Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		1.5

Acceleration Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman December 15, 2019

Is there a chapter in some Syd Field like opus about screenwriting that posits a requirement that a film should start with some kind of overheated showdown, a kind of pre-cliffhanger which then ends abruptly and is followed by some text information stating we’re traveling back in time to discover how things arrived at this point in the first place? Unfortunately, and actually kind of hilariously, when Acceleration does this very thing, it drops the viewer off "eight hours earlier" in what turns out to be in medias res anyway, meaning all sorts of exposition dumps need to be achieved via both voiceover and "news flash" dialogue moments. While Dolph Lundgren is featured pretty prominently in the key art and publicity materials attending this release, those with a penchant for reading the "small print" on covers will notice that Sean Patrick Flanery actually gets top billing, and the film turns out to be more of a showcase for Natalie Burn (who also co-produced) than anything. The film begins with Lundgren and Burn attempting some kind of deal that involves bags o’ cash being stuffed into the trunk of a car and, quite quickly, a huge shootout where virtually everyone is wounded in or killed. While Vladik (Dolph Lundgren) and Rhona (Natalie Burn) seem to be partners in this early enterprise, the truth turns out to be a bit more convoluted, with Rhona actually more of a puppet being controlled by Vladik, since Vladik has kidnapped Rhona’s young son.

There are some interesting things kind of dangling around the edges of this film, including Flanery himself, who seems to have been ported in from some nearby Quentin Tarantino enterprise. Less effective, and seemingly there for stunt casting purposes (although she, too, has a producing credit, for what that's worth) is Sally Kirkland as a waitress at a dive Rhona drops in to. The film never really builds much suspense, and its ping ponging structure is actually kind of confounding at times. Lundgren literally phones it in (many of his scenes are simply him talking on the phone), but Burn has a certain athleticism and stark gravitas in this film that may appeal to some viewers.

Acceleration Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Acceleration is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Cinedigm with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. Co-directors Michael Merino and Daniel Zirilli and cinematographer Jan-Michael Losada seem to have wanted to recreate a kind of John Wick-esque ambience with this film, and huge swaths of the story are bathed in purples, teals and blues. Since virtually the entire story takes place over one night, that setting plus the grading and lighting choices often keep general detail, let alone fine detail, levels at bay, despite a prevalence of extreme close-ups. There's still adequate sharpness on display, at least in more relatively normally lit scenes, but this presentation often tends to be surface deep at best, with a kind of milky, hazy murkiness in many of the dark shots.

Acceleration Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Acceleration features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix that has some nice panning and rumbly low end in scenes involving cars zooming hither and yon. Some of the action set pieces (Rhona has to take out a series of people to retrieve her son) also feature some well placed discrete channelization of sound effects. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout this problem free track.

Acceleration Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

There are no supplements on this Blu-ray disc. The Main Menu offers only a Play and Subtitles option.

Acceleration Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Acceleration kind of ironically never seems to get out of second, maybe first, gear. Burn is watchable as a ferocious mother brought to the edge, and some of the supporting performances are fun (especially Flanery, who's actually kind of hilarious), but the film itself might have been more accurately titled Stopped.