El Cortez is the story of an autistic man who attempts to start a new life after his incarceration. After five years in a prison for the criminally insane, Manny (Lou Diamond Phillips, La Bamba) returns to Reno. He moves into a motel and takes a job as a clerk at the Hotel El Cortez. He is befriended by Popcorn (Bruce Weitz, Hill Street Blues), a crippled prospector who seeks his help to persuade Russo (Peter Onorati, Goodfellas), a wealthy gambler, to invest in Popcorn’s gold mine. But Manny cannot escape his past and is soon caught in a labyrinth that leads to a murderous triple cross.
For thoughts on El Cortez, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:
Video Quality
El Cortez makes its Blu-Ray debut courtesy of Kino Classics with a digital AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1 with what appears to be an older source that appears to be in great shape. While there are some minor flaws, overall this provides a very pleasant viewing experience. Skin tones are natural and consistent with subtle facial features such as stubble easily noticeable in closeup. Black levels hold up admirably with very little in the way of crush, even if it can be a bit milky. The contrast can look a touch overly bright in certain daytime settings.
There does not appear to be much in the way of print damage such as nicks and scratches, and overall clarity and detail is strong outside of brief moments of lesser quality. The presentation is enjoyable throughout most of the runtime with image stability and delineation being top notch. This transfer maintains the natural film grain of the presentation with only minor instances of seeming a bit loose. The picture maintains a nice depth even in interior settings, and the warm color palette is used well to evoke the warmth of the setting. This presentation has room for improvement, but most fans should be pleased by this in general.
Audio Quality
This new Blu-Ray comes with a lossless DTS-HD 5.1 and 2.0 Master Audio mix that presents all of the sounds exactly as intended. The environmental effects are delineated nicely including the sounds of food cooking in a diner. The dialogue holds up wonderfully, coming through clearly without being stepped on by the music or subtle sound effects. The score is not our favorite part of the film, but the track itself maintains a good fidelity. This and all of the other sounds are presented with great clarity as they come through the room. The track avoids most instances of age related wear and tear or distortion. This is a track that represents the film in an impressive manner. Optional English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles are provided on this disc.
Special Features
- Behind The Scenes: A pretty solid 26-minute featurette in which the cast and crew discuss the creation of this film, what drew them to the story, the challenges they faced in their performances, the bond formed on set and more.
- Deleted Scene: A two-minute unused scene is provided here which finds the crew taking a slight detour on the way to the mine.
- Trailer: The two-minute trailer is provided for El Cortez.
Final Thoughts
El Cortez features some elements that feel culturally dated despite not even being 20 years old, but for the most part it functions as a solid modern noir. The best part of the feature is the performance from Lou Diamond Phillips, who gives a fully committed performance that elevates an uneven script and characterization. The film has a really solid command of atmosphere, it just lacks the stakes to rank among the strongest examples of the noir genre. Kino Classics has released a new Blu-Ray featuring a pretty good A/V presentation and a couple of decent special features.
El Cortez is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD.
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.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.