This top-notch spaghetti western co-stars screen great Eli Wallach (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly) as Cacopoulos, who takes $300,000 from two hombres of questionable moral fiber, then proceeds to spread the cash around generously. His victims follow his trail, but when the men finally do meet, they must join forces to defend themselves against a murderous desperado. Before that battle is over, Cacopoulos has once again absconded with the cash, and the chase is on, ultimately leading them to a crooked Mississippi gaming house, a blazing gun battle and lots of money for everyone. Co-starring action-comedy super-duo Terence Hill (Man of the East) and Bud Spencer (Crime Busters) with Brock Peters (Soylent Green) and Kevin McCarthy (Invasion of the Body Snatchers). Written and Directed by Giuseppe Colizzi (God Forgives… I Don’t!, Boot Hill, All the Way Boys).

For thoughts on Ace High, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/QTrctxJOaZs?t=148]

Video Quality

Kino Classics presents Ace High with a stellar new 1080p transfer remastered by Paramount sourced from a 4K scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative. Once again, the partnership between Paramount Pictures and Kino Lorber has provided some titles fans have been eagerly anticipating in top notch quality. The film features some nuanced earthy colors within both the dusty setting and costumes that reach a level of realism that is easy to appreciate. The black levels are very deep with a pleasing stability throughout. The level of detail and clarity is dazzling with the appropriate amount of natural film grain intact. The film appears to be almost entirely free of dirt and damage which gives it a timeless feel. There does not appear to be any unsightly digital anomalies such as compression artifacts, banding or any other such nuisances. This presentation is a standout effort from Kino Classics.

Audio Quality

The film has been given a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio presentation that conveys this information really well. Dialogue comes through clearly from beginning to end without being burdened by any competing elements. Due to the nature of this production, there are some issues with vocal sync as some of the performers were speaking in their native language and dubbed over. The exciting score is in top form with its handling of the different core elements. The track balances vocals with the environmental sounds with tremendous clarity. There are a few odd moments where the track shows its vintage, but it is not a consistent issue. Kino Classics has provided a solid audio presentation that presents the film quite capably. The disc also comes with optional English (SDH) subtitles.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Filmmaker Alex Cox provides a very informative commentary track in which he discusses the background details of this film, technical aspects of the direction, the backgrounds of the various performers we see on screen, where this fits into the spaghetti western genre, the thematic details of the story and more. This is a very enlightening track that is well worth a listen.

Trailers: The nearly three-and-a-half minute trailer for Ace High is provided here. There are also trailers provided for The Good The Bad and The Ugly, Man Of The East, A Fistful Of Dynamite (Duck, You Sucker), Kill Them All And Come Back Alone and The Hills Run Red.

Final Thoughts

Ace High has many of the hallmarks that make up a great spaghetti western, but it often chooses to take a unique path within the genre. The “action” of this film is less “shoot ‘em up” than your typical tale, choosing instead to lean in on the tense character moments that work just as effectively. It is always fun to find Eli Wallach in a western tale, and he does a great job alongside the rest of the ensemble. This new Blu-Ray release from Kino Classics offers up a stellar A/V presentation and an engaging commentary track. If you are a fan of spaghetti westerns or the talent involved, this is worthy of your time. Recommended

Ace High is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Kino Classics has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.