Review Category: DVD/Blu Ray

THE LONG GOOD FRIDAY

The Long Good Friday was made in 1979 and looks it. It was filmed on location in and around a derelict and rundown London Docklands which now no longer exists, having long since been redeveloped into luxury apartments, glitzy restaurants and shops and swanky marinas for the rich and famous. Yet The Long Good Friday rarely looks its age; many of its themes are both timeless and timely. London, like many major UK cities, is still growing and expanding, the battle for a bigger and better skyline always fought by the rich kids and the financiers and, in the case of The Long Good Friday, by those whose altruistic façade masks a craving to be Number One, the Big Boss.

In a career-making and very probably career-defining performance, the much-missed Bob Hoskins plays shady London gangster-cum-businessman Harold Shand, whose riverboat schmoozing of potential big bucks Mafia investors from New York is interrupted by a worrying spate of attacks on his own people – including his best friend Colin, who is fatally stabbed at a swimming baths after making a pass at a young Pierce Brosnan. With his investors getting edgy and some unknown enemy chipping away at his empire, Harold marshals his resources to find and destroy the culprits before his plan to create a New London in time for the 1988 Olympics (remember them??) is torn apart by the very same ruthless violence which has put him in his own position of dubious power. But in time Harold finds out he’s been outmanoeuvred by an enemy even he can’t hope to defeat as a quiet Good Friday in London becomes a very long Good Friday indeed…

The Long Good Friday remains a gripping, scintillating and visceral modern gangster movie, in its own way the film which launched the likes of Lock Stock, Snatch and a hundred cheap flicks starring Danny Dyer and some blokes who used to be in The Bill. But The Long Good Friday is still the daddy. Its violence is subtle and rarely gratuitous but the film is relentlessly edgy, and as the atrocities visited upon Harry and his people and premises grow in stature, we’re constantly expecting an explosion of fury and bloodshed which ultimately arrives in a ruthless shoot-out at a stock-car racing meeting where Harry, it appears, finally gains the upper hand. Hoskins is wonderful as Harry, a gentleman’s gangster who tortures suspects for information and, when he’s done with them, packs them off home with a grand apiece for their trouble. But he’s ruthless too when he needs to be and Hoskins is breath-takingly good during his rallying-the-troops speech to his audience on his riverboat and later, in the electrifying and unforgettable final sequence where he expresses a dozen mixed emotions without uttering a single world.

But this isn’t just Bob Hoskins’ film. Helen Mirren is superb as Harry’s conscience Victoria and who would suspect that Casualty’s avuncular Charlie, Derek Thompson, could turn in such a muted, subtle and menacing performance as Harry’s right-hand man Jeff. London’s the star too, the deserted Docklands studded with cranes (the shape of things to come), an urban landscape full of struggling people who, has Harry observes at one point, deserve so much more.

Initially underappreciated before its cinema release in the UK – the film underwent several ignominies before it finally saw the light of day as its makers intended – The Long Good Friday has gone on to become acknowledged as one of the great British movies, a cult gangster film which finally broke through and by sheer force of will became recognised not only as a classic of its type, but just a classic movie in its own right. This pin-sharp new Steelbook Blu-ray edition is surely the definitive presentation of an historic, landmark movie, packed with vintage documentaries and interview features which finally do justice to an astonishing, bravura piece of film-making. You must own this film.

Special Features: Director’s commentary / 2006 ‘Making of’ documentary / Interviews / Redubbed scenes / Apache public information film / Souvenir booklet

INFO: THE LONG GOOD FRIDAY / CERT: 18 / DIRECTOR: JOHN MACKENZIE / SCREENPLAY: BARRIE KEEFE / STARRING: BOB HOSKINS, HELEN MIRREN, DEREK THOMPSON, P.H. MORIARTY, DAVE KING, PIERCE BROSNAN / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

 

EX MACHINA 

The directorial debut for universally-acclaimed writer Alex Garland (28 Days Later and Sunshine), Ex Machina is a unique and intelligent slice of science fiction that addresses weighty topics, such as the blurred lines between technology and morality, whilst also working in its own right as a superbly unnerving psychological thriller. The film revolves around Caleb (Gleeson), a naïve IT programmer who works at the world’s largest search engine company. He ends up winning a competition to spend a week with the company’s reclusive CEO Nathan (Isaac) at his “remote” mountain retreat.

