The new BD from Shout is going to recycle the MGM master with their worse compression like they usually do. The big news is that they may produce new extras-and better yet that Arrow is doing a uk release with their high level of quality- so expect the MGM master from them with better compression and original audio and new extras.
Was that confirmed somewhere? Both Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Return of the Living Dead have had new masters with superior detail to MGM’s old ones; their compression has come a long way since the days of Escape from New York and particularly since Day of the Dead. Then again, the Manhunter HD transfer was recycled (though already excellent) with the slightest bit inferior encoding then the original MGM BD; the inclusion of “The Director’s Cut,” whose accuracy I deem questionable, was also a bonus.
Also, I heard Arrow were themselves working on a new 4K restoration.
As for the ending I completely disagree. I think it is perfectly handled as you can’t quite read Vukovich when he comes to the door. He seems exhausted, burned out, bruised, bartered and beyond lucky to be alive. You realize he no longer cares. And then the final line cements his shift that began the moment he partnered with Chance. Chance himself teeters on the edge throughout the film so his eventual fall fits thematically. What is astounding is how the seemingly cheesy ending mandated by nervous executives actually matches the same bleak tone so it would work almost as well. And also as nasty as he was I too never want to see Chance go down though it makes for the better and fitting ending.
I suppose we must agree to disagree then. 😃 My problems with the ending, as written, are due to how it’s performed. The notion of Vukovich’s transformation is quite an elegant one, but the execution, perhaps a matter of taste, is just too blunt. Unlike you, I think it’s fairly obvious by Vukovich’s changed manner and apparel from the start of the scene where it’s going to end, with John Pankow not particularly subtle.
That being said, I agree with everything else you wrote in your two To Live and Die in L.A. write-ups on your blog- truly wonderful stuff, eloquently said.