{"id":16455,"date":"2017-08-09T15:38:00","date_gmt":"2017-08-09T19:38:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/?p=16455"},"modified":"2017-08-09T16:44:08","modified_gmt":"2017-08-09T20:44:08","slug":"revisiting-no-mans-land-1987","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/?p=16455","title":{"rendered":"Revisiting No Man’s Land (1987)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"After an extended break, here\u2019s the first of three back-to-back reviews, starting with a swanky new Blu-ray from KINO\u2019s KL Studio Classics of Peter Werner\u2019s No Man\u2019s Land<\/a> <\/strong>(1987), a title I reviewed in 2014 on Betamax, because that\u2019s the only way I could get my hands on the film.<\/p>\n

Yes, it was available full screen on DVD in the U.S. and widescreen in the U.K., but there was the added perverse fun \/ curiosity \/ absurdity of watching the film on a wholly obsolete format.<\/p>\n

Beta always had great sound, and the tape wasn\u2019t bad, but my copy included some unique ephemera which I discovered packed into the case. Below, I’ve pasted key art from the prior Editor\u2019s Blog<\/a>\u00a0(which contains larger scans):<\/p>\n

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Contest insert from the original Betamax release of No man’s Land (1987).<\/p><\/div>\n

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Contest insert from the original Betamax release of No man’s Land (1987).<\/p><\/div>\n

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In any event, the fact the film took 30 years to enjoy a widescreen home video release in its home country is ridiculous, but not unheard of. NML is essential an \u2018upper B film\u2019 \u2013 very pulpy, but unusually well made with slick gloss and a fine cast of stars and veteran character actors. Charlie Sheen and D.B. Sweeney are the leads, but they\u2019re surrounded by the type of superb supporting actors Werner laments no one hires anymore because people have to look pretty.<\/p>\n

George Dzundza has a tiny role, as does M. Emmet Walsh, but their filmographies stretch out to 89 and 218 credits respectively. Longevity mandates talent and a special quality that has casting directors and film directors re-hiring these men & women over decades.<\/p>\n

\"\"KL\u2019s Blu is quite nice, and it\u2019s especially rewarding to see the label going back to its roots, creating special editions for select contemporary classics.<\/p>\n

NML isn\u2019t Oscar bait, but it\u2019s quite fun, and features a superb (if not a little dated) Basil Poledouris score. Before his orchestral hits\u00a0Conan the Barbarian<\/strong> (1982),\u00a0Robocop<\/strong> (1987), and The Hunt for Red October<\/strong> (1990), Poledouris had played classical & rock music, and his use of electronics was often subtle in films, but NML is heavy drums, wailing guitar, and heavy bass-friendly synths, but done very well.\u00a0The late great composer was profiled in a highly affectionate 1997 documentary\u00a0Basil Poledouris: His Life and Music<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

NML was also one of many, MANY films that flooded Pay TV stations as well as home video, and as discussed in the BR\u2019s commentary track, there was no shortage of finding action genre films on TV and tape, because they were the bread & butter of studios and labels who planned releases with tape and cable ancillary releases after their theatrical runs were done.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s unsurprising to hear the commentators lament their dearth of action-thrillers, action-suspensers, etc., but these films were highly formulaic, and it wasn\u2019t easy to find a rare gem. I\u2019m sure if you took a tally of what aired on Pay TV during the 1990s, there\u2019s still a chunk of titles unavailable on home video. I\u2019ll apply my two cents to Carl Colpaert\u2019s Delusion<\/a><\/strong> (1987), which needs to be on Blu. Great little neo-noir with black humour (a common trait) and excellent performances. Still glad I grabbed the widescreen laserdisc on Boxing Day.<\/p>\n

Tied to the original review of NML was a short-short nonsense video I made on the video\u2019s packaging, which is still archived on KQEK.com\u2019s YouTube<\/a> and my own Vimeo<\/a> channels. I did a slight update in adding a logo I designed in the mid-1990s and rebuilt and animated within After Effects decades later. I don\u2019t know why triangles with weird fill were big, but they were.<\/p>\n

That said, the short is available in a ProRes format for themed and nostalgia screenings. Ahem:<\/p>\n

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