THE FILM:

Director Michael Winner shot over three dozen films before his death in 2013, but is often written off as a second-rate director of third-rate films. That may be partially true, but the man behind the camera on Death Wish, The Sentinel, and Scorpio proved quite the workhorse despite his admitted rumbustious mood swings and a knack for arguing with his actors. Scorpio, with lead performances by Burt Lancaster and Alain Delon, is a by-the-book 1970s espionage thriller that offers little to separate it from the pack of similarly themed films released in that era. The cast, which also includes Paul Scofield and John Colicos, is great, but David W. Rintels and Gerald Wilson's screenplay sparks deja vu to other, more exciting films.

Longtime C.I.A. agent Cross (Lancaster) wants to retire in peace with wife Sarah (Joanne Linville), but finds himself training a new recruit: Jean Laurier (Delon), alias "Scorpio." Things go badly for Cross, and he is accused of treason. Cross finds himself in the agency's crosshairs, and, expectedly, Scorpio is the man strong-armed into hunting Cross down. The hunted travels to Vienna and seeks refuge with fellow operative Zharkov (Scofield). Cross desperately seeks assistance getting Sarah out of the United States alive, and receives an unexpected offer from his once-and-future master.

The film floats a few interesting ideas about deception and loyalty, and Cross quickly realizes his mentoring may cost him his life. Unfortunately, Scorpio wastes its supporting cast with dead-end side plots. Scofield, who starred alongside Lancaster in John Frankenheimer's excellent The Train, is set up as a possible important ally, but makes little more than a cameo appearance. The Lancaster/Linville relationship is not especially believable either, though I enjoyed the tense cat-and-mouse scene where Linville's Sarah runs from home intruders.

Scorpio is poised to impact with a derisive takedown of Cross and Scorpio's mutual employer, but then it just ends. The finale would be shocking if not so heavily forecasted, and Winner's film does not make much of a thematic or narrative impression. Sometimes a movie does not have to offend the senses or shock with incompetence to disappoint. Scorpio is competently directed and acted by serious performers, but it has a feature-of-the week atmosphere. I was entertained for 114 minutes, nothing more. That's the definition of average.

THE BLU-RAY:

PICTURE:

The 1.85:1/1080p/AVC-encoded image is more than acceptable, and mirrors the look of other early ‘70s films. Fine-object detail is good, as is texture. There are some slight anomalies with the grain structure, but the transfer has an overall fluid, film-like appearance. I noticed very minor edge haloing but no oppressive noise reduction. Colors are well saturated and black levels are inky. Flesh tones run a little pink, but this is overall a nice presentation.

SOUND:

The DTS-HD Master Audio mono mix is also more than acceptable, with clear, distortion-free dialogue reproduction. Jerry Fielding's score is treated respectfully, and the mix has decent depth for its action-oriented effects. Layering and range are both good, and I noticed no issues with feedback or hiss. English SDH subtitles are available.

PACKAGING AND EXTRAS:

Twilight Time releases Scorpio on Blu-ray as part of its "Limited Edition Series," and only 3,000 copies were produced. The disc comes in a clear Blu-ray case, and Twilight Time includes a multi-page booklet and dual-sided artwork.

Extras include the expected Isolated Score Track, in 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio, as well as the film's Trailer (2:23/HD). The Commentary by Film Historians Nick Redman, Lem Dobbs and Julie Kirgo is interesting, as the trio provides plenty of information about the production and its players. I especially enjoyed their critical commentary about the film and its director, and no one on the track claims Scorpio as a masterpiece.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

This middle-of-the road 1970s espionage thriller has a nice cast, with lead performances from Burt Lancaster and Alain Delon, but nothing in director Michael Winner's film is especially memorable. Although it is poised to take down the pair's duplicitous C.I.A. employer, Scorpio limps to a predictable ending and never offers the payoff I wanted. Rent It.

William lives in Burlington, North Carolina, and looks forward to a Friday-afternoon matinee.