, Return to Nuke ‘Em High: Vol. 1, and Return to Nuke ‘Em High: Vol. 2.

Extras on The Toxic Avenger III: The Last Temptation of Toxie UHD disc include an introduction by co-director Lloyd Kaufman (1 minute 33 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), an archival audio commentary with actor Joe Fleishaker, and an archival audio commentary with Lloyd Kaufman, and editorial department Ronny Thomas and Sean McGrath.

Extras on The Toxic Avenger III: The Last Temptation of Toxie Blu-ray disc include an archival introduction by Lloyd Kaufman (3 minutes 6 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a trailer for The Toxic Avenger III: The Last Temptation of Toxie (3 minutes, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), "Radiation March" short film directed by Lloyd Kaufman (56 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), Infomercial for Rabid Grannies Blu-ray release (1 minute 56 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), "A Halloween Carol" short film (9 minutes 54 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), Make Your Own Damn Horror Film (11 minutes 26 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), The American Cinematheque Honors 40 Years of Troma (2 minutes 3 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a behind the scenes of the Return to Nuke 'em High Vol. 1 screening at MOM titled Tromoma (11 minutes 40 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival audio commentary with Lloyd Kaufman, Ronny Thomas and Sean McGrath, an archival audio commentary with actor Joe Fleishaker, and trailers for The Toxic Avenger, The Toxic Avenger II, Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV, Return to Nuke ‘Em High: Vol. 1, and Return to Nuke ‘Em High: Vol. 2.

Extras on Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV UHD disc include an introduction by co-director Lloyd Kaufman (2 minutes 31 second, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), an archival audio commentary with Lloyd Kaufman, an archival audio commentary with editor Gabriel Griedman and associate editor Sean McGrath, and an archival audio commentary with actor/screenwriter Trent Haaga and actor Michael Budinger.

Extras on Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV Blu-ray disc include an archival introduction by Lloyd Kaufman (3 minutes 15 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), The American Cinematheque Honors 40 Years of Troma (2 minutes 3 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), Troma’s tribute to Lemmy (8 minutes 14 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a behind the scenes documentary titled Apocalypse Soon: The Making of Citizen Toxie (2 hours 17 seconds 48 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival audio commentary with Lloyd Kaufman, an archival audio commentary with Gabriel Griedman and Sean McGrath, and an archival audio commentary with Trent Haaga and Michael Budinger, and trailers for Return to Nuke ‘Em High: Vol. 1, Return to Nuke ‘Em High: Vol. 2., and Pro-Wrestlers vs. Zombies.

Other extras include a collectible Toxic Avenger postcard.

Summary:

The Toxic Avenger is the first film in a series that, to date, has produced three sequels and one remake. The main premise is that a weakly named Melvin becomes a mutant superhero after falling into a vat of toxic waste. From there, he dedicates his life to protecting the innocent from evildoers.

Though Troma had been around for a decade by the time they made The Toxic Avenger, most of their output up to that point was sex-themed comedies or films that they picked up after they were completed. A film like The Toxic Avenger can be seen as an important turning point since many of its elements, like outrageous moments of carnage and vulgar humor that most would find politically incorrect, are just a few elements that would become staples of Troma’s films that followed The Toxic Avenger.

At 82 minutes in length, The Toxic Avenger is a film that never overstays its welcome. The narrative moves along briskly. Also, there is an ample amount of black humor, T&A, carnage, and mayhem. And though the acting is never going to win awards, that is not a problem since the performances suit the story that unfolds.

Some of the more memorable moments are when two psychopaths and their girlfriends run over people as part of a game in which they get points, severed body parts used as weapons by The Toxic Avenger, and Sara, the blind woman who has fallen in love with The Toxic Avenger, and her inactions with The Toxic Avenger. Ultimately, The Toxic Avenger is a solid exploitation film that is arguably the best film Troma ever made.

