Sidney Poitier stars in the heist thriller gone wrong, The Lost Man. New to Blu-ray from Kino Lorber.
The Film
Some of screen legend Sidney Poitier’s most fascinating work is when he broke bad. The Lost Man is an example of Poitier’s excellence on display when playing a morally ambiguous military man turned criminal. The star is able to carry a history with a look or a gesture that most actors, even today, would need pages of dialogue to convey. As with every performance, Sidney Poitier makes everything look easy and flawless.
Jason (Poitier) and his crew have the perfect plan. Time a heist at the same time as a civil rights demonstration happens close by. The cops will be called to the demonstration; the crew pulls the job easy peasy. It’s not, though. The crew ends up separated and on the run from law enforcement. As the dragnet tightens and help is only given by is by his lawyer’s daughter, Cathy (Joanna Shimkus), Jason finds his options for escape narrower and narrower.
The film is your typical heist-gone-awry film. I mean, is there any heist film where the heist doesn’t run into trouble? Though the slow and methodical nature of the film is where the film truly separates itself. Shot on location in New York City, the film is showcased here by the beautiful widescreen photography by Gerald Perry Finnerman. The Lost Man does excel at giving us a glimpse of late 60s New York City.
One wishes they had leaned even more into the Black Revolutionary Movement aspect. It’s the most interesting and arresting plot thread of the film. Even the moments they do focus on it raise the temperature of the film. Especially considering that writer/director Robert Alan Arthur’s previous written work before this was the incendiary In the Heat of the Night.
That criticism aside, The Lost Man manages to be an excellent crime thriller.
The Transfers
The all-new HD Master – From a 4K Scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative is another excellent transfer. The film shot on location in Panavision by Gerald Perry Finnerman looks beautiful on Blu-ray. There isn’t a scratch or blemish through the entire runtime. The colors pop off the screen. Kino Lorber has produced another winning disc.
The Extras
They include the following;
- NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historian/Writer Julie Kirgo and Writer/Filmmaker Peter Hankoff
- Theatrical Trailer
The all-new Audio Commentary by Film Historian/Writer Julie Kirgo and Writer/Filmmaker Peter Hankoff opens with introductions and credentials before diving into what Kirgo calls this “a lost Poitier film”. Some of the details include how this was one of Hollywood studios’ attempts at making a film that was about “radicals”; where Sidney Poitier was in his career when this was made; what was happening in America in 1968/1969 when this film was produced/released; the films that were released and the rise of New Hollywood; the box office successes of this year and other years that Poitier had films released; the career of actor Joanna Shimkus and how she met and married her future husband on the film … Sidney Poitier; the interracial romance that is featured in the film – which were a part of many of Poitier’s films; the critical response to this film and Poitier’s films in general; and much more.
Rounding out the special features are trailers for The Lost Man (0:17); Lillies of the Field (3:15); In the Heat of the Night (2:48); The Wilby Conspiracy (2:16); Sneakers (2:54); Madigan (2:27);
The Final Thought
Kino Lorber continues to release the best forgotten films of the 1960s. Recommend!!