PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
The Whistle Blower (Umbrella) (1986)

The Whistle Blower (Umbrella) (1986)

If you create a user account, you can add your own review of this DVD
Released 6-Feb-2006
Cover Art

This review is sponsored by

BUY IT

Details At A Glance

General		Extras
Category	Drama	Main Menu Audio-Michael Caine Trailer-Year Of The Gun, Without A Clue, The Professionals Trailer-Farewell To The King
Rating
Year Of Production	1986
Running Time	99:30
RSDL / Flipper	RSDL (63:06)	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu	Cast & Crew
Region Coding	1,2,3,4,5,6	Directed By	Simon Langton
Studio Distributor	Umbrella Entertainment	Starring	Michael Caine James Fox Nigel Havers John Gielgud Felicity Dean Barry Foster Gordon Jackson Kenneth Colley David Langton Dinah Stabb James Simmons Katherine Reeve Bill Wallis
Case	Amaray-Transparent-Secure Clip	Starring
RPI	$19.95	Music	John Scott

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.66:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No	Miscellaneous
Subtitles	None	Smoking	Yes
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

NOTE: The Profanity Filter is ON. Turn it off here.

Plot Synopsis

This 1980s espionage thriller has previously been released in Region 4 by a different distributor in a vastly inferior previous release. A direct comparison of the two releases reveals the following differences:

Original Release

New Version

Aspect Ratio

Pan & Scan

1.78:1 16x9 enhanced (close to OAR of 1.66:1)

Video Quality

Very Ordinary

Good quality for the age

Audio Quality

Ordinary

Decent

Extras

A few Bits & Pieces

None

Despite the extras going missing (which were crap anyway), the new version is a significant improvement and is definitely recommended over the previous one. If you are a fan of this film, it is certainly worth an upgrade.

There is an excellent plot summary in the previous review linked above.

My opinion on this film is that it is an effective and intriguing espionage/conspiracy movie with an excellent cast, featuring Michael Caine, John Gielgud, James Fox, Gordon Jackson and Nigel Havers. It relies upon characterization and plot rather than action, so don't go into it expecting big stunts and you will come away feeling quite well entertained.

Well worth a look if you enjoy films from this era and genre.

Don't wish to see plot synopses in the future? Change your configuration.

Transfer Quality

Video

The video quality is good.

The feature is presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio 16x9 enhanced which is close to the original aspect ratio of 1.66:1 as reported by IMDB.

The picture was reasonably clear and sharp throughout although some long shots seemed a bit soft. There was no evidence of low level noise. Shadow detail was reasonable. There was a little light grain in some scenes.

The colour was pretty vibrant however there was some chroma noise, a little cross colourization and some areas where backgrounds showed colour variation such as parts of the beige wall at 51:36 showing as slightly pink.

Artefacts are significantly improved over the previous version with most of the problems mentioned in the previous review being cleaned up. There are still some occasional white and black specks and some mild aliasing such as at 14:35 on blinds, 29:48 on a car grille and 39:05 on a jacket, but that is all.

There are no subtitles which is the same as the previous version.

The layer change occurs at 63:06 between scenes, but caused a slight pause.

*Video Ratings Summary*
Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

The audio quality is good but mastered at a very low volume.

This DVD contains an English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo soundtrack encoded at 192 Kb/s.

Dialogue was clear and easy to understand once I turned the volume up quite significantly and there was no problem with audio sync.

The score of this film by John Scott is quite good without being exceptional.

The surround speakers added some mild atmosphere when played using Dolby ProLogic II.

The subwoofer was not used.

*Audio Ratings Summary*
Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Extras

None of any note.

Umbrella Trailers

Trailers are included for 4 other Umbrella releases.

R4 vs R1

NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.

The Region 1 and 2 current releases of this movie are very similar to this one except that the region 1 release does include subtitles. If you need subtitles Region 1 is your only option..

Summary

An intriguing and entertaining espionage thriller that relies on plot and acting rather than action.