‘The Eiger Sanction’ and ‘Thunderbolt and Lightfoot’ home theater movie reviews

Here’s a look at a pair of films on the home theater disc format from Kino Lorber starring filmmaking legend Clint Eastwood.

The Eiger Sanction (Rated R, 2.39:1 aspect ratio, 129 minutes, $39.95) Back in 1975, Mr. Eastwood took on the role of director as well as lead actor in an adaptation of novelist Trevanian’s espionage thriller that now debuts in a new ultra-high definition disc format.

The premise finds Jonathan Hemlock (Mr. Eastwood), a retired covert government assassin turned art history college professor and famed mountain climber who is blackmailed into taking one more “sanction” by his former boss Dragon (Thayer David).

His primary mission is tied to the murder of a former colleague who once saved his life. Hemlock must find and terminate a yet unknown member of an international team of climbers (also an assassin) going out to the Swiss Alps to climb the North Face of the Eiger.

Astute pop culture trivia fans will appreciate the appearances of George Kennedy (“Cool Hand Luke” and “Airport”) as Hemlock’s old friend and climbing trainer Ben Bowman and Jack Cassidy (teen idol David Cassidy’s dad) as the flamboyant and backstabbing assassin Miles Mellough.

If viewers squint, they might think they are watching a James Bond movie. Wouldn’t it have been great if Mr. Eastwood had agreed to portray Ian Fleming’s famed spy at some time in his career?

The remaster was created from a 4K scan of the 35mm original camera negative with high dynamic range grading delivering an oddly vivid color palette.

Notice the Dragon’s frozen lair, saturated with pockets of neon reds and blues, as well as scenes with vivid-blue night skies and a constant propensity for very red faces from the White actors.

However, the color, clarity and acuity really explode when cinematographer Frank Stanley captures the dangerous climbs (mostly done by the actors, including Mr. Eastwood) on the mountainous terrain of the Swiss Alps as well as the glorious panoramic vistas of the Southwest and specifically moments on top of the Totem Pole in Monument Valley.

Although, a modicum of film grain remains to remind viewers of the original film source with even a few blemishes visible, that hardly distracts from the often exhilarating visuals.

Best extras: The 4K disc offers a pair of optional commentary tracks starting with a new effort from author and critic Justin Humphreys.

He offers an entertaining cookie-cutter overview mixing analysis and nostalgia about the cast and crew, and comparisons to the novel (even reading passages) while reminding listeners that if they are easily triggered or offended to not watch the politically incorrect proceedings.

Viewers also get a fact-packed and meticulous track from the encyclopedic film critic Nick Pinkerton who quickly refers to the movie as “a raunchy, sometimes brazenly offensive action comedy that turns finally into a harrowing outdoor adventure film.”

When not touching on narrative themes, Mr. Eastwood’s work and the adapted screenplay, Mr. Pinkerton spends plenty of time breaking down the cast and crew’s careers, quickly noticed with his comprehensive comments on composer John Williams.

Additionally, viewers get a trio of segments previously released and on the Blu-ray disc version of the film.

First, a new 14-minute interview with actor Reiner Schöne (climber Karl Freytag) who mentions how much he loved working with a very trustworthy Mr. Eastwood but was also terrified by climbing mountains.

Next, a 10-minute vintage interview with German singer and actress Heidi Bruhl (who had a small part in the film as Karl’s unfaithful wife) conducted by Peruvian entertainment reporter Pepe Ludmir.

She spends more time learning the Spanish language from Pepe than talking about the film but manages to reveal the key twist in the plot during this superficial puff piece.

Finally, a promotional segment from around the time of the movie’s release pretty much encapsulates the entire story in eight minutes.

Thunderbolt and Lightfoot: Special Edition (Rated R, 2.39:1 aspect ratio, 115 minutes, $29.95) Michael (“Deer Hunter”) Cimino’s directorial debut delivered a 1974 buddy crime caper that gave Mr. Eastwood the chance to move away from law enforcer Dirty Harry and play on the other side of the tracks as Thunderbolt, an aging robber on the run from his old gang.

Returning restored to the high definition format, the film introduces John “Thunderbolt” Doherty, an undercover preacher inadvertently getting saved from an assassin by young cocky car thief Lightfoot (Jeff Bridges).

The pair eventually team up after Lightfoot realizes he saved a legendary robber. They travel across the country and first end up trying to find the loot hidden from Thunderbolt’s last major bank job in Montana.

The old gang catches on and eventually abducts the pair. The master thief makes an uneasy alliance with his pals by proposing one last job with help from Lightfoot — breaking into the impenetrable Montana Armored Depository.

The mixture of laughs, heartbreak and action in this coming-of-old-age heist film does not disappoint with machismo-loaded performances from Mr. Eastwood and Mr. Bridges, who was nominated for an Academy Award for his efforts.

Pop culture trivia fans again will appreciate a cavalcade of legends such as George Kennedy (“Cool Hand Luke” and “Airport”) as the angry gang leader Red; Bill McKinney (“Deliverance”) as a crazy driver with a trunk full of rabbits; Catherine Bach (“Dukes of Hazard”) as a one-night stand; Gary Busey (“The Buddy Holly Story”) as Curly, the lawn maintenance worker; and Vic Tayback (“Alice”) as Mario the lawn maintenance manager.

The new master of the film (built from a 4K scan of the 35mm original camera negative) highlights some spectacular Montana terrain, one heck of a car chase and an explosion to crack open a bank vault.

Best extras: First, viewers get a slightly haughty but always meticulous optional commentary track from film critic Nick Pinkerton.

For example, he uses the word “subterfuge” at least four times in the first 30 minutes of the movie’s analysis so break out the dictionaries for Professor Pinkerton’s lecture. There may be a quiz.

Seriously though, his track goes above and beyond, with details that a homicide detective would appreciate, even mentioning the cars used in numerous scenes (1959 Cadillac Series 62, 1973 Buick Riviera or Lightfoot driving a 1973 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am) as well as fact nuggets such as actor George Kennedy had been in the army for 16 years before becoming a serious actor.

More important, viewers also get a 29-minute audio interview with the director conducted by Stephane Gobbo from Swiss magazine L’Hebdo that sheds light on the production as well as Mr. Cimino’s thoughts on filmmaking and his career.