Once Caleb turns up, instead of bonding and getting an expected promotion, he’s told by Nathan that he’s really there to take part in a variation of the “Turing Test” with his latest creation: Ava, an elegant AI robot with a cyborgian body structure that has been affixed with a humanoid face and hands. As Caleb begins to become acquainted with the notion that Ava is a robot, he begins to question and have doubts about the test, but Nathan explains that the actual test is whether or not she can pass off as a human being despite the apparent knowledge that Ava’s anything but human.

When you look at Garland’s past work, you can clearly see just how much creative ingenuity has greatly influenced his transition into filmmaking, and Ex Machina is, without question, his finest creation to date, his own personal “Magnum Opus”. Within its confined, claustrophobic walls lie huge ideas that hark back to the more grown-up world of science fiction. It tackles with complicated, philosophical questions about the dangers of playing God and nature vs. nurture, whilst also dealing with the central thesis of a machine being able to think for itself, as well as if it’s possible for a machine to be either attracted or attractive.

This opens the doors to even seedier levels as it deals with the topics of manipulation through sexuality and the detachment from human desire, heavily alluding to films such as Under the Skin, Her and Blade Runner. But, it’s to Alex Garland’s credit that he makes those generic ideas feel more fresh and exciting than ever before, making it accessible to a mainstream audience. He draws the audience in with those ideas, and then cleverly traps them within a vice-like grip that keeps them on the edge of their seat all the way through.

Ultimately the film is a three-hander, with the three principal performers collectively giving masterclass performances; Oscar Isaac is a perfect concoction of likeability and terrifying, whilst Dohmnall Gleeson provides the perfect sympathetic counterpart, possessing a strong sense of both decency and morality. However, it’s undeniably the mercurial Alicia Vikander who completely steals the show, giving a hypnotically mesmerising performance that beautifully blurs the boundaries between the natural and the unnatural (the organic and the technological). Thanks to the perfect combination of Double Negative’s masterful computer-generated visuals (the robotic design being a unique amalgamation of Sonny from I, Robot and the Björk robots from Chris Cunningham’s All Is Full of Love music video) and Vikander’s balletic, yet note-perfect, physicality, you can never take your eyes off Ava, and she’ll be the character everyone’ll talk about the most once the film ends.

The film also boasts excellent cinematography from Rob Hardy and a haunting score from Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow, but every single aspect in the film is accomplished thanks to Alex Garland and his uncompromising vision. The end result is a stylish, thought-provoking experience, and is truly one of the most entertaining sci-fi films in recent years. Everyone better watch out for Garland, he’s a talent that’s not to be messed with.

Special Features: Five featurettes

INFO: CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: ALEX GARLAND / SCREENPLAY: ALEX GARLAND / STARRING: DOMHNALL GLEESON, OSCAR ISAAC, ALICIA VIKANDER / RELEASE DATE: JUNE 1ST (DVD/BLU-RAY), MAY 18TH (VOD)
  
 

VICE

The once-bankable Bruce Willis does his fading-star status no favours in this cheap, predictable sci-fi thriller too tawdry and pointless to deserve even the most desultory of theatrical releases. It’s not hard to see why; there’s some flash and glitz in the production design, a few routine gunfights and stunts but nothing that really couldn’t be achieved in an episode of a well-budgeted TV series. In fact, Vice bears a passing resemblance to 2012’s short-lived futuristic buddy copy series Almost Human (but with much more tiresome swearing) as well as borrowing themes and ideas from the likes of AI, Blade Runner and even Michael Crichton’s Westworld. Abandon all hope ye who enter the world of Vice looking for something original…

So, if you’re interested, here’s what’s in store. Set somewhere in the future (presumably) in some bland, nameless city, Julian Michaels (Bruce!!) is the CEO of a district subtly-named ‘Vice’ whose customers, with the help of the resort’s phalanx of reprogrammable synthetic cloned robot-things (the film’s as vague about them as we are), can indulge themselves in any fantasy and commit any crime or misdemeanour without fear of reprisal or repercussion. So far, so Purge. But Kelly (Childs), one of the synthetics, starts to become self-aware and realises her/its purposes – and she’s not too happy about it. She goes on the run, hotly pursued with Bruce’s hopeless and hapless gun-totin’ henchmen who are determined to bring her in before she can spread the word to the rest of the synthetic population. Meanwhile grizzled cop Roy (Thomas Jane…ah, The Mist seems so long ago now) is determined to shut down the corrupt city and he seizes on the opportunity presented by Kelly’s awakening to work his way deep into the heart of Vice’s nerve centre.

