‘That Man Bolt’ Blu-Ray Review – A Breezy Spy Adventure That Is Effortlessly Cool

Action legend Fred Williamson (Hammer, Black Caesar, Original Gangstas) is That Man Bolt—the highest-flying, toughest-talking, hardest-hitting dude the world has ever faced. When you need a real man of steel, martial arts expert Jefferson Bolt is the high-priced pick for the job. His latest client, a mysterious British man with a cool million in cash, has an offer Bolt can’t refuse: transport his money from Hong Kong to Mexico City or be sent to prison on phony charges. But halfway to his destination, Bolt discovers that the money is funny, and he’s been set up to take the fall. With a price on his head and nowhere to turn, Bolt sets out to destroy the crime syndicate that dared to take him on. From high-stakes danger in glitzy Las Vegas to high-speed chases through gritty Los Angeles, Bolt strikes back again and again with an explosive battle culminating in a fiery finish. Co-directed by Henry Levin (Kiss the Girls and Make Them Die, Murderers’ Row) and David Lowell Rich (A Lovely Way to Die, The Concorde… Airport ’79).

For thoughts on That Man Bolt, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic: 

[youtube https://youtu.be/EZXKpYBBKKY?t=62]

Video Quality

Kino Classics presents That Man Bolt with a pretty strong upgrade in the form of a new 1080p transfer in 1.85:1 from a new 2K master. Outside of some optical transitions that can look momentarily rough, the quality of this transfer is really great. The presentation has cleaned up much of the damage and the dirt, plus most fluctuations in density. The film features some vibrant colors within the locations and specific costumes that are striking with good saturation. 

Skin tones look natural, and the presentation offers up some fairly deep black levels that only begin to falter a bit in the darkest moments. There is a substantial uptick in fine detail that should please fans of the film, even if some shots look more crisp than others. Thankfully, there does not appear to have been any digital manipulation of the source. The transfer provides nice, natural film grain absent of any compression artifacts or other such digital anomalies. Kino Classics has given this one a significant upgrade from standard definition. 

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with a favorable DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that represents the film well throughout. Dialogue and environmental elements are represented in pleasing harmony with all competing sounds. Sound effects and the groovy soundtrack appear to be faithful to the original intentions. This disc maintains a capable sense of fidelity that does not falter even during more frantic moments. The soundtrack does not show any signs of weakness during this journey. This track also shows no major indicators of age related wear and tear such as hissing or popping. This is a well preserved track which does what it needs to do. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles included for the feature film. 

Special Features

• That Man Hammer – Interview with Star Fred Williamson: A new 16-minute interview with Williamson in which he discusses his role in this film, the desire to do all of his own stunts to maintain his image, his memories of his co-stars, buying his own outfits, the reasons that no sequels were developed and more that makes for a very engaging time. 

• Trailers: There is a two-and-a-half minute trailer provided for That Man Bolt. There are also trailers provided for Truck Turner, Trouble Man, The Eiger Sanction, Seven and Original Gangstas. 

Final Thoughts

That Man Bolt is a pretty fun ‘70s action-adventure film which runs parallel to the Blaxploitation genre without delving full-tilt into the more of those heightened elements. Fred Williamson is a tremendously charismatic performer who brings authenticity and grit to his role of superspy badass. We see the potential for further adventures with the titular character, so it does feel like a bit of a shame that circumstances could not come together to make that a reality. Kino Classics has provided a new Blu-Ray featuring a great A/V presentation and a delightful new interview. If you are a fan of spy films or the talent involved, this is worth seeking out. Recommended 

That Man Bolt 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.