Boomerang (1976) Blu-ray Review: Alain Delon Loses His Cool

By the mid-’70s, French megastar Alain Delon was easing into the early stages of a career shift to middle-aged roles. Here he plays a seemingly conventional father of an adult son, unfamiliar territory from his prior lone-wolf roles. When the son accidentally kills a policeman while on drugs, Delon’s character Jacques is forced to return to his abandoned criminal past to rescue his son from a life behind bars.

The film is based on a story by writer/director Jose Giovanni, and Delon himself assisted with the screenplay. Jacques has built a new life as a respectable businessman and devoted husband and father, so his initial reaction to his son’s grievous error is to pursue legal avenues to assist his son. This leads him to plead his case directly to the wife of the murdered cop, whose confidence he gains in his search for a reduced sentence. All is well until the meddling press reveals that Jacques is an ex-gangster, throwing his legal reputation and plan out the window and forcing him to plot a daring prison break to get his son out of the country.

Unlike his frequently detached, aloof performances, Delon is remarkably dialed in here, even briefly losing his cool a couple of times as he conveys the deep anger of the conflicted father. It’s fascinating to watch his character move from confident pillar of society to devious criminal mastermind, even though the wafer-thin plot is fairly dull. Once Jacques loses his social standing and begins his criminal scramble, the final act and outcome are patently obvious, making for a bit of a slog to reach the end. Giovanni keeps the narrative so locked on its wispy premise that it feels like it’s on rails, offering no room for supporting character development or subplot sidequests. Delon is the sole reason to watch the film, making this one strictly for his most dedicated fanbase.

The new Blu-ray benefits from a recent 4K restoration by StudioCanal, with crisp clarity and a robust color spectrum. Slight instances of debris are still evident, but the overall transfer is remarkably clean. The mono DTS soundtrack adequately serves the dialogue-heavy film, with little noticeable hiss. Although no new bonus features appear, the original theatrical trailer and an audio commentary track are included.