Nothing we’ve not seen before then and whilst it’s no crime to reheat old ideas it’d be nice if Vice (it rhymes!) had the wit to bring something new to the table instead of contenting itself with trotting out old clichés and visual motifs as if it was reinventing the sci-fi cinema wheel. For all its bluster there’s precious little energy here and even the action sequences are largely lifeless and perfunctory. Bruce doesn’t just phone in his performance, he leaves it on an answering machine and, with all his scenes set in pretty much one room, it looks as if he wandered in on a spare weekend to knock off his bits before ambling home to bank the cheque.

We’ve seen far worse straight-to-DVD sci-fi movies, obviously, but few starring a once-mighty A-Lister so clearly in it for the money. Vice won’t necessarily offend your sensibilities but you’ll certainly feel you’ve wasted a good and irrecoverable ninety minutes of your life. Take our ad-vice and give this one a miss. 

INFO: VICE / CERT: 18 / DIRECTOR: BRIAN A MILLER / SCREENPLAY: ANDRE FABRIZIO, JEREMY PASSMORE / STARRING: THOMAS JANE, BRUCE WILLIS, AMBYR CHILDERS, BRYAN GREENBERG / RELEASE DATE: JUNE 8TH
 

THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY

Having paid homage to giallo films with his unsettling horror Berberian Sound Studio, writer/director Peter Strickland turns his homage attention to the euro erotic films of the 1970’s for The Duke of Burgundy, exploring the dominant/submissive relationship between two women in the isolated world of a country house.

Given the subject of the film, you would be forgiven for having preconceived ideas about the kind of film The Duke Of Burgundy is, especially when you factor in that it is a film written and directed by a man, but you would be wrong and it’s to Strickland’s credit that he raises the film above these ideas to present a story that is erotic, unsettling, touching and (possibly most surprising) funny.

It’s a sad but true fact that most films like this would be sold on the sex first and the story second, using that to find a wider audience (a case in point would be Blue Is The Warmest Colour, a film that was preceded by its reputation of a graphic sex scene rather than the actual story in the film). Strickland opts for neither nudity nor graphic sex scenes and instead uses clothes and situations to create eroticism in a world that seems to exist both out of time and out of reality, giving the relationship a dream-like feel that is both beautiful and haunting. Both Knudsen and D’Anna are outstanding in the lead roles, portraying their relationship with subtlety and restraint that many others would have given an “Oscar Clip” performance to whenever the story would allow.

Unlike the trashier (and more questionable) 50 Shades Of Grey, the film isn’t afraid to look at the roles both women play in their relationship and allows the characters to question their places in the relationship and the effect it is having on them as individuals. It handles the gradual shift in power between the two women as the submissive begins to want more from their relationship, whilst the dominant begins to worry that she will become trapped in the dominant role and questions just how far she can take it. 

There are times where the film is probably a little too arty for its own good and that is something that may not make it repeat viewing for many, but even if you watch it just the once, you will be rewarded with a love story that is intelligently handled and touchingly portrayed.

EXTRAS: Director’s Commentary / Interview with Peter Strickland / Still Gallery / Deleted Scenes / Cat’s Eyes Promo / Conduct Phase (short film) / Mole Cricket Field Notes / Trailer

INFO: CERT: 18 / DIRECTOR: PETER STRICKLAND / SCREENPLAY: PETER STRICKLAND / STARRING: SIDES BABETT KNUDSEN, CHIARA D’ANNA, FATMA MOHAMED / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
 

MOONDIAL (1988)

Adapted for the screen by Helen Cresswell from her own novel, Moondial was screened on Children’s BBC in 1988 and stands as a fitting reminder that children’s imaginations are best fed and watered by intelligent story-telling which is neither patronising nor presumptuous. With kids’ TV now dwelling in the nether regions of CiTV and CBBC, Moondial seems like the product of another age in more ways than one. The six-part serial is a classy, atmospheric and occasionally quite creepy affair, but it’s hard to imagine today’s excitable young generation, living and breathing Twitter and Facebook and Justin Bieber, finding much appeal in this terribly British tale of time travel, mysterious Victorian governesses and creepy old country houses.

