The Man with the Golden Gun Blu-ray

The Man with the Golden Gun

 (1974)

Action | Adventure | Thriller



James Bond (Agent 007) must find the missing "Solex Agitator," a device that will harness the sun's radiation and give awesome power to whomever possesses it. Also vying for the prize is Francisco Scaramanga, a world-class assassin who brandishes a distinctive golden gun. When 007 discovers he is to be Scaramanga's next target, he is hurled into a deadly game of cat- and-mouse, continuing the search as he evades the killer on his trail. Bond must also contend with Scaramanga's exotic lover Andrea Anders, and Nick Nack, whose small size belies his lethal abilities. Even as 007 enlists the aid of sensuous Mary Goodnight, he must overcome ferocious odds to survive an explosive showdown on Scaramanga's remote island. His adventures draw him into a gripping boat pursuit, a wild automobile chase through Bangkok, and an unthinkable confrontation against an entire martial arts school.

For more details about The Man with the Golden Gun on Blu-ray, see The Man with the Golden Gun Blu-ray Review

The Man with the Golden Gun Blu-ray, Video Quality

 


The Man with the Golden Gun isn't the strongest cinematographic production to begin with, but the transfer is good. MGM's MPEG-4 AVC encode delivers good detail, especially in some close facial shots and clothing textures, although much of the picture is a bit soft. Supple grain is visible throughout, and the 1080p presentation has an overall film-like feel, which I enjoyed. Unfortunately, there were some minor signs of digitization including a hard-edged sheen to the grain in some scenes. The good news is that colors appear natural and realistic, from the earthtones of the blue sea and green trees to the skintones of Bond, Scaramanga and the Asian actors. No artifical contrast or brightening appears to be applied. I don't believe edge enhancement is used either, although some reports claim otherwise. Your mileage may vary.

Low-light detail is good. Watch the scene where Bond arrives on Macau. While the lights and shop signs appear vibrant, the shadow areas are also well delineated, with good grayscale performance. In some respects, such as fine detail and contrast, the night and indoor shots exceed the outdoor daylight scenes in balance and tone. Black level in the darker scenes also helps create some depth to help characters pop as opposed to a strictly flat presentation. The action sequences are shot rather poorly, but the transfer is not to blame.

The Man with the Golden Gun Blu-ray, Audio Quality

 


MGM's DTS HD Master Audio mix is not particularly lively or engaging. The detail and imaging are lacking, too. Dialog sounds crisp and clear, but that is about the highpoint of the audio performance. Car engines appear boxed-in and closed rather than the open, thoaty delivery that marks well-engineered soundtracks. Gunshots suffer as well. You will not mistake the shots in the movie mix for an escaped convict reeking havoc in your neighborhood. In fact, the entire mix appears pinched in the midrange and rolled off in the highs. There is no deep bass--might as well power down the sub--and even the mid-bass seems a bit anemic. Worse, the mix does not convey enough ambient information that in some Blu-ray soundtracks creates incredible presence. Here there is very content eminating from the rear speakers even in a busy casino or an island with the sounds of nature coming from all sides. At least aural cues SHOULD be coming from all sides, but instead The Man with the Golden Gun delivers a very two-dimensional, front and center soundstage that was quite boring and dull. The problem seemed to go beyond the way the film was originally produced and extended into telltale signs of the DTS HD MA mix.

The Man with the Golden Gun Blu-ray, News and Updates

• Bond Wave 3 Gets Detailed - March 19, 2009


• MGM Announces May Titles: Fargo, Bond, & The Good, the Bad, and t... - February 26, 2009

The Man with the Golden Gun Blu-ray, Forum Discussions

Topic

Replies

Last post