Though The Toxic Avenger Part II features all of the elements that made its predecessors a success, when it comes to sequels, they can be hit or miss, with The Toxic Avenger Part II falling into the latter category. This time around, The Toxic Avenger takes on an evil corporation that wants to turn Tromaville into a toxic landfill.

The first thing that grabs you while watching The Toxic Avenger Part II is how drastically different tone-wise it is when compared to its predecessor. Where humor plays a role in the first film, things have been turned up to eleven and then some for this sequel. Which ultimately takes away from the impact of the humor that runs rampant throughout.

Of course, Gore makes a return for this sequel, though there are a few gruesome moments. These moments lack the potency that they had in spades in The Toxic Avenger. With that being said, one of the few enjoyable moments in The Toxic Avenger Part II is when the Toxic Avenger is forced to face a series of colorful villains (including his father), who all have their own distinctive way of fighting. The Toxic Avenger’s fight scene with the character who claims to be his father is without a doubt the most memorable moment.

Not all sequels are created equal. And in the case of The Toxic Avenger Part II, it is the often maligned sequel to what is arguably Troma's most revered film, The Toxic Avenger. And the end result is a super-sized caricature that tries very hard to recapture the essence of what made its predecessor so successful.

The third installment, The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie, was reportedly made because so much footage was shot for The Toxic Avenger Part II that Troma decided to make two films. This time around, the Toxic Avenger has cleaned up Tromaville, and in a moment of doubt about his importance, he’s tempted by the devil.

Though The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie’s narrative picks up where its predecessor left off, the thing that you quickly realize is that it repurposes a lot of footage from The Toxic Avenger, Part II.

The Toxic Avenger was a down-and-dirty exploitation film whose only purpose was to entertain. The sequels that followed it started to inject some social commentary, and The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie is a cautionary tale about the dangers of capitalism.

At just under 104 minutes in length, The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie is a chore to get through. The narrative feels drawn out, and the pacing is atrocious. And though the gory kill scenes are there, they lack the humor that made the first Toxic Avenger work so well.

It is easy to see why a film like The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie is part of a successful film series, and most of the footage was originally intended for its predecessor, making it a cheap film to produce. Unfortunately, it is the worst film in the Toxic Avenger film series.

Trying to top the film that preceded it in a film series is a daunting task. And after not being impressed with The Toxic Avenger Part II and The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie, I went into Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV with trepidation. This time around, the Toxic Avenger finds himself in a parallel universe where everyone is opposite to the universe he came from.

Though a sequel in name, Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV does not directly acknowledge the events of The Toxic Avenger Part II or The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie in its opening recap. The opening recap features narration by Stan Lee.

From its opening moments, Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV firmly establishes itself as the true successor to The Toxic Avenger. It is the sequel that should have happened instead of the two that preceded it. Content wise, Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV has all of the elements one has come to expect from a Troma film: politically incorrect humor and gratuitous, over-the-top moments of carnage.

Despite clocking in at just under 109 minutes in length, Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV does not feel as drawn out as its two predecessors. In fact, the narrative moves along at a brisk pace, and it does a great job building momentum towards a finale where good Toxie fights evil Toxie. As mentioned before, Troma is known for their subversive humor, and there are an ample amount of things in Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV that are sure to offend. Ultimately, Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV is a solid follow-up to The Toxic Avenger.

