The Last Match (1991) Blu-ray Review

Ernest Borgnine is an acting legend. He not only won a best actor Oscar for his performance in the film Marty, but he was in some classic shows like McHale's Navy and Airwolf. He made film right up to his death in 2012.

Well, in 1991 Ernest Borgnine joined an impressive cast of actors for a film that was a mish mash of genres. The film was The Last Match. Now Cauldron Films has given this film a deluxe Blu-ray release a unique film of this type deserves. This is not just any Blu-ray release this is a US Blu-ray debut!

Synopsis: What do you do when your daughter is framed for drug smuggling during a Caribbean vacation while being held in jail by a sadistic warden (Henry Silva - Escape from the Bronx)? If you are football star Cliff Gaylor (Oliver Tobias - Cobra Mission), you call an audible and do whatever you can to get her out! But when the American Consulate (Charles Napier - Beyond the Valley of the Dolls) doesn't want to be involved and the local attorney (Martin Balsam - Psycho) only wants you to grease his palm with no guarantees, your only choice is to take matters into your own hands. Before he can even call the next play, his coach (Ernest Borgnine - Code Name: Wild Geese) and the rest of the football team (in full uniform!) are on a plane packed with weapons and money aimed to free his daughter or die trying!

The Last Match is part drama, part sports, part action, part adventure, part revenge and all entertainment. To be honest I would never have dreamed of a story like this so major kudos to Gianfranco Clerici (Don't Torture a Duckling) who wrote the screenplay. The action is remarkably brought to screen by veteran Italian Producer and Director Fabrizio De Angelis.

Along with wonderful performances by Ernest Borgnine, Martin Balsam, Charles Napier, Henry Silva and Oliver Tobias, this film sees also includes a great supporting cast. The cast includes Melissa Palmisano, NFL legend Jim Kelly (Buffalo Bills), Rob Floyd (Sliders), Jim Kiick (American Gladiators), Elmer Bailey (Miami Dolphins), Jeff Moldovan (Oblivion franchise), Walter Levine (Blues Brothers franchise), and Nancy Duerr (Bad Boys II).

Cauldron Films has transferred The Last Match to Blu-ray in 1080p and is presented in 1.66:1 anamorphic. The audio track is DTS-HD MA 2.0. Finally there is English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing.

Now this transfer is not just any transfer. This transfer is taken from a 4K restoration from the original 35mm camera negative. The film looks so crisp and sharp. The colors are vibrant and skin tones are correct. The audio is clear. There is no damage found on this new transfer. But a great transfer is not all that is on this release, this Blu-ray included some cool bonus features. Take a look!

* American Actors in a Declining Italian Cinema: Minidoc by EUROCRIME! director Mike Malloy (29 mins)

* Blown Away: An Interview with Special Effects artist Roberto Ricci (16 min)

* Reversible Blu-ray wrap with alternate artwork

* All Region And Playable Worldwide

* Understanding the Cobra: A video-essay by Italian film expert Eugenio Ercolani (17 min)

* Commentary by Italian exploitation movie critic Michael A. Martinez

* Trailer

* Image Gallery

I really enjoyed the featurette American Actors in a Declining Italian Cinema. The interview with Roberto Ricci and awesome commentary by Michael A. Martinez and video essay really amp up the entertainment value of this release. And you can never go wrong with reversible Blu-ray insert.

So if you like mash-up cinema The Last Match is a ultra fun film that would make a tremendous addition to your home video library. Head over to MVD Shop or Amazon and order your copy today!