SILENT TRIGGER (Russell Mulcahy, 1996)

[Jox]

Review for the limited edition from blu-ray.com:

http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Silent-Tr ... 78/#Review

Cool thanks!

It's got 5/5 on both picture and sound which is worthy of a Criterion release.

Video Quality 5.0 of 5



Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Russell Mulcahy's Silent Trigger arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Subkultur Entertainment.

The release is sourced from an excellent recent master and the film looks outstanding in high-definition. Indeed, there are a lot of stylistic enhancements -- filtered light, ambient desaturated colors, etc. -- that are crucial for the desired neo-noirish atmosphere and they are wonderfully reproduced. Clarity, delineation, and depth are also quite impressive. Grain is evenly exposed and resolved (see screencapture #4). There are no traces of sharpening adjustments or other distracting digital corrections. Image stability is excellent. I did notice a few tiny flecks, but there are no scratches, cuts, stains, or damage marks to report. My score is 4.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Audio Quality 5.0 of 5



There are four standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, German, DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, and German DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English and German subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I viewed the film with the English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track and was very impressed. It is notably aggressive and with all sorts of bells and whistles that could quite easily test your audio system. Surround movement in particular was outstanding. The dialog is always clean, clear, stable, and very easy to follow. There are no pops, audio dropouts, or digital distortions to report.

Special Features and Extras 3.0 of 5



Interview with Scenarist Sergio Altieri - in this video interview, scenarist Sergio Altieri discusses the production history of Silent Trigger (with some very interesting comments about the introduction of the war flashbacks), visual style and atmosphere of the film, the role of the big tower as an active character in the film, Dolph Lundgren's performance, Russell Mulcahy's direction, etc. In English, with optional German subtitles. (20 min).

Dolph Lundgren Filmography - presented in text-format.

Promotional Materials - a gallery with original promotional materials for Silent Trigger.

German Trailer - original German trailer for Silent Trigger. In German, not subtitled. (2 min).

French Trailer - original German trailer for Silent Trigger. In French, not subtitled. (3 min).

Music & Effects Track - presented as DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track.

Booklet - 18-page illustrated booklet with writings on the film, in German, and technical credits.

(missing mentions of the scan and mastering video plus the vintage Dolph trailers in the filmography)

By the way I should point out again that the more recent editions from Koch Media and Inked Pictures are to be avoided at all cost, the master is really not as good... So only buy if it's from Subkultur!


EDIT: here is another recent review of the Subkultur release
http://eurocultav.com/html/blu-ray_revi ... igger.html

And it's now easy to buy from Amazon
https://www.amazon.de/Silent-Trigger-Bl ... B00O9O3N8E
https://www.amazon.fr/Silent-Trigger-DV ... 00O9O3N8E/
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Silent-Trigger ... 015D7OAYG/

[Jox]

Brazilan VHS

[Jox]

Director Carl Schenkel, who was initially set to helm SILENT TRIGGER, had also been attached to DIE HARD before John McTiernan replaced him (both thanks to his 1984 flick OUT OF ORDER set in an elevator).

(when keeping old magazines serves to rediscover what most medias and fan internet culture tend to forget too quickly...)

[Jox]

Writer Sergio Altieri, also a novelist, wrote the initial draft of the screenplay... in a mere 2 weeks.
(Back then it was intended as a self-contained story set in the building only, the flashbacks were added much later to avoid being too claustrophobic.)

[Jox]

Now on VOD in the U.S.
(Ambi Distribution)
https://www.amazon.com/Silent-Trigger-D ... 06XD6M71P/

[Jox]

Excerpt from the booklet I wrote for the Subkultur Blu-ray edition
on the mixed use of miniatures, matte paintings, CGI, built sets and locations:

The film was actually shot in a very old-fashioned way on actual locations, built sets, miniature sets and matte paintings (becoming rare in the mid-1990s and that budget range), with only minimal C.G.I.14 visual effects.