Troma Films The Toxic Avenger Collection is an excellent release that gives each film a solid audio/video presentation and informative extras, highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a VLC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer

The Bloodstained Butterfly – Arrow Video (Blu-ray/DVD Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy/West Germany, 1971
Director: Duccio Tessari
Writers: Gianfranco Clerici, Duccio Tessari
Cast: Helmut Berger, Giancarlo Sbragia, Ida Galli, Silvano Tranquilli, Wendy D'Olive, Günther Stoll, Wolfgang Preiss, Lorella De Luca

Release Date: August 22nd, 2016 (UK), August 23rd, 2016 (USA)
Approximate Running Time: 99 Minutes 8 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 18 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Italian, DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English, English SDH
Region Coding: Region A,B
Retail Price: £24.99 (UK), $39.95 (USA)

"When a young female student is savagely killed in a park during a thunderstorm, the culprit seems obvious: her lover, TV sports personality Alessandro Marchi (Giancarlo Sbragia, Death Rage), seen fleeing the scene of the crime by numerous eyewitnesses. The evidence against him is damning… but is it all too convenient? And when the killer strikes again while Marchi is in custody, it quickly becomes apparent that there's more to the case than meets the eye…" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "All restoration work was carried out at L'Immagine Ritrovata, Bologna. The original 35mm 2-perf Techniscope camera negative was scanned in 4K resolution on a pin-registered Arriscan with a wetgate and was graded on Digital Vision's Nucode Film Master.

Thousands of instances of dirt, debris and light scratches were removed through a combination of digital restoration tools. Overall image stability and instances of density fluctuation were also improved."

The Bloodstained Butterfly comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.8 GB

Feature: 25.1 GB

The source used for this transfer is in excellent shape. Flesh tones and colors look correct, image clarity and compression are solid, black levels are strong, and the image retains an organic look. That said, there are some darker moments where black levels and contrast are not as convincing as they should be.

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

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Italian and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. Both audio mixes are in very good shape; the dialog is always clear, and everything sounds balanced and robust when it needs to, especially the score. Included are removable English subtitles for the Italian language track and removable English SDH for the English language track.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an introduction with actor Helmut Berger (1 minute 22 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a promotional image gallery (posters/stills), English language theatrical trailer (3 minutes 16 seconds, LPCM mono English, no subtitles), Italian language theatrical trailer (3 minutes 16 seconds, LPCM mono Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with actress Lorella De Luca titled Me and Duccio (8 minutes 23 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with Helmet Berger titled Mad Dog Helmet (17 minutes 33 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actress Ida Galli aka Evelyn Stewart titled A Butterfly Named Evelyn (54 minutes 45 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), a video essay by author Troy Howarth titled Murder in B-Flat Minor (26 minutes 56 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with critics Alan Jones and Kim Newman. reversible cover art, and a 32-page booklet (first pressing only) with cast & crew information, an essay titled Perversion Story: A Brief Introduction to the Italian Giallo written by James Blackford, an essay titled Baroque and Roll: The Film Music of Gianni Ferrio written by Howard Hughes, an essay titled Breaking the Fourth Wall in the Bloodstained Butterfly written by Leonard Jacobs and information about the restoration.

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

Summary:

The Bloodstained Butterfly is one of three exceptional gialli directed by Duccio Tessari. The other two films are Death Occurred Last Night and Puzzle. Other notable films that he directed include A Pistol for Ringo, The Return of Ringo, and Tony Arzenta.

When a young woman is murdered in the park, law enforcement collects an overwhelming amount of evidence that leads them to their suspect. On trial and now in custody, two witnesses to the original girl’s death were also murdered. Do the police have the right man? Does he have an accomplice, or is there something more sinister going on?

Though there are many elements in The Bloodstained Butterfly that one would associate with the giallo genre, the result is easily one of the more unique films to emerge from the giallo genre. One of its major differences is that the investigation to find the killer is completed in the first act, and the middle act is spent with the suspected killer on trial. And by the time the final act rolls around, a few more bodies turn up. Before everything comes to a head with a jaw-dropping ending,

The narrative is meticulously constructed, and pacing is never an issue, as The Bloodstained Butterfly does a superb job letting each new revelation fully reach its maximum impact. Another strength of The Bloodstained Butterfly is its ability to keep the majority of the cast in play in regards to who the killer is. And just when it appears that the killer has been unmasked, a few well-timed moments of misdirection are thrown in for good measure for the final act.