Fourteen-year-old Araminta Caine (known as Minty) is packed off by her widowed mother to stay with her aunt in her country cottage for the summer but disaster strikes almost immediately when her mother is seriously injured in a car accident after dropping Minty (Neal) at her aunt’s. With her mother lost in a coma, Minty explores her new surroundings and finds herself drawn to a moondial in the grounds of a nearby country mansion. The moondial has mysterious properties and Minty is transported back to the nineteenth century and a series of encounters with a consumptive urchin named Tom (Sands), an orphan working as a servant at the house and a terrified girl named Sarah whose disfiguring facial birthmark has led to her being dubbed ‘the Devil’s child’. Minty becomes fascinated and troubled by life at the turn of the century and when eccentric ghost hunter Miss Raven (Pearce) turns up to investigate the mansion house in the twentieth century bearing an extraordinary resemblance to formidable Victorian governess Miss Vole, Minty realises that she holds the key to helping Tom and Sarah escape their gruelling fate in a cold and unfriendly world.

Moondial is heavy on atmosphere but light on action. It’s not by any means a traditional adventure series and its time travel conceit – accepted with remarkably alacrity by Minty – is merely a device by which the story can explore issues such as abuse, ignorance and prejudice. In the twentieth century, Minty, who has already lost her father, now has to face the possibility of losing her mother. It’s grim stuff for 1980s nippers, but the show’s to be commended for its willingness to tackle difficult and often quite mature concepts head-on without resorting to convenient and reassuring primary colour kids’ TV clichés. Mannered performances nail the series squarely to the period, but young Siri Neal, who carries the weight of the story, is utterly convincing as the troubled Minty, and Jacqueline Pearce, as ever, never fails to channel her inner Servalan as the devilish Miss Vole and the extravagant Miss Raven. Sometimes too slow-paced for its own good, Moondial is wonderfully moody, intelligently, and thoughtfully directed by Colin Cant and with some genuinely eerie and edgy moments which push right at the boundaries of what must have been considered acceptable for childrens’ telly; one night-time sequence with a bunch of masked kids holding illuminated pumpkins, chanting ‘Devil’s Child’ before throwing an effigy onto a bonfire could pass muster as a deleted scene from The Wicker Man.

Grown-up 1980s ankle-biters will get a nostalgic thrill from Moondial and while it still holds up well as a production it’s unlikely to give sleepless nights to today’s brats who routinely watch stronger stuff on their iPhones on their way to school.

Extras: Interviews with Siri Neal and Colin Cant / Two commentaries

CERT: PG / DIRECTOR: COLIN CANT / SCREENPLAY: HELEN CRESSWELL / STARRING: SIRI NEAL, JACQUELINE PEARCE, JOANNA DUNHAM, TONY SANDS, VALERIE LUSH, ARTHUR HEWLETT / RELEASE DATE: MAY 4TH
 

SHAUN THE SHEEP MOVIE

You know who Shaun the Sheep is, don’t you? Just in case you don’t, he’s the titular ruminant in Aardman’s Wallace & Gromit telly spin-off. While it’s intended for far younger folk than ourselves, it’s actually pretty entertaining to anyone with a sense of humour. Normally coming in 7-minute episodes, but Shaun has now been given the feature-length treatment. That’s never going to work…

Shaun and his flock fancy a day off from the tedium of farmyard life so they trick The Farmer into sleeping in his caravan while they run amok. But when Bitzer (he’s the dog) rumbles them it all goes horribly wrong and the caravan finds its way to the big city where The Farmer bangs his head and loses his memory. As the sheep can’t actually feed themselves (which is odd because we’re sure they eat grass) there is no other option but for Bitzer, Shaun and the rest of the flock to go and rescue him with hilarious consequences.

Does it work in this long format? Well, perhaps surprisingly, it does. Aardman have got plenty of experience at this sort of thing and they get the pacing and the gag-per-minute ratio bang on. Of course the humans just mumble and the sheep just bleat so it’s all visual humour but there’s time for far more elaborate set-pieces and even character development. The relationship between The Farmer and the animals has been changed slightly to give it a bit more dramatic tension but it really does work. This is Shaun but with the trappings of an epic. This is There and Back Again in stop-motion. With sheep. There are heroes and villains; triumph and defeat; joy and sorrow; redemption and landing in cow dung. This is Homer’s Odyssey with bottom gags.

In all honesty, we enjoyed this more than the short format. The kids love it (this reviewer’s son was in fits of laughter as usual when Shaun is on) but there’s loads of stuff for the adults. Perfect family entertainment and it even has a great soundtrack. Primal Scream? No-one was expecting that. Can’t wait for the sequel because, as the song says, “Life’s a treat with Shaun the Sheep”.

