Silent Trigger Blu-ray Review
Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov, December 6, 2016
Russell Mulcahy's "Silent Trigger" (1996) arrives on Bu-ray courtesy of German label Subkultur Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include original trailers for the film; original promotional materials; video interview with scenarist Sergio Altieri; and more. The release also arrives with an 18-page illustrated booklet featuring writings on the film and technical credits. In English or German, with optional English and German subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
The tower
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A series of flashbacks reveal that they work for a secret agency that routinely terminates high-profile targets all over the world. They are a team, but they do not know each other's names. He (Dolph Lundgren) is the Shooter and the only one that handles the big black sniper rifle that takes out their targets. She (Gina Bellma) is the Spotter and the only one that communicates directly with the agency while they work together. During a mission in an unnamed country ravaged by war, the Shooter hesitates to kill a target holding a child. Moments later, someone sends armed men to kill him and the Spotter, but they barely manage to get away.
Some years later, they meet again in a giant tower in a large construction zone in a modern city. The Spotter enters the tower after she tells the only two guards (Conrad Dunn and Christopher Heyerdahl) at its base that she is a mechanical inspector that has been sent to examine its unfinished roof. The Shooter gets in while the two guards are having an argument.
In the massive penthouse the two professionals are visibly surprised to see each other again because both have been under the impression that the other is no longer with the agency.
On the ground floor, one of the guards, a heavy coke user, decides to check if the Spotter might be willing to take a break and get out of her sexy leather outfit to have a bit of fun with him. In the penthouse, his offer is immediately rejected by the Spotter while his face is promptly disfigured by the Shooter. But instead of giving up on the Spotter the guard decides to ask again, this time while carrying a loaded rifle.
Meanwhile, with the sunlight breaking through the thick black clouds the Shooter and the Spotter slowly begin to prepare for their next assignment, each wondering if the agency wanted them to meet again, or if someone somewhere had forgotten that a long time ago they slipped and lost a target.
It is pretty obvious that director Russell Mulcahy had a modest budget to work with, but this may very well be the reason why
Silent Trigger is so effective. Indeed, instead of shooting elaborate action sequences Mulcahy approaches the script in a way some of the great American noir directors would have if they were still alive and working today. The focus of attention is shifted from the action to the dark and tense atmosphere with the big tower basically emerging as a key character. (This is exactly how classic noir films such as Carol Reed's
The Third Man and Jules Dassin's
Night and the City and
The Naked City build their atmosphere, by treating the dangerous cities in which their stories are set as special characters with unique identities). The end result is a minimliastic but very stylish thriller with a very heavy dose of what can best be described as neo-noirish ambience.
Silent Trigger is also one very, very sexy film, though anyone expecting any even remotely explicit material will be hugely disappointed. There is simply a very good chemistry between its two stars and David Franco's camera captures a lot of it. (It has to be said that Bellma's leather outfit could not have been any better).
The film stutters a bit when the flashbacks pop up and reveal bits about the nature of the relationship between the Shooter and the Spotter, which according to scenarist Sergio Altieri were added after the initial script was completed.
The moody electronic soundtrack was created by Italian composer Stefano Mainetti (
Rat Man,
Zombie Flesh Eaters 2).
*
Silent Trigger has been remastered and is presented fully uncut by Subkultur Entertainment.
Silent Trigger Blu-ray, Video Quality
Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Russell Mulcahy's
Silent Trigger arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Subkultur Entertainment.
The release is sourced from an excellent recent master and the film looks outstanding in high-definition. Indeed, there are a lot of stylistic enhancements -- filtered light, ambient desaturated colors, etc. -- that are crucial for the desired neo-noirish atmosphere and they are wonderfully reproduced. Clarity, delineation, and depth are also quite impressive. Grain is evenly exposed and resolved (see screencapture #4). There are no traces of sharpening adjustments or other distracting digital corrections. Image stability is excellent. I did notice a few tiny flecks, but there are no scratches, cuts, stains, or damage marks to report. My score is 4.75/5.00. (
Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).
Silent Trigger Blu-ray, Audio Quality
There are four standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, German, DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, and German DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English and German subtitles are provided for the main feature.
I viewed the film with the English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track and was very impressed. It is notably aggressive and with all sorts of bells and whistles that could quite easily test your audio system. Surround movement in particular was outstanding. The dialog is always clean, clear, stable, and very easy to follow. There are no pops, audio dropouts, or digital distortions to report.
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