Redneck Miller Blu Ray Review (Film Masters)

Redneck Miller is a 1976 action film directed by John Clayton (Duncan’s World and Summerdog). It was written by W. Henry Smith (Trucker’s Women and Hot Summer in Barefoot County) and Joseph A. Alvarez (Trucker’s Women and Hot Summer in Barefoot County). DJ Miller (played by: Geoffrey Land from The Female Bunch, Black Heat, Doctor Dracula, Nurse Sherri, Blazing Stewardesses, Jessi’s Girls, The Other Side of the Wind, and Death Journey), a disc jockey in the Southern U.S. When Miller’s motorcycle is stolen and used in a drug deal, he faces off against local thugs and unsavory characters to clear his name!!!! Redneck Miller is a forgotten 70’s drive-in feature. It hasn’t been released on home video since the VHS days. The script is loaded with action, car chases, drama, crime, dark comedy, and suspense. This exploitation movie is hicksploitation with some blaxploitation thrown in for good measure. Character actor Geoffrey Land actually got a lead role in Redneck Miller. He’s a country disc jockey that can’t stay out of trouble. He’s unlucky when his motorcycle is stolen and he’s set up for a crime that he didn’t commit. Now he has all kinds of different gangsters trying to get revenge on him. Geoffrey Land gives his best performance as the bad ass redneck DJ that can handle himself in dangerous situations. The rest of the supporting cast includes Steve Jones (Hard to Kill),Paul Walsh (Northern Exposure), Paulette Gibson (Getting Over), Lou Walker (The Firm), Charles Elledge (Hot Summer in Barefoot County), and Charlie Leonard (The Electric Chair). Redneck Miller has enough violence and action for what it is. It has a cool atmosphere, classic cars, interesting locations, quality production design, and good soundtrack/score when it’s not country. Director John Clayton provides all kinds of eye candy and some nudity in this. I’m really surprised that I’ve never heard of Redneck Miller before this home video release was announced. It hasn’t had a new life in a long time, VHS days so it’s awesome to see it get a chance with this brand new HD treatment after all these years. It’s always fun and very entertaining with some solid replay value to it. RECOMMENDED!!!! Let’s discuss this high definition presentation and special features from Film Masters! This 1080p (1.85:1) transfer is from a brand new 4K restoration from one of the only surviving rare 35mm release prints. Film Masters also noted that this print was run through multiple rounds of restoration with dust busting, dirt plus debris removal, and repair of deep scratches that were digitally erased. I’ve never seen Redneck Miller before this but I did some research on some previous versions and it always looked pretty rough until now. Film Masters are one of the best when it comes to resurrecting public domain and rare obscure features. They always make these forgotten gems look like brand new. Redneck Miller looks so much better than expected here. It has an English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono track on the disc. This exploitation low budget action film packs a decent punch when it comes to the audio. All of the dialogue is very clean, the madness is elevated, and the music has a nice boost to it. It has English SDH subtitles. It has a brand new exclusive “Audio Commentary” with Justin Humphreys. He breaks down the regional film process. He chats about the sub-genres that usually get made when it comes to this. Redneck Miller was aimed at the south. He talks about this independent production just flew under the radar and it was basically forgotten. Quentin Tarantino played this in his theater and he appreciates this unknown gem. He provides all kinds of information and inside information for this exploitation feature. It’s worth a listen if you want to learn more about it. It has a brand new restored 2024 “Trailer”. The original version came with a slipcover and an insert written by Justin Humphreys that was limited to 1,500 copies. This is the standard re-release from the Film Masters Archive Collection. It’s available everywhere right now including MovieZyng.com, CHECK IT OUT!!!!