{"id":24049,"date":"2020-11-03T23:40:47","date_gmt":"2020-11-04T07:40:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/?p=24049"},"modified":"2021-12-30T09:44:33","modified_gmt":"2021-12-30T17:44:33","slug":"review-white-fire-bd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/2020\/11\/review-white-fire-bd\/","title":{"rendered":"White Fire Blu-ray Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>White Fire<\/em><\/strong> had all the hallmarks of being one of those good-bad action movies from the 1980s and while it had its moments, Ginty fights off some goons with a chainsaw, but the last two-thirds were rather dull.<\/p>\n

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White Fire<\/span>
\n(1984)<\/span>
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Genre(s): <\/strong>Action, Suspense\/Thriller<\/span>
\nArrow Video | NR \u2013 102 min. \u2013 $39.95 | May 26, 2020<\/span><\/p>\n

Date Published:<\/strong> 11\/03\/2020 | Author:<\/strong> The Movieman<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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MOVIE INFO:
\n<\/u><\/strong>Director: <\/strong>Jean-Marie Pallardy
\nWriter(s): <\/strong>Jean-Marie Pallardy (story), Edward John Francis (screenplay)
\nCast: <\/strong>Robert Ginty, Fred Williamson, Belinda Mayne, Jess Hahn, Mirella Banti, Diana Goodman, Gordon Mitchell<\/span><\/p>\n
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DISC INFO:
\n<\/u><\/strong>Features: <\/strong>Commentary, Interviews, Trailer
\nSlip Cover: <\/strong>Yes (initial printing)
\nDigital Copy: <\/strong>No
\nFormats Included: <\/strong>Blu-ray
\nNumber of Discs: <\/strong>1<\/span><\/p>\n
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Audio: <\/strong>English (PCM 2.0 Mono), French (PCM 1.0)
\nVideo: <\/strong>1080p\/Widescreen 1.78
\nSubtitles: <\/strong>English SDH
\nDisc Size: <\/strong>46.76 GB
\nTotal Bitrate: <\/strong>41.84 Mbps
\nCodecs: <\/strong>MPEG-4 AVC
\nRegion(s): <\/strong>A<\/span><\/p>\n
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Arrow Video provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post.
\nThe opinions I share are my own.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

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THE MOVIE \u2014 2\/5<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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Plot Synopsis: <\/strong>Bo (ROBERT GINTY) and Inga (BELINDA MAYNE) are brother and sister jewel thieves who target the legendary \u201cWhite Fire\u201d diamond \u2013 a priceless rock so hot it actually burns those who try to lay their hands on it. When tragedy strikes, Bo undertakes an outrageous plan involving plastic surgery and explosives to infiltrate the mine where the diamond awaits. Bo\u2019s plan hits an unexpected snag with the arrival of smooth-talking badass Noah Barclay (FRED WILLIAMSON). Noah\u2019s hunting for a missing prostitute \u2013 and he thinks Bo and Inga hold the key to her disappearance.<\/p>\n

Quick Hit Review: <\/strong>I\u2019ve actually, at least in small parts, already saw White Fire<\/em><\/strong>, thanks to the guys over on Red Letter Media where it was one of three films in their \u201cBest of the Worst\u201d series. Now seeing it in full\u2026 while there are some genuinely funny good bad moments, especially early on, much of the remainder of the film was either a bit of a snooze-fest or downright creepy with an incestuous relationship between the brother and sister, one scene has him teasing her while she\u2019s buck naked (mind you, she\u2019s in her mid-20s, he\u2019s in his early 30s) and later, with a potential love interest, gets plastic surgery to make the women look like his deceased sister. Bizarre especially when the surgery doesn\u2019t really play all that much into the plot when you think about it.<\/p>\n

In any case, there\u2019s really not a whole lot to White Fire<\/em><\/strong>. The acting is I suppose serviceable, or perhaps a solid step up compared with an Andy Sidaris film, with Fred Williamson being the charismatic mo-fo that he usually is, just a shame he\u2019s more of an enforcer than the primary antagonist, plus his character is kind of forced into the movie in a hackneyed way. Meanwhile Robert Ginty and Belinda Mayne were okay, not exactly main character material but fine considering what they\u2019re given.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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SPECIAL FEATURES \u2013 3\/5<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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This release comes with a matted slip cover<\/strong> and the interior sleeve is reversible with the film\u2019s original poster artwork. Also includes a nice booklet<\/strong>. Both the slip cover and booklet are for initial printings.<\/p>\n

Audio Commentary<\/u><\/strong> \u2013 Critic Kat Ellinger sits down to break down this gem (no pun intended) of an action-thriller. In all seriousness, she does give some background on the director and production, providing some interesting tid-bits.<\/p>\n

Interview:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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  • Enter the Hammer (11:35)<\/u><\/strong> \u2013 Actor Fred Williamson<\/li>\n
  • Surviving the Fire (22:27<\/u><\/strong> \u2013 Writer\/Director Jean-Marie Pallardy<\/li>\n
  • Diamond Cutter (20:51)<\/u><\/strong> \u2013 Editor Bruno Zincone<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    All three of these were newly produced for this Arrow Video release and each discussing their respective roles.<\/p>\n

    2020 Re-Issue Trailer (2:12)<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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    VIDEO \u2013 3\u00bd\/5<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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    Arrow Video releases White Fire<\/em><\/strong> onto Blu-ray where it\u2019s presented in its original 1.78 widescreen aspect ratio and a 1080p high-definition transfer. Since the accompanied booklet makes no mention of any sort of restoration, and in fairness this isn\u2019t a movie that should be spent a whole lot on anyway, I assume the transfer is whatever the production company had on hand. As such, as 35+ year old, low budget foreign movies go, it\u2019s not too bad. Detail is a bit inconsistent with some shots appearing sharp with the natural film grain and noise on display, others were a bit softer. In addition colors are fairly washed out and there some minor specs here and there.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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    AUDIO \u2013 3\u00bd\/5<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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    The disc comes with a DTS-HD Master Audio Mono track and for the most part it\u2019s effective enough. Dialogue, much of it dubbed, comes through with some gusto and some of the action elements were decent for a singular channel. I also didn\u2019t notice much distortion, no pops, hisses or other flaws.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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    OVERALL \u2013 2\u00bc\/5<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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    White Fire<\/em><\/strong> had all the hallmarks of being one of those good-bad action movies from the 1980s and while it had its moments, Ginty fights off some goons with a chainsaw, but the last two-thirds were rather dull and often creepy with relationship between brother and sister, mostly on the former. In any event, the Blu-ray release by Arrow Video has adequate if not also flawed video and audio transfers and an okay selection of bonus features.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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