UHD Review Three Days of the Condor Blu-ray/UHD Combo Review (1 Viewer)

[Matt Hough]

Three Days of the Condor has top stars, a master director, and a twisty plot which makes for scintillating viewing.



Three Days of the Condor (1975)



Released: 25 Sep 1975
Rated: R
Runtime: 117 min




Director: Sydney Pollack
Genre: Crime, Mystery, Thriller



Cast: Robert Redford, Faye Dunaway, Cliff Robertson
Writer(s): James Grady, Lorenzo Semple Jr., David Rayfiel



Plot: A bookish CIA researcher in Manhattan finds all his co-workers dead, and must outwit those responsible until he figures out who he can really trust.



IMDB rating: 7.4
MetaScore: 63





Disc Information



Studio: Paramount
Distributed By: Kino Lorber
Video Resolution: 2160p HEVC w/HDR



Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1...

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[titch]

Ah - first review! And as, expected, top marks for Kino Lorber's transfer and mastering.

 

[Wayne Klein]

One of my favorite thrillers. Every actor is awesome but I do love Max Von Sydow.

 

[Robin9]

Thank you for this review. I'll have another session with the Blu-ray disc to see if I want to upgrade. I recall thinking the disc was OK but nothing special.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Thank you for this review. I'll have another session with the Blu-ray disc to see if I want to upgrade. I recall thinking the disc was OK but nothing special.

The Blu-ray was released 14 years ago. I have a hard time believing this release is not a significant upgrade.

 

[titch]

The Blu-ray was released 14 years ago. I have a hard time believing this release is not a significant upgrade.

The Kino Lorber 4K UHD is the same master as the StudioCanal 4K UHD released in Europe in 2020. Massive upgrade in quality over the blu-ray.

Three Days of the Condor • DE Ultra HD Blu-ray vs. UK Masters of Cinema Blu-ray

caps-a-holic.com

 

[Bartman]

Excellent review. This will sit beside my Criterion Blu-ray of The Parallax View as the ultimate in paranoid film making.

 

[Rodney]

Thank you, Matt. I always appreciate your reviews, and I want to say an extra thank you for verifying that the included blu-ray is also based off the new 4K scan and not from the old release.

 

[Robert Harris]

Great review, Matt. Totally agree. It’s a gorgeous 4k from Paramount and Kino. Definate ‘70s vibe, but the story holds up beutifully.

 

[Muad'Dib]

I watched this last night, and while overall it looks great, I did notice quite a few instances of what appear to be artifacting in scenes with fast motion, for example whenever Redford is running (which is a lot), also when he's creeping up the stairs at Heidegger's apartment and there's a complex wallpaper pattern behind him. It didn't ruin the experience entirely, but I did find it distracting. Maybe it's my bedroom 4K player (Sony UBP-X700, LG OLED E6P 55"), I'll rewatch it later on the Oppo 205 in the living room and see if there's any difference.

 

[Will Krupp]

Thanks for the great review, Matt. Mine came yesterday and I watched it last night. Absolutely terrific transfer. I've bought this movie so many times over the years but this was like watching it for the first time. I couldn't get over how good some of it looked!

 

[Jack P]

Never saw this film before. I wasn't aware of the World Trade Center location shooting which takes on an extra level of sad poignance seeing this just after the 9/11 anniversary. I also got a kick out of seeing Hoboken Train Station as I first experienced it before they installed electronic timetables. But the plot was overly muddled.

Spoiler: SPOILER

I was put off by Dunaway's submission to Redford. And I also found the film's about-face on Von Sydow late in the going to be bizarre, *especially* since Redford's forgotten that Von Sydow is still the one who gunned down all his friends in cold blood. There should still be some residual anger and mixed emotions that doesn't come off at all. And the ending is just too silly and abrupt.

 

[Matt Hough]

Never saw this film before. I wasn't aware of the World Trade Center location shooting which takes on an extra level of sad poignance seeing this just after the 9/11 anniversary. I also got a kick out of seeing Hoboken Train Station as I first experienced it before they installed electronic timetables. But the plot was overly muddled.

Spoiler: SPOILER

I was put off by Dunaway's submission to Redford. And I also found the film's about-face on Von Sydow late in the going to be bizarre, *especially* since Redford's forgotten that Von Sydow is still the one who gunned down all his friends in cold blood. There should still be some residual anger and mixed emotions that doesn't come off at all. And the ending is just too silly and abrupt.

I don't think Redford's forgotten; As someone who can intellectualize situations as well as react to them emotionally, he's now aware that the assassin was merely doing a job without prejudice and that both men who were behind the killing of his friends have been murdered (by Von Sydow, not the postman).

 

[Jack P]

I'd never be able to develop that kind of detachment. The fact that it's "just a job" for him doesn't really make him any different from my standpoint. That's just me.

 

[Sam Favate]

Mine arrived on Wednesday. I opened it and it was the Blu-ray. I was certain I ordered the UHD, so I checked and sure enough, I did. So I had a replacement sent, which got here yesterday, and I returned the first one. The replacement was the correct edition. Looking forward to seeing this in 4k.

 

[Matt Hough]

Thanks for the great review, Matt. Mine came yesterday and I watched it last night. Absolutely terrific transfer. I've bought this movie so many times over the years but this was like watching it for the first time. I couldn't get over how good some of it looked!

I agree. The resolution and colors were so solid and uncompromised in this new edition. I was really impressed. It was almost like I could step into the picture.

 

[Will Krupp]

The resolution and colors were so solid and uncompromised in this new edition. I was really impressed. It was almost like I could step into the picture.

Right? The Dolby Vision is subtly applied and never calls attention to itself. THIS is what 1970's films should always look like at home, IMO. Kudos all around.

 

[cineMANIAC]

I love 70's political thrillers but this one's going to take a few more viewings to fully satisfy me. The 70's grit really shone through here and it was a highlight of the disc for me.

 

[Bartman]

I have the Kino Blu-ray. I avoided the previous Blu-ray because I had the DVD & could see problems. This new Blu-ray exposes the camera experiments scene by scene. Some scenes look like they were shot yesterday & others employ effects that degrade the image. I'm unsure if this was DeLaurentiis' influence on the production, an attempt to make an edgy film but the changes certainly captures your attention. Has anyone else noticed this?

 

[Sam Favate]

I watched this last night and I thought it looked terrific in 4k. I enjoyed the movie immensely, although I have to say the romance in it just doesn’t work. That’s not even a “by modern standards” thing; it simply doesn’t work. There’s no reason to believe Faye Dunaway’s character would have any affection for Redford, other than the fact that romance was part of the formula in those days, no matter what. They also seem to be going for a James Bond effect on women, which doesn’t agree with Redford’s character’s bookish nature.