INFO: CERT: U / DIRECTOR: RICHARD STARZAK, MARK BURTON / SCREENPLAY: RICARD STARZAK. MIKE BURTON / STARRING: JUSTIN FLETCHER, JOHN SPARKES, OMID DJALILI / RELEASE DATE: JUNE 1ST
 

BLOOD AND BLACK LACE (1964)

Pssst… Fancy a bit of giallo? Course you do. What was that? Oh, right… Well a giallo is one of those stylish Italian thrillers that started in the ‘60s and have proved highly influential on the modern slasher-flick. OK, let us put it another way. Fancy seeing a film about a fashion house full of impossibly glamorous Italian models being picked off one-by-one by a masked killer in retina-burning Technicolor? Oh, now you’re interested…

Blood and Black Lace is an early (though not the first) giallo and it’s brought to you by the masterful Mario Bava. It’s set around the aforementioned fashion house and while the story has some admirable twists, it’s still fairly perfunctory stuff. But who watches a giallo for the plot? OK, some might, but this is a movie whose original poster boasted “Guaranteed! The 8 greatest shocks ever filmed!” We actually gave up counting on that front but as nothing burst out of anyone’s chest and a half-buried Statue of Liberty does not make a late appearance to reveal where they really are, we think it fair to say that might be a slight exaggeration. Mind you, it’s still pretty brutal and it’d be fair to say that it was probably fairly shocking at the time. The suspense is brilliantly handled and the killings are surprisingly wince-inducing for the mid-‘60s.

But arguably the real strength of the movie is just the look of the damn thing. While some of Bava’s shot composition is extraordinary, the use of colour is nothing short of astonishing. Right from the restored original (and brilliantly camp) opening credits, Bava unleashes an assault on our visual senses. You’re left wondering why all movies don’t look like this until you realise we’d all have some terrible movie-induced headache if they did. If you want to get all film studies about it we can assure you that the colours all have some meaning to convey (never wear the same black dress the recently murdered model was supposed to wear) but to be honest, it’s just the sheer brilliance of those reds and greens that captivate. And there we were thinking monochrome was the only way to do moody . We don’t normally bang on about the quality of the Blu-ray transfer too much but this is a new 2K restoration from the original negative and we very much doubt it has been seen like this its original theatrical release. It has to be seen to be believed.

So it’s a visually stunning ground-breaking thriller that’s been brilliantly restored and presented in the most flattering of ways. What do you people want? Eva Bartok?

Oh, and it has Eva Bartok in it. Of course it does.

Extras: Five documentaries, commentary by Tim Lucas, alternate credit sequence, trailer, short film, booklet, subtitle or English soundtrack options.

INFO: CERT: 18 / DIRECTOR: MARIO BAVA / SCREENPLAY: MARCELLO FONDATO / STARRING: CAMERON MITCHELL, EVA BARTOK, THOMAS, REINER, ARIANA GORINI / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

BIRDMAN (OR THE UNEXPECTED VIRTUE OF IGNORANCE)

Who determines what high art is? Is it the critics who deem something as “must-see” or “a badly put together fiasco”? Or perhaps it is the audience that pays to watch? Either way high art is often in the eyes of the creator and this past awards season one film pecked away at this idea and many other notions. Soaring high above the cinematic landscape, is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s a movie unlike anything else you’ll see. Playing like a wicked cross between The Producers and Black Swan, there is so much more to this showbiz satire that defining it as similar to something becomes quite difficult and it floors any expectation you may have had going in. Director Alejandro González Iñáritu (Amores Perros, Babel, 21 Grams) with his latest feature, which received awards and critical acclaim this January, creates something truly special that will speak to you in a variety of ways about a great many things.

The film is centred on former blockbuster movie star Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton), who is trying to adapt the Raymond Carver short story What We Talk About When We Talk About Love to the stage. However in the process Riggan is haunted by the very hero he once played – Birdman – and pushed to the edge by a very troubled production. Though sounding more like a straight theatre satire, Birdman forgoes this one area of focus and gives us a sharp, often hilarious, view of the entertainment industry as a whole and the damaged actors that fill it. From the simplistic and yet brilliantly escalating drum soundtrack by Antonio Sánchez to the snake-like and prowling cinematography of Emmanuel Lubezki, Birdman is a sensational looking film that flys to the centre of the stage play fray and pulls no punches in it’s snappy writing and ideas.

