Angel Face (1952/RKO)/Border Incident (1949/MGM/both Warner Archive Blu-rays)/Evil Dead Rise 4K (2023/Warner 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray w/Blu-ray)/The Tank (2023/Well Go Blu-ray)/Uncle Sam 4K (1997/Blue Underground 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray)

4K Ultra HD Picture: A-/B+ Picture: B/B/B+/B+/X Sound: B-/B-/A/B+/B Extras: B-/B/D/C/B- Films: B-/B-/B/C/B-

PLEASE NOTE: The Angel Face and Border Incident Blu-rays are now only available from Warner Bros. through their Warner Archive series and can be ordered from the link below.

Though they are two of the darkest genres in all of cinema history, Film Noir and Horror films never seem to mix, so I thought we mix up a few new such releases to think on that one...

Otto Preminger's Angel Face (1952) is one of the director's outright blunter films in anger and stars Robert Mitchum (thriving at RKO as a close friend of then-owner Howard Hughes, who was not always running the studio at its artistic peak) playing a guy who just wants to open up a car garage and make an honest living on the up and up when he meets Diane (Jean Simmons) who he falls for. She looks great and seems nice enough, but nice is ice as she is up to something that is no good.

She wants to string him along to help her get things she wants that are illegal, immoral and worse, so what if she frames him? Mitchum is good at playing the tough guy, but I give him credit here for playing somewhat convincingly naive, yet still being his old tough guy persona. The result is an underrated Noir thriller everyone should check out.

Herbert Marshall heads the fine supporting cast.

The only extra is another great feature-length audio commentary track by Noir super-scholar Eddie Muller that is as priceless as ever.

Anthony Mann's Border Incident (1949) has finally been upgraded to Blu-ray and it is a very welcome entry for serious film fans. As I said in my DVD coverage of the film many years ago...

“Anthony Mann was no stranger to Noir and his 1949 film Border Incident has a solid early performance by Ricardo Montalban and strong showings by Howard Da Silva, George Murphy and James Mitchell about murder on the U.S./Mexican border near California. The film is also a Police Procedural with its mono-sourced narration and the idea that the law is omnipotent and omnipresent enough to right wrongs and avenge the state. Unfortunately, the reality in the film contradicts that on more than one occasion and the mix is fascinating. Extras include the original theatrical trailer and an outstanding audio commentary by Dana Polan, a film expert, scholar and professor who loves film and has been doing some of the best such tracks.”

It is still just Noir enough and as relevant as ever, plus shows the ever-great and popular Montalban in rare, form. Serious film fans should consider this a must-see film, especially in this new, restored version.

Sam Raimi's Evil Dead franchise has grown past the original three films over recent decades with the highly acclaimed Ash vs Dead series, and the 2013 Evil Dead remake. Fast forward ten years, and here we are with another re-imagining of the franchise with Lee Cronin's Evil Dead Rise 4K (2023), which isn't perfect, but miles better than the previous remake.

Set in a dilapidated apartment building instead of an isolated cabin in the woods, this Evil Dead sequel follows a dysfunctional family which includes two estranged sisters who reunite after a series of turmoil in both of their lives and they, along with three younger kids, become accidentally enthralled in the evil that the Book of the Dead, an ancient demonic power which unleashes on anyone who comes in contact with it after the ancient words are spoken (in this film they are played over some old records).

The film stars Lily Sullivan, Alyssa Sutherland, Morgan Davies, Gabrielle Echols, and Nell Fisher. Original franchise creators Sam Raimi, Producer Robert Tapert, and Producer / former lead star Bruce Campbell are in producer roles behind the scenes. If you listen closely you can hear Bruce Campbell do a voice cameo during the scene where the ancient words are spoken.

The film overall is very slick-looking and obviously had some digital touch ups in many areas to help aide the practical (and well executed) special effects. There is an abundance of blood, which is key to any Evil Dead film, and you can tell that Director Lee Cronin is certainly a fan of the franchise and wanted to pay it some respect. There are some influences from not only the original Evil Dead movies, but The Exorcist as well with a pretty gross puking scene. However, it's easy to see how this film could NOT be an Evil Dead movie, and simply a horror film on its own accord with a few script rewrites and a few of the Evil Dead references chopped out.

No special features at all shockingly. One would expect a commentary or deleted scene or even a bonus featurette. I guess the studio was in a rush to get this one out on disc!

Original Evil Dead franchise creators tried something different with this production and it seemed to work pretty well. The film was definitely received better than the previous Evil Dead remake by fans and even has some sequel potential if they wanted to go there. As long as future installments don't shy away from the gore and subtle references, I can see more Evil Dead movies popping up on the horizon. This film at least feels less like a remake than the previous installment did and more of its own film that tries something different with the formula, which is certainly a plus. I would recommend this to horror fans.

