The colour scheme is well rendered and, even given the movie's vintage, this remastered presentation arguably nudges its way into demo territory.ĭespite some decent audio and truly excellent video, the highlight is actually in the extras department. Edge enhancement doesn't cause any trouble, and excessive DNR doesn't seem to be an issue either, with most defects, although, if you look closely, the very opening shot has a slightly warped centre-mass. Detail is oftentimes surprisingly good considering the age and budget (and shape Peckinpah was in), with some well observed close-ups revealing skin texture, clothing weave, hair detail and fine object detail, whilst also taking note of what the surroundings had to offer. the filming lens is probably the reason why a few of the shots are framed around the edges) and so, technically, this is an excellent presentation. I'd be hard pushed to note anything which couldn't be viewed as a source problem (i.e. Whether or not you think Convoy deserves it, this 35th Anniversary Special Edition release leaves it looking thoroughly impressive on Blu-ray, sporting a newly-minted 1080p High Definition remaster in the movie's original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.4:1 widescreen. Watching Convoy, it feels like a lifelong Peckinpah admirer shot a fairly meaningless commercial trucker flick as a tribute to his idol, and that Peckinpah wasn’t even involved at all – and that’s almost literally what actually happened. Hell, Peckinpah was even fired midway through the editing process, and the film was recut and rescored without his approval. Running over-schedule and over-budget, with cocaine, alcohol and subsequent health problems stifling his art, and with long-time collaborator James Coburn drafted in to shoot half of the footage himself, the film ended up losing to the massively successful, similarly-themed 1977 flick, Smokey and the Bandit, which hit cinemas before Convoy was even completed (although not before it was due to be completed). It doesn’t feel like a Peckinpah movie, it doesn’t look like a Peckinpah movie and, whatever strand of sense he wanted to make of the pathetic script simply does not come across in the finished product.

Sam Peckinpah’s penultimate movie, 1978’s Convoy, actually ended up being his biggest financial success.ĭespite this, the cast, crew – and Peckinpah himself – along with critics and audiences alike, failed to see anything particularly noteworthy about the lightweight trucker movie before, during or after the troubled production.

Uncut special issue