The acting is excellent with Edward Norton as the excessive and respected method stage actor Mike Shiner and Emma Stone as Riggan’s recovering addict daughter Samantha both shining best. The support in this film is absolutely first rate with Naomi Watts as fellow actress Lesley and Zach Galifianakis as Riggan’s friend/lawyer also boasting memorable turns in the film, as does Lindsay Duncan as a particularly icy theater critic Tabitha Dickinson. However, the film perches ultimately on the shoulders of Michael Keaton, who delivers an astonishing performance. Both in and out of the feathered cowl, Keaton is a tour de force and seems to send up his own career while also rebirthing it in many ways. Keaton has always been very underrated in this writer’s mind and this film showcases the man’s impeccable talent, as Riggan he gives the film many of it’s biggest laughs, compelling drama and pathos. 

Birdman simply put is a well-directed masterpiece that may prove somewhat divisive among viewers, especially it’s open ending, which seems to challenge the moments of Riggan’s egotistical daydreaming throughout. However nobody can say that they have seen a film like this before, one which spreads its wings, showing off a director, cast and writers unburdened by big studios and their mainstream fads. Birdman is a film that tears apart the classifications of art by high society, what makes a mainstream movie a box office success and ultimately addresses issues of self-worth and the value of embracing your identity. However by the end of the film, you also feel to have experienced something else, an empowering feeling that this movie, contrary to dispelling the idea of magic, actually supports it. In summary, this is a film everyone should see and which deserves to be seen for years more as the satirical masterpiece that it is, and one that showcases an excellent actor at the peak of his powers. See it as soon as possible; it’s still the best film this year!

INFO: CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: ALEJANDRO GONZÁLEZ IÑÁRITU / SCREENPLAY: ALEJANDRO GONZÁLEZ, NICOLÁS GIACOBONE, ARMANDO BÓ, ALEXANDER DINELARIS, JR. / STARRING: MICHAEL KEATON, EDWARD NORTON, EMMA STONE, ZACH GALIFIANAKIS, NAOMI WATTS / RELEASE DATE: MAY 4TH

ISLAND OF DEATH (1976)

Of all the Director of Public Prosecutions’ notorious 39 outlawed videos, Island of Death was the most tasteless, controversial and depraved. Director, writer and producer Nico Mastorakis might have made the film purely for financial means, but it’s since become one of the most lusted-after cult films and a definitive exploitation flick. And it’s cleaned up pretty well on Blu-ray.

The film is overshadow by its chequered past, where it was notoriously cut to be passed X for its theatrical release, before being declined classification on home video on multiple occasions. With cuts and title changes (Island of Perversion being our favourite) it managed to slink around the censors. That was until 2010, where the BBFC finally gave up the goose and passed the film uncut. Since then, Mastorakis’ nasty little masterpiece has enjoyed a renaissance and you don’t feel half as dirty watching it.

The plot, what little of it makes sense, follows sibling lovers Christopher (Behling) and Celia (Lyle) who arrive from London to the Greek island of Mykonos. Christopher is a self-styled avenging angel, sent to punish the inhabitants for their perversions and sexual depravity. This amounts to provoking the locals into sex acts and then offing them in inventive and eye watering ways, taking photos all the while. Between them and the locals, an impressive rap sheet of violence and depravity soon adds up, from golden showers to bestiality and decapitation and much more besides.

Even before the killing spree gets underway, the cinematography lulls you in with inviting shots of the town with its white buildings, tight streets and twinkling seas. For all its media baiting antics, it’s beautifully and confidently shot. Mastorakis was uncredited as cinematographer alongside Nikos Gardelis, and between then they’ve created a postcard in motion. The bizarre soundtrack has weathered well, the folky infused songs adding a curious juxtaposition to the antics onscreen, with sly lyrics from Mastorakis himself.

The film may seem tame by today’s standards, it’s hardly torture porn, but the rape scenes in particular are still intensely visceral. Christopher ends up getting his comeuppance by the time the credits roll, but the motives, means and reasons behind his actions are ambiguous and largely amount to nothing. Island of Death is a curiosity, one that fans of exploitation should all see once. But with the extras included in Arrow’s Blu-ray release, it’s one you’ll want to own too.

Extras: director-approved 2K restoration / Exploring Island of Death – film historian Stephen Thrower on the making of a cult classic / Return to Island of Death – the original Mykonos locations / Archive interview with director Mastorakis / Alternative opening titles / Island Sounds – five original tracks from the soundtrack / Trailer / The Films of Nico Mastorakis – four-part documentary /Nico Mastorakis Trailer Reel / Fully-illustrated collector’s booklet.

INFO: CERT: 18 / DIRECTOR: NICO MASTORAKIS / SCREENPLAY: NICO MASTORAKIS / STARRING: ROBERT BEHLING, JANE LYLE, JESSICA DUBLIN / RELEASE DATE: MAY 25TH