Performance-wise, the entire cast is great in their respective roles. This film’s standout performance comes from Helmut Berger (The Damned) in the role of an accomplished concert pianist named Giorgio. Another performance of note is Giancarlo Sbragia (Equinox) in the role of Alessandro Marchi, the man on trial for murdering the woman in the park.

From a production standpoint, there is not a single area where The Bloodstained Butterfly is lacking. One of its stronger assets is its visuals and how they play a role in the story at hand. Also, for a film that has many standout moments visually, no moment stands out more than the initial murder of the young woman in the park. Ultimately, The Bloodstained Butterfly is a solid example of the Giallo in its golden age.

The Bloodstained Butterfly gets a first-rate release from Arrow Video that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and insightful extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer

A Pistol for Ringo & The Return of Ringo: Two Films by Duccio Tessari – Arrow Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: Italy/Spain, 1965 (A Pistol for Ringo/The Return of Ringo)
Director: Duccio Tessari (Both Films)
Cast: Giuliano Gemma, Fernando Sancho, Lorella De Luca, Nieves Navarro, Antonio Casas (A Pistol for Ringo), Giuliano Gemma, Fernando Sancho, Lorella De Luca, Nieves Navarro, Antonio Casas, Manuel Muñiz, Mónica Sugranes, Montserrat Prous (The Return of Ringo)

Release Date: March 26th, 2018 (UK), April 24th, 2018 (USA)
Approximate Running Times: 99 Minutes 2 Seconds (A Pistol for Ringo), 96 Minutes 33 Seconds (The Return of Ringo)
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Both Films)
Rating: 15 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Italian, DTS-HD Mono English (Both Films)
Subtitles: English, English SDH (Both Films)
Region Coding: Region A,B
Retail Price: £24.99 (UK), $39.95 (USA)

"In A Pistol For Ringo, the eponymous hero, played by Giuliano Gemma (Day of Anger, Tenebrae), infiltrates a ranch of Mexican bandits to save a beautiful hostage (Nieves Navarro, Death Walks on High Heels). In The Return Of Ringo, the gunslinger, now a veteran of war, disguises himself as a Mexican in order to take revenge on outlaws who have stolen his property and taken his wife." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5 (A Pistol for Ringo), 4.5/5 (The Return of Ringo)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfers, "A Pistol for Ringo and The Return of Ringo have been exclusively restored in 2K resolution for this release by Arrow Films and are presented in their original aspect ratio of 2.35:1 with mono 1.0 sound.

All restoration work on these new restorations was carried out at L'Immagine Ritrovata, Bologna. The original 35mm 2-perf Techniscope camera negatives were scanned in 2K resolution on a pin-registered Arriscan with a wetgate and graded on Digital Vision's Nucoda Film Master.

Thousands of instances of dirt, debris and light scratches were removed through a combination of digital restoration tools. Overall image instability and instances of density fluctuation were also improved."

A Pistol for Ringo and The Return of Ringo come on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.2 GB

Feature: 19.5 GB (A Pistol for Ringo), 19.2 GB (The Return of Ringo)

Though the sources used for these two transfers are in great shape, there is some source-related damage that is noticeable in A Pistol for Ringo’s opening sequence. Flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity and compression are solid, black levels are strong throughout, and both transfers look organic.

Audio: 4.25/5 (DTS-HD Mono Italian - A Pistol for Ringo, DTS-HD Mono English - A Pistol for Ringo, DTS-HD Mono Italian - The Return of Ringo), 3.75/5 (DTS-HD Mono English - The Return of Ringo)

