A special digitally remastered edition of the classic film Buster (1988) has just been released on bluray by 4Digital Media. The film tells the story of the Great Train Robbery that took place in 1963 and follows one of the gang members Buster Edwards, played by Phil Collins. Now I already know the film is brilliant but what of this new remaster? Let’s take a look, so without further ado here’s my Buster blu-ray review.
- Buster (1988)
- Genre: Romantic Crime Comedy
- Directed by David Green
- UK Rating 15
- Discs: 1
- Released By 4Digital Media
- Blu-ray Released: 15 June 2020
Plot
Crook Buster Edwards (Phil Collins) along with his local firm, led by Bruce Reynolds (Larry Lamb) embark on the most audacious robbery in British history. Their plan is to stop and steal the Royal Mail train heading from Glasgow to London. They believe it’s carrying £1 million in cash but is actually carrying significantly more.
Will they get away with it? Well the film is based upon true events so if you know the real story you will already know the answer.
Style / Direction
The films directed by David Green whilst Tony Imi is responsible for the cinematography. I have nothing but praise for the way this film tells its story. It flows wonderfully through the highs and lows and never has a dull moment.
Music / Audio Effects
The music is provided by Anne Dudley although it’s the collection of songs that really steals the show.
It starts appropriately with “Keep On Running” by The Spencer Davis Group which perfectly sets the tone of the film. Phil Collins of course contributes massively with songs such as “Two Hearts” and “A Groovy Kind of Love”. There’s “How Do You Do It?” from Gerry and The Pacemakers but its the aptly titled “Loco In Acapulco” by The Four Tops which probably best sums up the films aspirations.
Put simply much of the film’s success comes from this wonderful soundtrack that perfectly matches and reflects the onscreen drama.
Acting / Characters
What can I say the casting it’s simply sublime. I mean every single character is perfect cast and that doesn’t happen too often.
Phil Collins is surprising good in fact I’d say he was made for the role of Buster Edwards. He’s able to play it light-hearted at the beginning of the story whilst also very capable in the deeper emotional moments when the dream begins to crumble.
Julie Walters plays Buster’s wife June and is an integral character and one that ultimately decides his fate. She really is brilliant and compliments Collins perfectly.
The other main character is that of Bruce Reynolds taken on by the awesome Larry Lamb. His performance in the role means I can’t ever see anyone else playing the character better. He and Phil Collins have a fantastic chemistry which really adds energy to proceedings.
As I said there’s not a bad choice in any of the roles, Christopher Ellison plays a rival firm boss brought in to assist. As you would expect he delivers a strong performance. Then there’s Martin Jarvis and Michael Attwell, I mean I could go through every single one of the cast and say something positive.
Cast
- Phil Collins as Buster Edwards
- Julie Walters as June Edwards
- Larry Lamb as Bruce Reynolds
- Stephanie Lawrence as Franny Reynolds
- Ellie Beaven as Nicky Edwards
- Ralph Brown as Ronald Biggs
- Christopher Ellison as George
- Sheila Hancock as Mrs. Rothery
- Martin Jarvis as Inspector Jack Mitchell
- Anthony Quayle as Sir James McDowell
- Michael Attwell as Harry
- Michael Byrne as Poyser
- Clive Wood as Sergeant Chalmers
- Harold Innocent as Justice Parry
- Rupert Vansittart as Fairclough
- John Benfield as Jimmy
Conclusion: Buster (1988) Film Review
You may already have realised I really love this movie. Put simply it gets everything right from tone to casting and let’s not forget that fabulous soundtrack. If you’ve never seen it I strongly recommend giving it a look as it something of a classic in my book.
If you enjoyed my Buster blu-ray review so far you may want to check out the following films:
Conclusion: Buster Blu-ray Review
The bluray cover claims that it’s a ‘Special Digitally Remastered Edition’ which suggests the picture quality will be great, it isn’t. There are still black marks and other damage present on this new version. I would suggest this is merely a high definition transfer rather than a remaster. The image overall isn’t terrible but there’s little doubt it could and should have been significantly improved .
There are no extras included and I’m less than impressed with the picture quality. All in all I’m pretty disappointed with this bluray release from 4Digital Media considering it’s such a great movie.
I’m still going to recommend you pick this up on blu-ray as it is still the best version released to date.
Popcorn Cinema Rating: Buster (1988)
MOVIE RATING: MUST SEE
BLU-RAY PICTURE: AVERAGE
EXTRAS: NONE
Purchase On Buster (1988) Blu-ray
Buster (1988) blu-ray is available now.
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Buster (1988) Film Trailer
For those of you yet to see the film I’ll leave you with a little taster…
Clip may not be representative of the blu-ray version
That concludes my Buster blu-ray review, I’m aiming to review more classic soon. What’s next? Check back soon…
Summary: Buster (1988) Blu-ray Review
Movie title: Buster (1988)
Movie description: The film tells the story of the Great Train Robbery that took place in 1963 and follows the life of gang member Buster Edwards
Duration: 102 mins
Director(s): David Green
Actor(s): Phil Collins, Julie Walters, Larry Lamb
Genre: Romantic, Crime, Comedy
- Movie Rating
- Blu-ray Picture Rating
Summary
Buster is both entertaining, emotional and comes with a fabulous soundtrack
Pros
- Captivating story
- Wonderful Casting
- Fabulous Soundtrack/Score
Cons
- Poor/Average Picture Quality
- No Extras
