Review—Deadlock (Subkultur)
Author: Palo Sionoplia


In case you’re the sort of ne’er-do-well who only gives reviews the briefest of glances, I’m going to frontload the following: you need to purchase this release. I’m now going to spend the rest of this space telling you why.
To most of us on the American side of the pond, director Roland Klick is an undeservedly obscure figure. I can recall his name—and Deadlock in particular—mentioned in a trade mag here or a fanzine there, but his films have been largely unavailable to non-European audiences. Thankfully, Subkultur’s first North American release seeks to right that wrong, and movie buffs seeking that sweet spot between experimental film and genre cinema are in for a righteous treat.


Deadlock wears the dusty coat of a Germanized spaghetti western, but the film is so much more than a shootout at the Heidelberg Corral. It’s a crime saga that may or may not take place in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. It’s a character study in which the desert is the most merciless of villains. It’s also beautifully shot, the locations are stunning, and there’s a soundtrack by Can. Need I continue?


Klick’s avant-garde spin on the Leone template is a four-person character study in which each player is as fascinating as they are pitiful. There are no heroes in Deadlock, just a short parade of the lost and the double-crossed. I’ll not spoil the twists and turns, but I can promise that you’ll be glued to the screen once the fiendish Mr. Sunshine appears in the second reel.
Subkultur has kicked off their new line with a UHD/Blu-ray combo package. While either format will serve, the UHD is an unabashed stunner.

Transferred in 4k from the original negative, this restoration has been conducted with an impressive level of care, and the work done here serves as an appropriate model for competing boutique labels looking to break into the UHD market. (You may balk at the following declaration, but I am undeterred: Criterion, take notes.) The dual audio tracks (German and English) are nearly as impressive, as Can’s score rips across the blistering skyline in a presentation that serves as a legitimate demo disc for any home theater’s upper-range capacity.


But wait, there’s more: Subkultur has loaded the package with supplements to boot. There’s a captivating commentary track featuring Klick; a featurette, “Truth and Sensuality” (20 mins) in which Klick addresses his larger body of work; “Movie as Adventure,” an archival piece on Klick; and “Portrait” (14 mins), which a vintage piece from German television that highlights some of Klick’s cinematic techniques. As if that weren’t enough, there are a handful alternate openings and endings, theatrical trailers in German and English, a still gallery, a reversible cover, and, if you purchase this release from Vinegar Syndrome’s website, an sun-drenched slipcover on thick cardstock (limited to 2000 copies).


I’ve been intentionally vague about Deadlock’s story so as not to spoil a first-time watch. I’m only jealous that I can’t watch it for the first time ever again. Subkultur has unleashed a deluxe UHD that stands shoulder-to-shoulder with any single-film release on the market, and Deadlock earns the highest possible recommendation. Let’s hope this release is commercially successful and results in additional releases from Klick’s catalogue. I’ll be first in line.