THE NEW YORK RIPPER Blu-ray Review – An Ugly Film That Looks Beautiful
Starring Jack Hedley, Paolo Malco, Almanta Suska, Alexandra Delli Colli
Directed by Lucio Fulci
Distributed by Blue Underground
Few directors in the horror genre are as intrinsically intertwined with splatter as Lucio Fulci, the Italian “Godfather of Gore”. Any viewer should know most of his films are gonna be a rough ride, and usually, they are right from the get-go. But, oof, The New York Ripper (1982) is a toughie. Did Fulci have a hard-on for sadistically brutalizing women? Because this is unquestionably the most misogynistic slasher I have seen. Women are often victims and, ironically enough, the Final Girl in a majority of slasher pictures; however, they also are able to channel some level of power and fight back against who-or-whatever is killing their co-stars. In The New York Ripper, every single woman is a weak creature just waiting to be raped or killed, usually both. Fulci isn’t a fan of expediency, either, as each victim is slowly and torturously mutilated. These women aren’t just here to be used and tossed aside; they must be made to suffer, too, it seems. This might not be such an issue if the film itself wasn’t typical but aside from the eponymous killer talking like a duck this is a routine slasher messily working out some serious issues.
After an old man’s dog finds the decomposing hand of a woman during a walk along the river in New York City, weary Lt. Fred Williams (Jack Hedley) is assigned to the case. His initial probe into the victim’s life reveals one interesting tidbit: a neighbor, who occasionally listened in on the victim’s phone calls because of a crossed wire, heard the woman speaking with someone who sounded like a duck. Later, another woman is killed on the Staten Island Ferry and the coroner, recognizing a pattern among recently murdered women, concludes there must be a serial killer on the loose. When Williams alerts the press to these findings he receives a call from a stranger… who sounds a lot like a duck. As is often the case cops are always one step behind the killer, who continues to butcher women at an alarming rate.
New York City was a hard place in the ‘70s & ‘80s and Fulci’s vision of the city is a concentrated version of every sliver of scum and degenerative establishment rolled into one. In every darkened corner of the city lurks some new form of scoundrel, just waiting for his moment to pounce upon the weak and unsuspecting. There is one particularly vomitous scene wherein a woman, who plays the part of a hot wife for her kinky husband, visits a bar and is immediately beset upon by two rough Latin dudes. One of them slips his hideous foot out from a loafer and proceeds to masturbate the woman with his hairy toes, as the lady is torn between feeling turned-on and terrified – and it goes on for longer than it should. In fact, most of the hardcore horror scenes overstay their welcome and, even worse than being offensive or revolting, the violence begins to feel tedious because of its ubiquity.
On the plus side of things, viewers can expect to hear another indelible Italian score, this one coming from Francesco De Masi. This was, to my knowledge, the only score De Masi conducted for Fulci, and it was one of the last in his long career. De Masi was best known for his western and sword-and-sandal film scores, of which he composed dozens and dozens. The main theme here is jazzy and funky; it would have worked just as well for a police thriller or sex comedy. One thing I love about Italian film scores is that many times it feels as though the composers are writing for themselves more so than for the film, composing the kind of music they want to hear regardless of how well it gels with the picture.
Despite some clear issues I have with the story and its portrayal of certain characters, this is still patently Fulci in every sense. I love it when Italian directors would shoot in New York City because there are many of the expected shots on display, such as showing off the city skyline, making use of the filming permits (or not) they had been granted. Hedley is a fine actor and his character of Lt. Williams has a solid turn from burned-out to leading the charge. He also helps to end the film with one helluva shot. This might be Fulci’s sleaziest adventure yet but it is still a Fulci film and there is a style and cadence to his pictures that elevate them above the generic tripe, even if only slightly.
No fault can be found with Blue Underground’s latest 4K restoration, which follows in the footsteps of Zombie (1979) and Maniac (1980) as being the definitive home video edition (until something arrives on 4K proper). The 2.40:1 1080p image offers exceptional clarity and a distinct color palette, with bright, poppy primaries. Just check out the red seats in the theater as one example of many throughout the film. Grain is active and cinematic, never bogging down the image with noise. Contrast is stellar, too, achieving perfect black levels and maintaining fine details even when night falls. Blue Underground has nailed another classic title and I cannot wait to see what they have in store after their next release of Two Evil Eyes (1990)!
There are a number of audio combinations presented: English DTS-HD MA 7.1 or 1.0 mono, Italian 1.0, French Dolby Digital mono and Spanish Dolby Digital mono, with subtitles in English SDH, French, Spanish, and English for Italian audio. Dubs are my usual go-to on these films and that track happens to boast the highest quality audio on this release. As with the video quality, all aspects of the audio are splendid, with balanced levels, clear dialogue, weighty sound effects, and excellent fidelity for De Masi’s upbeat score.
Special Features:
- BRAND NEW AND EXCLUSIVE 4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM
- ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK CD by Francesco De Masi
- Audio Commentary with Troy Howarth, Author of Splintered Visions: Lucio Fulci and His Films
- The Art Of Killing – Interview with Co-Writer Dardano Sacchetti
- Three Fingers Of Violence – Interview with Star Howard Ross
- The Second Victim – Interview with Co-Star Cinzia de Ponti
- The Broken Bottle Murder – Interview with Co-Star Zora Kerova
- “I’m an Actress!” – 2009 Interview with Co-Star Zora Kerova
- The Beauty Killer – Interview with Stephen Thrower, Author of Beyond Terror: The Films of Lucio Fulci
- Paint Me Blood Red – Interview with Poster Artist Enzo Sciotti
- NYC Locations Then and Now
- Theatrical Trailer
- Poster & Still Gallery
- Collectible Booklet with new essay by Travis Crawford
- Reversible sleeve
- 3D Lenticular Slipcover
- Audio: English (7.1 DTS-HD, 1.0 DTS-HD); Italian (1.0 DTS-HD); French (1.0 Dolby Digital); Spanish (1.0 Dolby Digital)
- Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish, English for Italian Audio
- REGION-FREE
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The New York Ripper
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Special Features
Summary
Blue Underground delivers another definitive edition for Fulci fans, with a 4K restoration that rivals the work done by Criterion and featuring a host of bonus features along with Francesco De Masi’s fantastic score. Highly recommended.
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