Review of Blu-ray disc Mandrill (Mandrill)

19.02.2012EvilDollaR

Marko Zaror (Marco Zaror), the Chilean action star, looks more like an athlete and definitely doesn't fit the mold of a hero fighter of his caliber. Most of the celebrities in the martial arts world are short men with lightning speed and incredible agility. With his athletic physique, he looks more like an animal than a graceful acrobat, and somehow his style comes across on screen. "Mandrill" (Mandrill) is the third, after debuting in “Chain Dog” (Kiltro) and subsequent “Mirage Man” (Mirageman), full-length film Sarora, produced in collaboration with the writer/director Ernesto Diaz Espinoza (Ernesto Diaz Espinosa). IN “Mandrille” Saror continues to improve his style, but here his image is radically different from his previous works.

From the very first frames it becomes clear that Espinosa loves 70s action movies. His characters are typical leaders, in harmony with the fair sex and always dressed to the nines. Mandrill (Saror) is something between "James Bond", “Carrier” и "John Shaft", and in case you haven’t guessed where I’m going with this, the film pays special attention to a fictional TV character named John Colt, in whose image and likeness Mandrill builds his life.

However, what good is a fictional mentor if the film doesn't have a tragic backstory with revenge brewing? IN “Mandrille” and this is it: the main character is an early orphan, raised by Tio Chone and obsessed with the thirst to administer his own justice. U Mandrill, as a character, there's enough backstory to justify his brutality, but not enough to lure the viewer into watching a film that is itself non-stop action. Marko Zaror is a rare breed of man who can combine an athletic physique and aerobatic maneuvers without resorting to ropes.

As much of the film's '70s aesthetic as it is, we're craving both the action and Espinosa does not make us wait, taking only breaks of a maximum of 6-7 minutes. One of the most interesting directorial decisions was that in most on-screen fights there is no musical accompaniment at all, so we hear the sounds of the punches and kicks received, it’s a little strange, but effective. What's perhaps even more interesting is that the team didn't use any sound banks, so we actually hear people punching each other rather than just standard martial arts movie sound effects. The lack of audio manipulation gives combat an immediacy that's pretty damn cool, if not stunning.

As Todd [Brown] in his review:

A highly entertaining film from start to finish, with a more fully fleshed out main character than most films, Mandrill greets you with emotional fists and a restless soul.

I think that this is an excellent, energetic action film with a lot of memorable moments, wonderful both visually and in terms of the impressions left, with Saror In his best. "Mandrill"is definitely worth watching.

About the disc:

When it comes to sound and picture quality, what "Mandrill" difficult to assess. Filmed digitally "Mandrill" absorbed all the shortcomings of filming in HD format. This means that we will witness constant “bleeding”, occasional jagged distortions and sometimes unstable color correction. In the film, they tried to compensate for these shortcomings with an inflated “warmth” of the image and a fairly high contrast. I won’t say that I was completely satisfied with this, but, apparently, the creators did everything in their power. Digital cinema has come a long way in the last three years, and this film, shot in 2009, would definitely look better if it were made today. The sound is damn good, especially the soundtrack and the soundtrack, however, as I previously mentioned, due to the decision Espinosa do not overuse ready-made sounds in battles; some opportunities associated with the use of low-frequency effects were missed. So be it, for me, everything was in order.

Unfortunately, there are very few extras on the disc. There is one video with the title "Behind the scenes", which lasts, honestly, less than three minutes. It wasn't worth adding to the disc. In addition to this, there is a 10-minute segment consisting of filming of more complex fight scenes, which is slightly better. Nothing special, but wait, the movie is good, isn't it?

"Mandrill" from the company "Magnet" this is the first film together Sarora и Espinosa, released on Blu-ray, and it's definitely worth purchasing. I recommend.

Posted by Jay Hurtado
Translation: EvilDollaR

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