Blu Ray Review: Two with Burt Reynolds, 20 years apart, from Kino Lorber

The two new 2k Masters of Burt Reynolds movies nicely bracket his career, one from 1969 before he ascended to movie superstardom, and one from 1989 after that meteoric rise had fallen. Both are among Burt’s best films from their respective periods. Reynolds had already been a familiar face on TV and was just starting to get a foothold on being a leading man in movies when Impasse was released in 1969. After such hits as Deliverance (1972) and The Longest Yard (1974), he quickly became a top star. When Smokey and The Bandit (1977) became a huge box office smash, Reynolds lazily tried to play out the good ol’ boy role from that movie, culminating in Stroker Ace (1983), which was as big a flop as Smokey had been a hit. So, when he appeared in Breaking In (1989) he had been struggling to make a comeback for a while.

IMPASSE

Burt Reynolds joins up with three other men (Vic Diaz, Lyle Bettger, Roldolfo Acosta) to find $3 million in gold bars hidden in Manilla some time during World War 2. The men he enlists were those who had buried the gold some 25 years earlier, but they are all disruptive types whose personalities clash, making it challenging for Burt to maintain control and keep everything on track. Anne Francis and Miko Mayama are the attractive, distracting women who each have their own interest and agenda. Reynolds later stated that the title of this movie was how he would describe his career at the time he made it. It is actually a strong little film that is both exciting and compelling, breezing by in 100 minutes. Kino’s blu ray is a nice 2K remaster. Here is a link to where it can be purchased: IMPASSE

BREAKING IN

By the time he made this movie in 1989, Burt Reynolds was trying to live past the abominable Stroker Ace, and re-establish himself as a serious actor with charisma and charm. The attempts to do so were met with skepticism by moviegoers with lackluster films like Stick and Malone. However, Breaking In is perhaps Burt’s best movie since the 70s became the 80s. Reynolds is delightful as a seasoned thief trying to show a younger man (Casey Siemaszko) the ropes. Settling comfortably into a buddy movie that also allows Reynolds, now past 50, to age into his screen role, adding another layer to his charming screen persona. This didn’t lead to a movie career comeback for Reynolds. That didn’t happen until TV’s Evening Shade in the 1990s; a decade culminating with his first (and only) Oscar nomination (for 1997’s Boogie Nights). But as a veritable oasis in the desert, Breaking In is a delight. Kino’s blu ray features a commentary track featuring the film’s director, Bill Forsythe, screenwriter, John Sayles, and film historian Daniel Kremer. The blu ray can be purchased here: BREAKING IN

Burt Reynolds was a very appealing personality, so sometimes people forget he was also quite a good actor. Both of these movies, sold separately, offer good examples of his work, during very different parts of his career.