Each film comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Italian and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. Both of the tracks for A Pistol for Ringo and the Italian language track for The Return of Ringo sound clean, clear, and balanced. Range-wise, these three audio tracks do a great job handling ambient sounds and the scores. The English language track has some sibilance issues. That said, dialog comes through clearly on all of these audio tracks. Both films come with removable English subtitles for the Italian language tracks and removable English SDH for the English language tracks.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an image gallery (posters/lobby cards), English language theatrical trailer for A Pistol for Ringo (3 minutes 26 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), German  language theatrical trailer for A Pistol for Ringo (3 minutes 14 seconds, Dolby Digital mono German with removable English subtitles), English language theatrical trailer for The Return of Ringo (3 minutes 25 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), Italian language theatrical trailer for The Return of Ringo (3 minutes 26 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with film critic Tony Rayns titled Revisiting Ringo (37 minutes 56 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with actor Giuliano Gemma titled They Called Him Ringo (21 minutes 52 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an archival featurette with actress Lorella de Luca and camera operator Sergio D’Offizi titled A Western Greek Tragedy (26 minutes 32 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an audio commentary with Spaghetti Western experts C. Courtney Joyner and Henry Parke for A Pistol for Ringo, an audio commentary with Spaghetti Western experts C. Courtney Joyner and Henry Parke for The Return of Ringo, reversible cover art, and a 44-page booklet (first pressing only) with cast & crew information for A Pistol for Ringo and The Return of Ringo an essay titled Duel Roles; The Ringo Stars written by Howard Hughes, an essay titled Showdowns on Mainstreet: The Esplugas City Story written by Howard Hughes, an interview with Duccio Tessari titled The Myth and the Author, from Homer to Kurosawa and information about the restorations.

Summary:

Duccio Tessari directed A Pistol for Ringo and The Return of Ringo; his other notable films are The Bloodstained Butterfly, Death Occurred Last Night, and Puzzle. Other spaghetti westerns directed by Duccio Tessari are Alive or Preferably Dead and Don’t Turn the Other Cheek.

A Pistol for Ringo: A gang of Mexican bandits trapped on a ranch after a daring bank robbery threatens to kill hostages if their demands are not met. A loner drifter becomes the reluctant hero when he accepts the challenge of infiltrating the ranch in the guise of an outlaw on the run.

The Return of Ringo: Mexican bandits occupying the home of a Union soldier returning from the Civil War become his target when he exacts his vengeance against them for killing his family.

Though A Pistol for Ringo and The Return of Ringo share protagonists with the same name, they are only connected by name. A Pistol for Ringo’s narrative revolves around the all-too-familiar stranger who intervenes scenario, while The Return of Ringo is more of a straight-up revenge scenario.

Another area where A Pistol for Ringo and The Return of Ringo overlap is the casting of Giuliano Gemma (Day of Anger) in the role of Ringo. His portrayal of this character in these two films is like night and day. His performance in A Pistol for Ringo takes on a lighter tone than the more foreboding mood his character takes on in The Return of Ringo.

Besides Giuliano Gemma, there are several other cast members, like Lorella De Luca (Tough Guys), Nieves Navarro (Death Walks at Midnight), Antonio Casas (The Big Gundown), and Fernando Sancho (Hate for Hate). Three of these four portray characters that are similar to the characters they portrayed in the other film. With the only exception being Antonio Casas.

Spaghetti westerns are known for their opening sequences, and A Pistol for Ringo has an excellent shootout sequence that introduces the Ringo character. This sequence also does a great job setting the tone for the story that unfolds. And when it comes to action set pieces, this is another area where the best spaghetti western always excels. Some standout action set pieces in The Return of Ringo include a scene where the Mexican bandits catch Ringo snooping around, and they punish him by breaking the hand he shoots with. And a scene where Ringo ambushes the leader of the Mexican bandits on his wedding day at a church.

From a production standpoint, there is no area where A Pistol for Ringo and The Return of Ringo do not deliver. Though both premises cover well-traveled ground within the spaghetti western genre, the execution of said premises is very good. Also, when it comes to pacing, A Pistol for Ringo and The Return of Ringo do a superb job building moments towards their finales. Other strengths are striking visuals, which heightened the mood, and Ennio Morricone’s scores. That said, A Pistol for Ringo and The Return of Ringo are two solid examples of spaghetti westerns that fans of this genre will thoroughly enjoy.

