Review of Out of the Blue

Introduction

Hailed as the Punk answer to Easy Rider, this is a harrowing, often difficult to watch, film but one that is a must see for serious movie buffs. Directed by Hopper during a period when he was essentially banned and shunned in Hollywood, it features Dennis himself in one of his most memorable roles.

Rather than summarize the plot which is well explained in the accompanying booklet (and spoil a truly `different` ending) I`ll just stick to the details of the disc.

The disc itself is region 0 i.e. it will play anywhere and on any player which is refreshing and is a feature of the Sanctuary Special Editions series of discs.

Video

For a film made in 1980, the picture quality is surprisingly good. Presented in the original widescreen aspect ratio, the film has been painstakingly cleaned and restored for this disc.

The colour is a little washed out in the wider open shots but contrast is good with little evidence of excessive edge enhancement or other digital artifats. Interior locations come across well with a nice deep shade to blacks without loss of detail.

Audio

Audio is offered in the original stereo of with a modern 5.1 remix. Personally I prefer the original - I found the remix sounded too artificial with odd separation and no real improvement to the sound field.

The stereo soundtrack is well balanced and effective and recommended. Dialogue is presented accurately and incidental sounds never mask what`s going on.

The musical soundtrack is simple yet effective.

Features

Being a special edition there are some nice extras here. Specifically we get an informative commentary by Dennis Hopper and his producer and distributor which give some great insights into the film and into Hopper`s own acting and directing style and ethos.

The other extras include the standard trailer and a rather handy 12 page booklet about the plot, the film and the music within the film. This is well worth a read and contains a whole heap of useful info......

The other extra is Jack Nicholson talking about and recommending Out of the Blue - a film he`s not even involved in!

Conclusion

An excellent version of a truly groundshaking, disturbing film. This is one of those films you almost have to watch - as with Easy Rider (which is IMHO a better film). I also recommend actually listening to the commentary.

The acting is superb and the directing by Hopper is simple yet effective. This is in essence a simple film with a complex dark side that will leave you thinking for days afterwards.

Recommended but not for those looking for lightweight fluff :)