Top Line Blu Ray Review (Cauldron Films)

Top Line (aKa Alien Terminator) is a 1988 action film co-written and directed by Nello Rossati (The Flesh and the Devil, A Woman in the Night, Tides of War, The Cat in Heat, and Django Strikes Again). It was co-written by Roberto Gianviti (Flavia, Murder Rock, A Lizard in a Woman’s Skin, Don’t Torture a Duckling, and The Psychic). Washed up author Ted Angelo (played by: Franco Nero from Django franchise, John Wick Chapter 2, Die Hard 2, The Pope’s Exorcist, Street Law, The Lost City of Z, The Fifth Cord, Keoma, and High Crime) discovers a mysterious object that ends up being a U.F.O. that crashed in the Colombian jungle. He tries to let others know around him but most of them don’t believe him at all. Soon after, he’s tracked down by the C.I.A., the K.G.B., the Mob, Nazis, and even something that he can’t explain. Everyone wants more information on this unexplained situation so he’s hunted by some of the most powerful people. Can he survive all of them? or Will the extra terrestrials get him before they can???? Top Line is one of the most unique hybrid films from Italy in the 80’s. It’s an odd mix of Indiana Jones meets The Terminator. It has a high quality director Nello Rossati and a talented writer Roberto Gianviti that make this low budget production much better than it should be. Italian legend Franco Nero is great as the lead here in Top Line, he’s the real reason to check this out. He was always doing interesting projects back then and I really appreciate the variety of his characters over the years. When it comes to Italian action, he’s one of the best to do it. He’s being chased by a variety of villains in this. There’s some nice eye candy here like Deborah Moore (Chaplin) and Mary Stavin (House). The rest of the supporting cast includes William Berger (Hercules), George Kennedy (Creepshow 2), and Rodrigo Obregón (Hard Ticket to Hawaii). The special fx definitely represent the 80’s and it adds to it’s charm. Top Line is mainly an adventure film like Indiana Jones, Allan Quatermain, and Romancing the Stone for the first 72 minutes but it turns into a completely different movie at that point. I remember when I originally watched this and I didn’t understand why it was called Alien Terminator but the finale lives up to that title. It goes into full into science fiction mode there and it’s wild. It’s random as hell but it’s so much fun and very entertaining. Top Line fits the so bad that it’s good category especially with some of the hilarious dubbing but it’s one of the more original hybrids for it’s time. It’s a excellent choice to watch with a group of friends or play a drinking game while viewing it. Let’s discuss this high definition presentation and special features from Cauldron Films! This 1080p (1.66:1) unrated 2K transfer from the original camera negative is probably the best that Top Line is ever going to look on home video. It hasn’t been available in the states since the VHS days. This rarely seen Italian adventure, science fiction, and action feature definitely deserves more attention. It has a few different audio options which includes English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono and Italian: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono tracks on the disc. The audio is better than expected here. All of the dialogue is very clean, the suspense is elevated, and the music has a killer boost to it. It has English and English SDH subtitles. It has an “Audio Commentary” with film historian Eric Zaldivar. This track includes audio interviews with cast members Deborah Moore and Robert Redcross. He chats about the 80’s Italian production. He talks about the cast and crew. He tells some stories and shares information about Top Line. He covers additional Italian cinema with various directors, actors, and films over the years. “Black Top!” Is a 22 minute interview with lead actor Franco Nero. He starts out the discussion calling this a bizarre film which is very true. He chats about his character and it’s alternate title around the world. He talks about the several genres mixed here. He brings up the supporting cast and he adds his thoughts on them. He goes over the locations and his off screen activities during the shoot. He has a blast reminiscing about Top Line with some cool stories. “The Strange Case of Ted Archer” is a 33 minute interview with film historian Eugenio Ercolani. He chats about the main cast and crew from this 80’s production. He talks about Top Line and it’s rarely discussed history. You learn a lot from this one if you want to know more about the low budget Italian movie. “Alien Terminated: The Alien theories of Top Line” is a 12 minute interview with researcher Robert Skvarla. He chats about Italian rip offs and this being one of them. This conversation is more about information and theories about aliens. For a movie that’s basically been forgotten and rarely seen, this is a very impressive home video release. It’s loaded with extras. This is the standard version, there’s a limited edition with a slipcover also. It’s available everywhere right now including DiabolikDVD.com, CHECK IT OUT!!!!