A Pistol for Ringo & The Return of Ringo: Two Films by Duccio Tessari is an excellent release by Arrow Video that gives both films solid audio/video presentation and informative extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Death Occurred Last Night - Raro Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy/West Germany, 1970
Director: Duccio Tessari
Writers: Biagio Proietti, Duccio Tessari, Artur Brauner
Cast: Raf Vallone, Frank Wolff, Gabriele Tinti, Gillian Bray, Eva Renzi, Gigi Rizzi, Beryl Cunningham, Checco Rissone

Release Date: March 6th, 2014
Approximate running time: 97 minutes 38 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / VC-1
Rating: NR
Sound: LPCM Mono Italian, LPCM Mono English
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: OOP

"A mentally handicapped woman is kidnapped and sold into sexual slavery, sending her distressed father and a jaded police detective on the hunt for clues in Milan's underworld." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 3.5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "New HD transfer from original 35mm negative digitally restored."

Death Occurred Last Night comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 21.8 GB

Feature: 19.6 GB

The source used for this transfer is in great shape. Though flesh tones and colors look very good, there are a few moments where they look off. The image generally looks crisp, the black levels are adequate, and the compression is good. That said, Raro Video once again uses digital filtering, which takes away any organic qualities that the source may have had.

Audio: 3.75/5 (LPCM Mono Italian), 3.5/5 (LPCM Mono English)

This release comes with two audio options, an LPCM mono mix in Italian and an LPCM mono mix in English. Both tracks are in very good shape; any background noise is minor. Dialog comes through clearly enough to follow, and everything sounds balanced. Range-wise, these two audio tracks are satisfactory. That said, the Italian-language track is the slightly stronger of these two audio tracks. Included are removable English subtitles for the Italian-language track.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an introduction by Fangoria editor Chris Alexander (7 minutes 12 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 38 seconds, LPCM mono English, no subtitles), a slipcover, and a eight-page booklet with cast & crew information, an essay titled The Darkness of Duccio Tessari written by Chris Alexander, Duccio Tessari biography, and Duccio Tessari filmography.

Summary:

Death Occurred Last Night is one of three exceptional gialli directed by Duccio Tessari. The other two films are Puzzle and The Bloodstained Butterfly. Other notable films that he directed include A Pistol for Ringo, The Return of Ringo, and Tony Arzenta. The screenplay for Death Occurred Last Night was adapted from a novel written by Giorgio Scerbanenco. Several of his novels were adapted by Fernando Di Leo into films, most notably Naked Violence and Milano Caliber 9.

The narrative revolves around a father who convinces a police inspector to take a special interest in finding his mentally challenged twenty-five-year-old daughter, who disappeared without a trace.

Structurally, Death Occurred Last Night is an interesting mixture of two of Italian cinema's most popular genres in the first half of the 1970s, namely giallo and poliziotteschi. Death Occurred Last Night leans more towards the latter of these two genres. Also, there are elements from both of these genres that crop up throughout Death Occurred Last Night. The result is a film unlike any that has come before or since it, making it a film that is in its own genre.

The initial set-up is pitch perfect, as characters motivations are always clearly defined. And one of Death Occurred Last Night’s greatest assets is how it introduces the distraught father and then subtly pushes him into the background while a pair of detectives and a low-life smuggler are blackmailed into helping them search for the father's missing daughter. Keeping the father away from the seedy investigation they are conducting ultimately makes his reemergence in the latter half of the narrative all the more potent, thus making his transformation from a grieving father into a man with a vendetta all the more believable.

