Dirty Mary Crazy Larry

Dirty Mary Crazy Larry (1974)
Anchor Bay Entertainment
Cast: Peter Fonda, Susan George, Adam Roarke, Vic Morrow
Extras: Commentary Track, Documentary, Trailers and T.V. Spots, Previews
Rating:

This ’Supercharger Edition’ of the muscle car cult classic tells the tale of two would be thieves, a race enthusiast named Larry (Peter Fonda) and his mechanic Deke (Adam Roarke), who hold a grocers family hostage and make off with the ransom in the film ’Dirty Mary Crazy Larry’. Along for the ride is ex-groupie Mary (Susan George), whose claim to fame was touring Europe with the former lead singer from the Scorpions. While there’s not a lot of story or smart dialogue present, car fans will enjoy the film for what it is, a true showcase for classic muscle cars of that time. Most notable is the juiced up 1969 Dodge Charger which is pitted against a 1972 Dodge Polara, used as the police interceptor. Also in pursuit is cynical Sheriff Everett Franklin (Vic Morrow), chasing the gang via helicopter, as they try to out-run the law throughout the California countryside, leading to a rather untypical ’Hollywood-style’ ending.

Anchor Bay Entertainment brings us ’Dirty Mary Crazy Larry: Supercharger Edition’ in a great looking anamorphic transfer, presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, which exhibits no noticeable dust, dirt or scratches. Colors are well saturated throughout with skin tones slightly reddish at times, but overall appearing quite natural. Blacks are adequate in depth providing the print with a plentitude of detail, without showing the age of the film. There are some scenes where edge enhancement is present, but this is never considered to be distracting. Anchor Bay has done a fine job with the overall presentation of this film on DVD.

Sound for ’Dirty Mary Crazy Larry’ gives you the option to choose between a Dolby Digital 5.1, 2.0 or the original mono track for true audio enthusiasts. Some of the sound may appear a bit dated, but honestly, I was quite surprised at the natural sounding dialogue and clean overall sound presentation provided.

Extras include a documentary titled ’Ride the Wild Side’, a commentary track by director John Hough and DVD producer Perry Martin, a great nostalgic 1969 Dodge Charger commercial, trailers and TV spots, a poster and still gallery and talent bios. Rounding out the extras are previews for other Anchor Bay titles available on DVD.

Classic car fans will appreciate this film for its terrific display of muscle cars involved in well executed car chases and crashes without the use of today’s CGI, which I have to admit, is quite refreshing. Fans will be delighted at the nice compliment of extras as well as great presentation that awaits them on another well produced DVD from Anchor Bay.