Evil Dead Rise has some pretty hair raising moments and eye popping gore (including a cringe-worthy scene with a cheese grater), and interesting performances across all of the leads, the film is worth checking out even though Bruce Campbell isn't the star of the project, and is admittedly one of the better sequels (or horror films of that matter) of the 2023 movie season.

For more on the franchise, try our coverage of the older remake:

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/12272/Evil+Dead+(2013+Remake/Sony+Blu-ray+++Digit

And on the TV series:

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/14376/Ash+Vs+The+Evil+Dead:+The+Complete+First+Se

The Tank (2023), which has been released on Blu-ray from Well-Go USA, is a slow burn horror film with a well crafted creepy atmosphere for its characters to live in. The monster itself isn't too bad: a cross between a Xenomorph from the Alien series and a four-legged animal with several rows of sharp teeth. The Tank excels in its first two acts yet once the monster is revealed it loses a bit of momentum.

The story centers on a small family of three in financial trouble with their pet shop where Ben, the main character inherits her creepy house in the middle of nowhere from his mother. Having never heard of the place before, the curiosity starts to grow. As the family start to settle in to the property, Ben uncovers some creepy facts about his ancestors and a hidden and mysterious tank room where a sinister monster dwells. It soon becomes apparent that the reason Ben was never told about this place was for his own safety!

The film stars Matt Whelan, Mark Mitchinson, Graham Vincent, Luciane Buchanan, and Jaya Beach-Robertson and is directed by Scott Walker.

Special Features:

A Look into the Tank featurette

Making the Creature

and an Original Theatrical Trailer.

The Tank is a genre film that isn't a groundbreaking masterpiece, but it achieves what it sets out to do, and isn't badly made from a filmmaking perspective.

Last but definitely not least, William Lustig's Uncle Sam 4K (1997) is back with a great upgrade by Blue Underground in the 4K Ultra HD format. Written by the late, great Larry Cohen (see one of his final reviews with us elsewhere on this site) with some sardonic humor that is aging very well, you can read my older review at this link:

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/10196/Uncle+Sam+(1997/Blue+Underground+Blu-ray

I think the film holds up well and has aged in some very interesting ways, especially how much change (sometimes severe) has happened in the USA since the film was last released. The density and atmosphere hold up very well and some of the comments are as relevant as ever, if not more so. Having a cast that includes Bo Hopkins, Timothy Bottoms, P.J. Soles, Robert Forster, Isaac Hayes and William Smith has only appreciated in value and impact. I miss fun casts like this.

Extras repeat the great extras on the older Blu-ray and save a few spots that did not work for me, the film is highly recommended!

Now for playback performance. Evil Dead Rise 4K is presented in 2160p on 4K UHD disc with HDR10, an HEVC/H.265 codec, a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.39:1 and an audio tracks in lossless Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 mixdown for older systems; 48kHz/24-bit), and lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps). The film is shot very well and has an equally cinematic and gothic look. The score is highly reminiscent of the Hellraiser soundtrack with soft yet sinister sounding strings that haunt the scenes where possession elements aren't included. A 1080p Blu-ray of the film is also included with similar specs, but less detail in the overall image.

The 2160p HEVC/H.265, 2.35 X 1, Dolby Vision/HDR (10; Ultra HD Premium)-enhanced Ultra High Definition image on Uncle Sam 4K has qualities even Rise 4K might be missing and is a nice upgrade from the older Blu-ray, which I thought looked fine, but this new 4K version has superior color, detail, depth and warmth the regular Blu-ray just cannot compete with. While the Blu-ray had a DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 7.1 mix that I was not totally happy with, we get two new lossless soundtracks here: Dolby Atmos and the original theatrical soundmaster DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1, both of which I liked more than the 7.1 version. The Atmos has some nice qualities that open up the sound, but the 5.1 is just as strong and rich, so you get two sonic winners here.

The 1080p 1.33 X 1 black & white digital High Definition image transfers on Angel and Border can sometimes show the age of the materials used, but these new restorations are far superior to any presentations I have seen of the films in the past and on home video. Video Black is rich, Video White clean and Gray Scale (when you get gray) convincing. The DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 2.0 Mono lossless mixes can show their age and sonic limits, but the hard work on their original monophonic soundmasters pay off here and sound as good as they ever will. The combinations are very watchable and enjoyable, but Warner Archive has been delivering well ion this level and fans will be especially pleased.

Lastly, The Tank is presented in 1080p high definition on Blu-ray disc with an MPEG-4 AVC codec, a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.39:1 and a lossless, English DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit) mix. The 1080p Blu-ray transfer is up to standards and aides a well photographed horror film with scenic location shots and handles darkness pretty well.

To order either of the Warner Archive Blu-rays, Angel Face and/or Border Incident, go to this link for them and many more great web-exclusive releases at:

https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/ED270804-095F-449B-9B69-6CEE46A0B2BF?ingress=0&visitId=6171710b-08c8-4829-803d-d8b922581c55&tag=blurayforum-20

- Nicholas Sheffo and James Lockhart (Dead 4K, Tank)

https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/