Considering that the premise is about women being abducted and forced into a world of sex slaves, the content that lies within is handled in such a way that it is never exploitative. Also, though there are many women in various stages of dress, Death Occurred Last Night's portrayal of them is never vulgar, which ultimately humanizes them and gives them added dimensions that are often lacking in other similar-themed films. When it comes to despicable characters, Death Occurred Last Night retains that right for those who are responsible for abducting the mentally challenged young woman.

From a production standpoint, there is no area where Death Occurred Last Night does not excel. The visuals are outstanding as they reinforce the events that are unfolding onscreen. The narrative is perfectly paced, as each new revelation is given just the right amount of time to sink in before unveiling the next. And though there are many detractors of Death Occurred Last Night’s odd score, it has a jarring effect that complements that story really well.

The cast is superb in their respective roles, with the strongest performance coming from Frank Wolff (Cold Eyes of Fear) in the role of Duca Lamberti, the detective who, through persistence, uncovers the truth about the missing girl. While the most memorable performance comes from Raf Vallone's (The Godfather: Part III), in the role of Amanzio Berzaghi, the father of the missing disabled girl. Another performance of note is that of Gillian Bray's (Virgins of the Seven Seas) Donatella Berzaghi, the mentally challenged young woman who has been abducted. Ultimately, Death Occurred Last Night is an extraordinary film that firmly pulls you in and lingers in your mind long after its final reveal.

Raro Video gives Death Occurred Last Night a good audio/video presentation.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Twin Dragons: Deluxe Collector's Edition – 88 Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Hong Kong, 1992
Directors: Tsui Hark, Ringo Lam
Writers: Barry Wong, Tsui Hark, Joe Cheung, Wong Yik, Teddy Robin
Cast: Jackie Chan, Maggie Cheung, Nina Li Chi, Teddy Robin, Anthony Chan, Philip Chan, Sylvia Chang, James Wong, Alfred Cheung

Release Date: September 18th, 2023
Approximate running time: 104 Minutes 29 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 12 (UK)
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Cantonese, DTS-HD Mono Cantonese (Alternate Mix), DTS-HD Stereo Cantonese (Home Video Mix), DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English, English SDH
Region Coding: Region B
Retail Price: £25.99

"On holidays in Hong Kong, Mrs. Ma gives birth to identical twins. A criminal in the same hospital attempts to escape, taking one of the twins hostage. The child is lost during the confusion and Mr. and Mrs. Ma return to New York with one child. Years later, John Ma is a famous conductor and pianist, unaware that his twin brother "Boomer" is a mechanic/race car driver/bodyguard in Hong Kong. When John travels to Hong Kong to give a concert, the twins get caught up in each other's business, about which they are anything but experts.." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5

Here’s the information given about the transfer, "High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray™ presentation".

Twin Dragons comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.8 GB

Feature: 25.9 GB

Twin Dragons is a film that has not fared well on home video; fortunately, this new release from 88 Films is a noticeable improvement over all previous home video releases, and it is easily the best this film has ever looked on home video. The source used for this transfer is in great shape. Flesh tones look correct, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity and compression are solid, and black levels are strong. Also, there does not appear to be any digital noise reduction.

Audio: 4.5/5 (DTS-HD Mono Cantonese, DTS-HD Stereo Cantonese Home Video Mix), 4.25/5 (DTS-HD Mono English), 4/5 (DTS-HD Mono Cantonese Alternate Mix)

This release comes with four audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Cantonese, a DTS-HD mono mix in Cantonese titled alternate mix, a DTS-HD stereo mix in Cantonese titled home video mix, and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. The DTS-HD mono and DTS-HD stereo Cantonese audio tracks sound more robust than the DTS-HD mono Cantonese alternate mix and the English language track. The weakest range-wise is the DTS-HD mono Cantonese alternate mix. All four tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced. There are three removable English subtitle tracks for each Cantonese language track and a removable English SDH for the Cantonese language tracks that lets you know when a character is speaking in Cantonese or English. Also, there is an English subtitle track for Cantonese text and songs when watching in English.

