A Fork in the Road Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		2.5
Audio		2.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		1.5

A Fork in the Road Blu-ray Movie Review

Despite the intriguing synopsis, this is a routine trek down a well-worn path.

Reviewed by Dustin Somner May 13, 2010

Glancing at the cover of A Fork in the Road, the first thing you’ll likely notice is a wide band across the top boasting “From the writer of Rush Hour and National Treasure”. Considering the success of those two franchises, it makes sense to focus on the well-known accomplishments in Jim Kouf’s screenplay filmography. However, looking back over the career of the 58-year-old California native during the years leading up to Rush Hour, you’ll notice a mish-mash of various genres he’s dabbled in. Not all of his prior work led to the success of the aforementioned titles listed on the cover, but those who’ve seen The Hidden, Stakeout, or especially Disorganized Crime will know what to expect from his recent crime caper. Stepping into the director’s chair for this outing, A Fork in the Road stars Jaime King (Sin City, The Spirit, My Bloody Valentine 3-D) and Josh Cooke (recognizable for bit-parts in various television series), in a tale of two intersecting lives on a similar downward spiral and how easily romance can blossom under seemingly impossible circumstances.

Burying the body is the least of their problems.

After a daring escape from a prison transport, Will (Josh Cooke) makes his way on foot to a small prairie town in the heart of Montana. In the process of settling down within a vacant barn, Will hears a single gunshot from the adjacent house, and observes a beautiful woman drag a corpse to the trunk of her car. After witnessing her drive away, he enters the home in search of food, clothes, and anything useful for his journey to Mexico. Unfortunately, April (Jaime King) soon returns with the body still in her trunk, and mounting frustration over the police blockades meant for Will. Following a seductively charged introduction to one another (or perhaps merely seductive in theory, considering they’re both half naked), Will and April discover they need each other’s help if they hope to avoid the police. What follows, is a strange series of revelations and twists involving blackmail photos, a jealous husband, and multiple dead bodies. Just when they think the things couldn’t possibly get worse, the couple winds up in a further mess they can’t possibly talk their way out of.

A Fork in the Road is similar to eating a casserole of reheated leftovers. On top of the fact that you’re devouring elements that never taste as good a second time, they’ve been haphazardly thrown together in an effort to create something that may prove difficult to identify. If I were sticking with the food analogy, the final product may be difficult to evaluate, considering you can’t quite put your finger on what element tastes a bit off in the overall mix. Thankfully, we’re here to talk cinema, making it far easier to point out the direct misgivings and identify the main culprits. The first item I found off-putting about Jim Kouf’s latest venture is the uneven pacing and tone of the film. It seems clear from the over-the-top acting and the goofy music that this is meant to be a dark comedy, but I found the entire experience decidedly unfunny. Considering the romantic undertones and the love/hate interplay between the two lead characters, I’m guessing the blossoming relationship was intended as the primary source of comedy within the screenplay. However, I never felt much chemistry between Will and April, and couldn’t identify a turning point in their feelings for one another. To be fair, I’d only place half the blame on Jaime King and Josh Cooke, reserving the other half for the surprisingly amateur screenplay.

The other major problem worth noting is the regurgitated formula behind the basic premise. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but elements within the plot feel far too familiar, as if the film is merely rehashing the same ideas time and time again. I’m not implying a fresh perspective is a fundamental requirement in enjoying a given production, but maintaining a certain level of proficiency along a well-worn path will certainly work in the film’s favor. Within that same line of thought, when attempting to incorporate various twists in a dark comedy of this sort, one should leave at least a shred of reality as a reference point. A Fork in the Road discards that theory, and simply presents one outrageous twist after another, making it obvious these events could never occur outside the parameters of a fictional setting. In some manner, the film almost makes fun of itself in the closing minutes, by pointing out how quickly the law enforcement officers jump to incorrect conclusions. Dark comedies are supposed to be outlandish and a bit far-fetched, but A Fork in the Road pushes the envelope a bit too far.

A Fork in the Road Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in 1080p utilizing the AVC codec (at an average bitrate of 21Mbps), A Fork in the Road won't come close to winning accolades for its visual presentation. Fine object detail exhibits fleeting moments of distinct clarity that merely serve as reminders of what the less proficient scenes should look like. A fine layer of film grain rules out an excessive use of DNR, but creates additional problems by casting many of the nighttime sequences in a blanket of noise. I'm not usually one to cry foul when a heavy layer of grain is applied, but when it borders on obnoxious, it simply can't be overlooked. Adding to the deficiencies on the transfer, black crush is readily noticeable within dark sections of the image, plaguing both daytime and nighttime shots. This weakness is compounded by a similar effect in color differentiation, which erases gradual color transitions in favor of unnatural color grouping. If you're interested in an example of what I'm referring to, take a look at the color of the denim jeans worn by Will as he walks down the hillside leading to a car crash. His bleached jeans suddenly have a large digital blob of dark blue that mysteriously disappears in the following scene.

As you've likely gathered by now, the overall visual experience is riddled with deficiencies that reflect the interplay between weaknesses in the source material and the digital creation of the transfer. Some viewers may not be as sensitive to the problems I've listed, but videophiles should exercise caution.

A Fork in the Road Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Despite the inclusion of a lossless surround mix, this is an underwhelming experience from beginning to end. Aside from a handful of enhanced elements (car exploding, gunshot, etc.) the audio mix consists of dialog, background music, and occasional environmental effects. Beginning with the dialog, you'll notice a subtle volume imbalance that lends too much weight to spoken lines, and doesn't afford enough prominence to the film's soundtrack. The lines are delivered in a clear fashion without muffling, hiss, or high-volume dropout, but the quality of the recording isn't quite as professional as we're accustomed to on a big-budget release. Getting back to the music and environmental effects, I came away with the feeling that something was a bit off in these underutilized elements. Most of the sound effects are delivered strictly through the front channel speakers, and the moments when the soundtrack should take center stage, it appears weak and front-heavy. In all honesty, I couldn't really differentiate between the quality of the lossless 2.0 track and the lossless 5.1 track, except for a notable difference in volume.

In the end, the overall audio experience is acceptable within the framework of the low budget production, but I couldn't shake the impression that this could have been far better with minimal added effort.

A Fork in the Road Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The only supplement included on the disc is a high-definition trailer for the film.

A Fork in the Road Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

A Fork in the Road is the type of film you might consider watching if you stumbled upon it during a midnight cable showing. Most fans of dark comedies look for at least a handful of amusing moments laced with dry humor, which many would agree is a core fundamental of every production in the genre. When you can't even pull that off during a 100-minute runtime, I'd say you've missed the mark by a long-shot, and it's time to begin back at square one. If there's any remaining question in your mind, my final assessment is that you skip this release altogether.