3 Days of the Condor Blu-ray

3 Days of the Condor

 (1975)

Drama | Romance | Thriller



In Sydney Pollack's critically acclaimed suspense-thriller, Robert Redford ('Spy Game') stars as CIA Agent Joe Turner. Code name: Condor. When his entire office is massacred, Turner goes on the run from his enemies...and his so-called allies. After reporting the murders to his superiors, the organization wants to bring Condor in - but somebody is trying to take him out. In his frantic hunt for answers, and in a desperate run for his life, Turner abducts photographer Kathy Hale (Faye Dunaway, 'The Thomas Crown Affair'), eventually seducing her into helping him.

Every twist leads Condor to the end of his nerves...and will take you to the edge of your seat. With nowhere to turn and no one to trust, Turner realizes his most dangerous enemy may be closer than he ever feared. And as he zeroes in on the truth, he discovers there are some secrets people would kill to keep.

For more details about 3 Days of the Condor on Blu-ray, see the 3 Days of the Condor Blu-ray Review

3 Days of the Condor Blu-ray, Video Quality

 

To call 3 Days of the Condor's grainy 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer "filmic" would be a gross understatement. Owen Roizman's photography is grim and gritty, forfeiting vibrant colors in favor of a more dismal palette. That's not to say primaries are always washed out: reds pack frequent punch, stark blues assault the eyes on occasion, and skintones have a slightly warm, healthy appearance that suits the nature of the film. Blacks aren't exactly deep, but have a steady resolve that produces comparable dimensionality. Moreover, contrast is spot on and shadow delineation is more revealing than it is on the disc's standard DVD counterpart. If anything, image clarity is an issue. While a surprising number of shots and scenes are immaculate -- extraordinary even -- others are dull, insipid, and uninspiring. I have no doubt much of the picture's intermittent softness can be attributed to the original print and the cameras used to shoot the film, but the shifting sharpness of the image can be jarring and downright distracting. Ah well, at least Paramount's technical transfer is impressive. While source noise and artifacting haven't been eliminated entirely, the picture isn't burdened by any debilitating digital anomalies, glaring edge enhancement, or pesky DNR. Barring a future high-dollar overhaul, Pollack's 3 Days of the Condor probably won't look much better than it does here.

3 Days of the Condor Blu-ray, Audio Quality

 

Purists will be fairly pleased with 3 Days of the Condor's fit and faithful Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround track. It doesn't boast the dynamic prowess or immersive soundfield of the best catalog remixes on the market -- its at-times paper-thin sonics are undeniably flat and front-heavy -- but it does deliver a passable approximation of the film's original mono presentation. Dialogue is stable and natural, allowing rapidfire conversations to register more clearly than they have on previous home video releases. Even though a few lines are a bit muffled and muddled, the overall improvement is noteworthy. Gunshots and other pulse-pounding aspects of the mix also call a fair amount of attention to deeper, more robust LFE presence. Sure, it all sounds suitably dated (even by '70s standards), but anyone familiar with the cinematic limitations of the era will shrug off any such shortcomings. If anything, modern filmfans will probably complain about the track's distinct lack of rear speaker activity, a criticism I find slightly amusing in light of the film's intended theatrical presentation. Ah well, it won't change anyone's impression of '70s audio and it certainly won't earn points for bombast or fidelity, but 3 Days of the Condor sounds pretty good in spite of everything that's working against it.

3 Days of the Condor Blu-ray, News and Updates

• Paramount Details More May Blu-ray Titles - March 3, 2009


• Paramount Reveals May Wave of Blu-ray Titles - February 24, 2009

3 Days of the Condor Blu-ray, Forum Discussions

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