Extras:

Extras for this release include English opening/closing (9 minutes 9 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), UK VHS trailer (1 minute 22 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), Japanese TV spot (31 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), Japanese theatrical trailer (1 minute 35 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), English language theatrical trailer (2 minutes 26 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), Hong Kong theatrical trailer (2 minutes 49 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Cantonese with removable English subtitles), archival behind the scenes footage (25 minutes 21 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Cantonese, no subtitles), an archival interview with Jackie Chan (20 minutes 47 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), archival EPK and Q&A (2 minutes 50 seconds Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), two deleted scenes from Taiwanese version (1 minute 3 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Mandarin with removable English subtitles), a scene from the Japanese version (23 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Cantonese with removable English subtitles), an interview with actors Tung Wei and James Ha (13 minutes 51 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Cantonese with removable English subtitles), Dimension Films version of Twin Dragons (89 minutes 1 second, 2.39:1 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital 5.1 English with removable English SDH), an audio commentary with Hong Kong cinema experts Frank Djeng and F.J. DeSanto, four art cards, reversible cover art, a double-sided foldout poster, and a 80-page perfect bound book with cast & crew information, an essay titled The Twin Effect - How to Double a Dragon written by Thorsten Boose, an essay titled Twin Dragons, Dual Personas Jackie Chan’s Bridge Between the ‘80s and ‘90s written by Paul Bramhall, a full list of director cameos in Twin Dragons, a locations Then and Now 1991 vs 2018, and archive stills and posters.

Summary:

Co-directed by Tsui Hark (Once Upon a Time in China) and Ringo Lam (City Fire), with the latter handling most of the action sequences.

The narrative revolves around twin brothers, John Ma and Boomer, who were separated at birth. Years later, a chance encounter reunites them.

Though Jackie Chan is known for his action sequences, in Twin Dragons there are only five action sequences, with most of the narrative being character-driven moments in which Jackie Chan gets to portray two distinctly different characters who look identical. That said, the fight scenes there do not disappoint, as Jackie Chan uses his surroundings against his opponents. The most memorable fight scene takes place in a car factory that presents obstacles like a heat room and a room that simulates downpouring rain.

The premise of twin brothers who are connected despite not knowing each other exists is full of possibilities, and Twin Dragons does a phenomenal job exploiting said premise. Besides being separated at birth, these two brothers come from different upbringings; one is an acclaimed classical concert conductor, and the other is a mechanic.

The main attraction is Jackie Chan (Police Story), who is superb in the dual roles of John Ma and Boomer. Though this release now translates Boomer’s name as Die Hard, I will refer to him as Boomer since this is the name I have always known this character by. That said, the humor is perfectly suited to Jackie Chan’s comedic style.

Though Jackie Chan steals every scene that he is in, the rest of the cast are great in their roles, especially Maggie Cheung (The Heroic Trio) and Nina Li Chi (Pedicab Driver) in the roles of the two women competing for affection from John Ma and Boomer. Also, the cast has numerous cameos from Hong Kong directors like John Woo (The Killer), Gordan Chan (Fist of Legend), Wong Jing (City Hunter), Tsui Hark, and Ringo Lam.

When it comes to humor, Twin Dragons delivers in spades, with the main source of humor coming from moments where one twin’s movements affect the other twin. Notable moments include a scene where John Ma gives Nina Li Chi’s character a chiropractic makeover and a bubble bath scene with Nina Li Chi’s character, who by the end of the scene sees double.

From its opening moments right on through its breathtaking action-packed finale, Twin Dragon’s is a highly entertaining film that has no throw-away moments. Also, the pacing does a great job building moments, and key moments are given an ample amount of time to resonate. Ultimately, Twin Dragons is a very satisfying blend of action and humor, making it a must-see if you're a fan of Jackie Chan.

Twin Dragons gets an excellent release from 88 Films that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and a wealth of extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer