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Hell in the Pacific Blu-ray Review

Score: 61

from 2 reviewers

Review Date:

"Hell in the Pacific" on Blu-ray offers a powerful character study with dual endings, best viewed with Boorman's alternate for thematic closure; highly recommended.

Hell in the Pacific Blu-ray Front Cover

Disc Release Date

DTS-HD MA

Video: 53

Hell in the Pacific's Blu-ray presentation balances sporadic clarity and a heavy grainy texture inherent to its older master, with vibrant greenery and natural skin tones, despite some blockiness and visible reel changes. Rich and accurate colors persist without distracting digital artifacts.

Audio: 68

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix for 'Hell in the Pacific' offers crisp sound effects, atmospheric island life audio, and clean musical cues, effectively enhancing the minimalist dialogue and adding depth to the film's settings. Optional subtitles for Mifune's dialogue add an unexpected twist.

Extra: 56

Director John Boorman's candid 33-minute interview details the production struggles, Toshiro Mifune's challenging behavior, and the project's development, while a 10-minute segment with Art Director Anthony Pratt discusses daily production hardships and the film's ending; complemented by an engaging feature-length commentary from historians Travis Crawford and Bill Ackerman.

Movie: 71

Hell in the Pacific, directed by John Boorman and featuring powerhouse performances by Lee Marvin and Toshiro Mifune, delivers a riveting, nearly silent survival thriller that strips war down to pure physicality and human interaction against a breathtaking remote island backdrop. The Blu-ray from Kino Classics preserves its haunting cinematography and includes Boorman's preferred, more resonant ending.

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