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McBain
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray ALL - America - Synapse Review written by and copyright: Eric Cotenas (25th September 2023). |
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The Film
 In Columbia, Vietnam vet Roberto Santos (The Terror Within II's Chick Vennera) has been leading rebels in an attempt to overthrow El Presidente (King of New York's Victor Argo) who is in league with drug kingpin Simon Escobar (16 Blocks' Hechter Ubarry), having turned the country's economy entirely towards the production and export of cocaine. When Santos and his army invade the palace and take the president hostage, they broadcast the revolution to the United States as a signal for the CIA to come in with offered assistance. The U.S. President (The Edge of Night's Forrest Compton), however, has been advised that the CIA has not been in contact with Santos and that Columbia's U.N. representative threatens that any such intervention will be seen as an act of war. When Santos realizes help is not coming, he surrenders his weapon and allows his execution by the president to be broadcast live around the world. One person who witnesses this act on television is New York metalworker Robert McBain (The Deer Hunter's Christopher Walken) who has felt indebted to Santos since he and his buddies rescued him from capture by the Vietcong in the last days of the war. He is already expecting someone to call in Santos' favor when the dead man's sister Christina (The Running Man's Maria Conchita Alonso) arrives; however, he is at a loss as to how to take on an entire country and its government. The pair approach Santos' old buddies including Eastland (American Ninja 2: The Confrontation's Steve James) who has just quit his job in disgust as bodyguard for a corrupt CEO, detective Gill (The Thing's Thomas G. Waites) whose partner has just been killed by a drug dealer, surgeon Dalton (D.O.A.'s Jay Patterson) who has grown tired of losing the casualties of the drug war, and millionaire Bruce (Scanners' Michael Ironside) who lives a content but empty existence. The group decides to put the ill-gotten gains of the local drug-dealing bigwigs to good use in funding the revolution back in Columbia, stealing a private jet used for illegal transports with the expectation that Christina and the rebels will have cleared a path for their arrival by taking over the local airbase. When they enter Columbian airspace and are in danger of being shot out of the sky, Bruce uses his connections to secure the help of American Air Force pilot Daly (True Colors' Russell Dennis Baker) who joins them on the ground as they split up to dismantle the country on their way to a mass siege on the palace. A far more mainstream take on Vietnam war vets turned vigilantes than director James Glickenhaus' earlier career-making unrated Grindhouse gory classic The Exterminator, McBain is a bit of a mixed bag. It is slickly-executed with some large scale action sequences – with the Philippines standing in for both Vietnam and Columbia at a time when mostly Italian filmmakers were exploiting Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now stomping grounds – but it is almost entirely lacking in suspense after the Vietnam opening and Santos' invasion of the palace. Argo's El Presidente and Ubarry's Escobar are only slightly less cartoonish than Escobar's scenery-chewing henchman (Nigel Redding) and despite the high number of rebel casualties in the various firefights, there is never any doubt that McBain and his team will prevail in their operations, and neither they or Christina are every believably threatened with the possibility of injury or death. During the climactic firefight, Walken's close-ups were very likely shot separately from the rest of the action; however, the editors seem unable to hide that fact as Walken intermittently pops up from behind a pillar and fires off several shots (with no cutaways suggesting that he hits anyone or anything with any more expertise than the rebels). What does work in the film is the easy chemistry between the cast members, with an impassioned performance by Alonso that might have seemed ludicrous for a bland action film had the humor between her male co-stars been sending up the material rather than fond banter – even a supporting performance from Luis Guzmán (Traffic) provides a few laughs while pointing out the moral gray areas in which all of the characters are operating regardless of their intentions – indeed, the only true moment of threat is the fear that Glickenhaus will throw in a cynical twist at the last moment and have either Christina or McBain assassinated during the triumphant finale. Some of the poignancy is undercut by poor choices in vocalists by composer Christopher Franke (Universal Soldier) to deliver a cover of Dire Straits' "Brothers in Arms" over the main titles and a Glickenhaus-penned "Christina's Theme" for the end credits. Despite its flaws, McBain is a well-made and entertaining if generic action film thanks to its interesting cast. 
Video
Released theatrically by the director's own Shapiro-Glickenhaus Entertainment and on VHS and laserdisc by MCA/Universal, McBain was a long time coming to the digital domain stateside despite its availability on DVD overseas – all fullscreen tape masters until Arrow Video's 2011 DVD – before making its Blu-ray bow in 2013 in Austria from NSM Records – followed by a more widely-available German edition. Synapse Film's 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.78:1 widescreen Blu-ray is derived from the same master, and the decade-old master is very strong, free of aggressive sharpening or noise reduction, allowing good detail in the rustic jungles and gleaming cities, clothing, and sweat-streaked faces. 
Audio
The original theatrical Dolby Stereo track is available in lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, but an exclusive to Synapse's edition is a brand new DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 remix that does more than just spread out the sound, giving the action scenes more depth and utilizing the rear channels for effects rather than just ambience allowing a more visceral response to the explosions and shootouts (as well as the thud of a soldier who has failed El Presidente when he is lifted bodily and thrown by Escobar's henchman). Optional English SDH subtitles are also included. 
Extras
While the imports included some vintage making-of and EPK materials, Synapse's edition includes the film's theatrical trailer (1:25) but also a real treat in a new audio commentary by director James Glickenhaus, moderated by film historian Chris Poggiali in which the director reveals the main character's comes from Once Upon a Time in the West rather than author Ed McBain (and also claims ignorance as to whether the film inspired the action hero essayed by Rainier Wolfcastle on The Simpsons). He discusses the differences between shooting in New York and the Philippines, casting Alonso and wanting to include a female character that was more than just a girlfriend of the main character, the CNN-style news coverage approach to photographing the action scenes, as well as how his son Jesse Cameron-Glickenhaus's (star of Glickenhaus' ill-received family film Timemaster) visit to the set got him interested in charities and environmental law. 
Overall
Despite its flaws, McBain is a well-made and entertaining if generic action film thanks to its interesting cast. 
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