Jaded, cynical, edgy. The iconic Burt Reynolds (Shamus, Heat) is Lt. Phil Gaines, a case-hardened Los Angeles detective who finds himself drawn into a dark, complex puzzle that involves the death of a teenaged girl. Complicating his investigation is his sizzling relationship with an icy hooker, played by cinema goddess Catherine Deneuve (Belle de Jour, Mississippi Mermaid), who has a dangerous connection to the case—one of her high-powered clients is a main suspect. Moreover, the victim’s unstable father blurs the focus of Gaines’ investigation even further by embarking on his own erratic, inept sleuthing. Ben Johnson, Paul Winfield, Eileen Brennan, Eddie Albert, Ernest Borgnine and Jack Carter also star in a suspenseful, gritty tale of urban corruption and murder directed by the legendary Robert Aldrich (The Dirty Dozen, The Longest Yard).

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

[youtube https://youtu.be/7HBwkgADakk?t=305]

Video Quality

Kino Classics presents Hustle with an upgrade in the form of a new 1080p master transfer in 1.85:1 sourced from a 4K scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative that looks really good for the most part, but there are some anomalies that look unnatural. The biggest criticism seems to be the uneven nature of the film grain. There is a very finely resolved sheen of film grain throughout most of the film, but you will find moments that look like some DNR has been applied and smoothed over. The strangest looking scene comes near the beginning when Reynolds and Deneuve are chatting across from one another at a table and the movement almost has a digital look to it. There are a handful of other scenes like this that look a bit off, but the rest of the transfer looks great. It is an unfortunate anomaly which takes away the natural texture of this transfer.

The film features some splendid colors within the costumes and locations that pop off the screen with a terrific vibrancy. Skin tones look natural, and the presentation offers up solid black levels that rarely succumb to crush. Highlights are just as strong while avoiding clipping. There is a fetching uptick in fine detail that adds textures to the background. Subtle details in the environments are more apparent than ever before, often revealing new aspects you previously would have missed. The restoration has cleaned up the film significantly with no noticeable instances of damage or dirt detected here. While there are a few issues holding this one back from perfection, this is overall a good transfer.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with a strong DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that capably captures the sonic soundscape of this one. Dialogue and background noises are balanced in perfect harmony with all competing elements. The music featured in the film and the score radiates out with a nice fidelity. Dialogue and other important information remains crisp and clear even during more bustling moments. This track shows no discernible age related wear and tear such as hissing or popping. All of the sound effects and music appear to be faithful to the intent of the creative team. Kino Classics has done swell work with the audio. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles included for the feature film.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Film Critics Alain Silver and James Ursini, Authors of WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO ROBERT ALDRICH?: HIS LIFE AND HIS FILMS, provide a really great commentary track in which they discuss the collaboration between Burt Reynolds and Robert Aldrich, the development of this project, the place of neo-noir in cinema, American attitudes towards sex work, the editing style of the picture, how this relates to cinema of the past, the themes at play and more.

Trailer: There is a Trailer (3:14) and TV Spots (3:46) provided for Hustle. There are also trailers provided for Fuzz, Shamus, White Lightning, The Longest Yard and Gator.

Final Thoughts

Hustle is not quite the powerhouse effort that The Longest Yard was when director Robert Aldirch teamed up with Burt Reynolds previously. The film keeps your attention throughout, but there are elements of the plot and character development that keep this one from being a classic. The way in which Gaines is softened and made to be so charming after some of the reprehensible things he does is a bit maddening at times. Yet you cannot fault Reynolds for bringing charisma to his character – that is who he is. The central investigation is compelling and heartbreaking, and many really talented performers come together to bring this story to life in a memorable way. Kino Classics has provided a new Blu-Ray featuring a fair A/V presentation and a nifty commentary track. If you are a fan of the performers, the film is worth a watch. Recommended

Hustle 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.