In 2022, the population of New York City is 40,000,000 and 20,000,000+ of those are out of work. The few that are lucky enough to have a job are still scrimping and saving to make the best they can, and they're the ones lucky enough to have a place to live. The rest of the out-of-work population is sleeping on streets, in stairwells, alleyways, pretty much anywhere that they can find a place to lay down. Daily, the average person will go stand outside in a line for hours just to get their water jugs filled and a bag full of food cubes. There is soylent red, soylent yellow, and the new soylent green, provided they are lucky enough to get some before the supply runs out. Sounds like a pretty grim place so far, right? Of course, they can try to move, but apparently every big city is like that and the farms are heavily guarded, so there really is no way out for the majority of the population! The upper crust is still living high on the hog, though. They have amazing apartments, high tech toys, running hot water, food, and even meat, which is something the rest of the world hasn't seen in years. They even have female companions that come with the place, like they're furniture.
When a prominent man who is on the board at the Soylent Company, William R. Simonson (Joseph Cotton), is murdered, Detective Thorn (Charlton Heston) is sent to investigate. The Soylent Company controls the food supply for half of the world. Simonson lives a life of pure luxury with amenities that Thorn would almost kill for and will definitely steal what he can. At the apartment, Thorn interrogates Simonson's bodyguard, Tab Fielding (Chuck Connors) and Simonson's companion, Shirl (Leigh Taylor-Young) about Simonson and who would have a motive to kill him. It looks like it's just a robbery gone wrong, but Thorn knows better. He realizes that it is a murder and he needs to find out who killed him and why. His chief, Chief Hatcher (Brock Peters), wants the investigation shut down due to pressure from above. Thorn isn't the type to give up so easily, though. He's determined to find out what secret is so important that one man is killed and a priest is driven insane over. With the help of his friend, Sol Roth (Edward G. Robinson), Thorn might just change the way the world thinks and how they live.
This Blu-ray version has been re-mastered visually so it's a lot cleaner and crisper than you've ever seen it before. I do wish the audio was better. It is DTS-HD MA, so it's a lossless audio, but I'm guessing the original wasn't in Surround Sound so although the audio is lossless, it doesn't have that Surround Sound quality that we've come to expect on Blu-ray discs. There are also special features available on the disc. You can choose to watch the movie with commentary by Richard Fleischer and Leigh Taylor-Young. There are also two featurettes that will enhance your knowledge of the film, especially the first one. It's called "A Look at the World of Soylent Green." The second one is "MGM's Tribute to Edward G. Robinson's 101st Film." Both of these are interesting to watch.
This was the first time that I'd seen Soylent Green, but I already knew the secret so it wasn't a big surprise. Still though, the movie is amazing. It is different to see a sci-fi movie without a lot of action and explosions. It's all about the story and the plot rather than how many things can be blown up at once. If you've never seen Soylent Green, I recommend that you pick it up today. It's one of those movies that you really must see!