“I think models are underrated sometimes. I used a gigantic model of the city with the camera flying around the skyscraper, that’s all a big model, not C.G.”, says the director.

The models, made at Ron Miniatures and supervised by director/coordinator Gus Ramsden, included 1/6 scale miniatures of the actors, a 1/6 shaft for the bombed elevator at the end, and a giant 1/24 scale miniature of the Algonquin building with the surrounding buildings and no man’s land.

Mulcahy admits, “The model makers were very good with the shots, great models. I think maybe it’s cheaper to do C.G., but there’s a certain quality that you can’t get with C.G.”

And the rest were sets or locations:
“We built that one big set, we built a bit of an elevator shaft, a tiny bit of a little set of the sequence where they’re shooting the helicopter on a hill at the beginning, but most of that is matte painting. Then when the people are repelling down in a helicopter that was actually an abandoned church, right in the middle of Montreal somewhere.”

The making of the miniature Algonquin building and elevator:
(pics from the defunct company Ron Miniatures website)

[Jox]

I've never seen this before but according to these clips the Portuguese / Brazilian version was dubbed with a different musical score:

[Jox]

Seems like this could be for one of these German editions sold with a statue...
http://konstantinkireev.artstation.com/projects/mdWq1










EDIT:
It seems it could be coming from Nameless Media (JOSHUA TREE) again.

[Jox]

Croatian VHS

[Jox]

:shock:
Seems like this could be for one of these German editions sold with a statue...
http://konstantinkireev.artstation.com/projects/mdWq1



EDIT:
It seems it could be coming from Nameless Media (JOSHUA TREE) again.

Confirmation for Nameless Media putting it out (not dated yet and unlikely they'll use the (best) Subkultur master though).

The will be the 4th release of the movie in German-speaking territories despite the previous releases not being sold out:
https://scontent-cdg2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/ ... e=5979ABB9

[Scifibuff5]

I should give this film a rewatch; I recall the running time and atmosphere being a little overdone but action, while in short yet brutal bursts, being engaging at times.

[Jox]

I'm saddened to hear that SILENT TRIGGER writer Sergio "Alan D." Altieri passed away on June 16th (from heart attack, the same day as John G. Avildsen).
https://www.wired.it/attualita/media/20 ... n-altieri/

He had given me a fantastic phone interview in 2011 and we kept in touch over the years. He loved Dolph, was very proud of SILENT TRIGGER and gave me a raving review of the "making of" I had written for the limited Blu-ray edition. Altieri's exclusive interview featured on the disc (which I helped arranging) is now even more valuable.

Altieri was also a very popular novelist in Italy. Our last exchanges were in March 2017.

R.I.P.

The subtext of "Silent Trigger" is in fact the futility of murder. Consider that, in the original script, some dialogues were consistently longer, clarifying this view better. The fact then that we are in a no-name world and/or places is meant to add to the surreal/metaphysical quality of the whole proposal.

I know, all that sounds way to pompous on my part, but I also supposed it is what makes this film somewhat interesting compared to other actioners. In any event, filling up what your friend might see as a plot contradiction, we are led to believe that there's some kind of "gang war" within the outfil itself. In an earlier version of the script, the target in the car in the final bridge sniping is the same woman we see at the very beginning. So, yes... it is an endless loop.

- Sergio Altieri (email excerpt)

[Jox]

A sneak speak at the new cover for the upcoming Nameless Media edition that will come with a bust
(5th from the left)

[ShawnWatson]

So, the Algonquin building never really existed?

The lot in Montreal where it is supposed to have been has been empty for years.

[Jox]

Not really, it was designed by Alex McDowell (THE CROW, CRYING FREEMAN, FIGHT CLUB, MINORITY REPORT, WATCHMEN).

The outside of the bottom entrance (where Gina Bellman walks out at the end) was from an actual building, as were some of the interiors, but all in all it was a mixture of miniatures, sets, matte paintings, and minor CGI...