By 1967, as the New Hollywood era began to take hold in the kinds of mainstream productions audiences saw in theaters, the crime genre was evolving. The classic film noir period had ended nearly a decade earlier, and while it was not yet a popular term, neo-noir began to emerge. John Boorman’s stylish revenge thriller Point Blank would be seen as one of the early prototypical examples, with clear themes and characteristics in its visual elements, nihilistic morality, hard-boiled plotting, and, of course, a conflicted anti-hero at the center, embodied by a terrific Lee Marvin. Now we have the Criterion Collection release to get a handle on, and it presents this wonderful thriller with a fantastic new 4K restoration that includes Dolby Vision HDR, along with a handful of new special features to round out the package.
See Also: 4K UHD Review: ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’ Fully Accepts Cruise’s Action-Packed Spectacle
The Film
Marvin stars as Walker, a ruthless criminal who has just been betrayed by his partner Mal (John Vernon) and his wife Lynne (Sharon Acker). Shot and left for dead on Alcatraz Island (this was the first film allowed to film at the infamous prison), Walker recovers and returns to Los Angeles years later to get revenge. He only wants the money, but his sudden involvement in the web of a vast criminal organization creates plenty of problems. This is especially a problem for Mal, now part of this criminal outfit and currently dating Walker’s sister-in-law, Chris (an excellent Angie Dickinson). However, Chris’ own seething aimed toward Mal and his associates may be what Walker needs to help him achieve justice.
At just over 90 minutes, this is a mean and lean picture, featuring heavy experimentation by Boorman. This is only his second feature, and he’ll go on to deliver a few more classics along with some notable bombs. He’s clearly sharpened up in the right way to put this feature together. Combining elements of classic noir with touches of what was working for the French New Wave, aspects such as the timeline diversions, careful uses of empty space, focus on specific colorizations of scenes, and lots of scenes where words go unspoken. The fact that this still feels as fast-paced as it does comes down to the editing and confidence in the story being told. There’s only so much going on on screen, and yet the urgency, combined with what are ostensibly arthouse elements, works.
The story comes from The Hunter, the 1963 novel by Richard Stark (aka Donald E. Westlake). It has since been adapted several times, with various people ranging from Mel Gibson to Jason Statham. While some are stronger than others, none have come close to capturing the style, cool, and intensity of what director John Boorman offered. This is only the second film from Boorman, and while he’d go on to have a long and diverse career, Point Blank would remain one of his standout efforts. That’s not just because of how great a performance he gets from Marvin (whom he’d work with again a year later in Hell in the Pacific), but due to what a defining stamp he made on the neo-noir genre, let alone how he’d influence so many other filmmakers who’d follow him.
Yes, Boorman is already drawing on the past as well as what’s happening in France, but his own touches still allow the film to play as its own unique picture. Having these performers with him only adds to that. Marvin is so fantastic here, nailing the quiet intensity needed, looking the part, and even leaning into the sort of oddity of the mood. Dickinson also unleashes herself here, getting more physical than one may expect. True to form, the rest of the cast are strong character actors who add a quirkiness to the proceedings, even if they are ultimately bad people. Honestly, that is key to this film as a whole – there are really no good people connected to Walker, which even lends credence to theories that this film is set in some dream or underworld that begins as soon as Walker is shot up front. Whatever the case, Point Blank does what it can to be direct yet disorienting, which only adds to the myth of Walker.
As a violent neo-noir with a pitch-perfect performance by Lee Marvin, Point Blank delivers. It’s made with intentions in mind that may allow for ambiguity, but certainly speak to direct choices to build a unique atmosphere populated by dark elements. It’s a movie full of visual metaphors and stands up oh-so-well thanks to its creative choices matched with hard-boiled storytelling. Walker may just want the money, but the film has far more to say, and does so with style.
The Video
Criterion provides a typical description of the process: “Supervised and approved by director John Boorman, this new 4K restoration was created from the original 35mm camera negative, with 35mm separation masters used for some sections. A 35mm archival print provided by Warner Bros. was used as a color reference.” Additionally, the film is presented in Dolby Vision HDR, and it all pays off, making this the best-looking version of Point Blank I’ve seen, not unlike the way Criterion has handled other recent Warner Bros. releases such as Eyes Wide Shut. Colors hit the way they should, and character detail is as sharp as I’ve seen it, giving us a sense of all the different faces we see. Black levels are also nice and rich. This is a stellar transfer.
The Audio
As described by Criterion, “The original monaural soundtrack was remastered from the magnetic track.” The release arrives with an English LPCM 1.0 track. As usual, there may only be the old-school option, but Criterion has done a great job of allowing this to be as strong an audio track as it can be. Action scenes play well, as do any scenes where music comes into play. The dialogue is all heard clearly. The film sounds terrific.
The Extras
Criterion has brought over a few archival extras, including a documentary about production on Alcatraz and John Boorman’s 2005 commentary track, moderated by Steven Soderbergh. New to this release are a few visual essays, an interview between Mark Harris and Boorman, a program that allows director Jim Jarmusch to discuss his love of the film, and an old episode of The Dick Cavett Show featuring Lee Marvin. Plus, the illustrated leaflet features an essay by critic Geoff Dyer. All of this rounds out the package quite well.
The Verdict
Point Blank was an exciting pick to join the Criterion library, yet it feels like a film that could have been included long ago. Now it’s finally here, and the results are terrific. The restoration looks and sounds fantastic, and the extras offer a nice amount of additional information about the production’s history. As a killer neo-noir, I have plenty of praise for the feature. Now being available in 4K UHD, there’s plenty of good reason to pick up this terrific Lee Marvin thriller.
Point Blank is now available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-ray.
