American Carnage Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		2.5

American Carnage Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman August 22, 2022

For better or worse the phrase "American carnage" has entered the public lexicon courtesy of a certain presidential inaugural address, and it provides the jumping off point for a film that perhaps surprisingly attempts at least in part to play things for laughs. While a largely Hispanic creative team goes to some lengths on the commentary included on this release as a bonus item to overtly state that they don't like Latinos being "used" by either Democrats or Republicans as a so-called "wedge issue" (in different ways, of course, for each party), there's little doubt that American Carnage wants to parody some of the more rabid right wing responses to what is perceived as an "invasion" of undocumented immigrants. While the intentions are going to strike some at least as noble (others will probably find them annoying, of course), American Carnage probably undercuts its own black humor by telegraphing most of the supposed "surprises" the story ostensibly has in store.

The film begins with a rather provocative and unabashedly interesting montage that weaves real footage, both culled from narrative films and news reports, along with fictional elements. There's a bit of info bandied about on the commentary track concerning what I assume amount to licensing issues for some of the clips utilized (probably with regard to some of the very brief snippets from any number of films), but this opening salvo shows that depictions of and "outsider" awareness of Latinos seems to often be skewed toward the negative, with an underlying air that is at least somewhat similar to some of the archival depictions Spike Lee uses in Bamboozled . The sequence ends with a pull back to reveal a brightly lit neon sign advertising Lady Liberty's burger chain, and suffice it to say burgers play an important part in the story, which is actually where the telegraphing starts.

JP (Jorge Lendeborg Jr.) is gainfully employed at a Lady Liberty's location, and it's quickly shown that he's a sweet, upstanding young man who nonetheless won't be bullied by some arrogant "good ol' boy" types (while the film never really pins down where things are taking place, it sure seems like it's Texas). He has an equally smart and capable little sister named Lily (Yumarie Morales), but do to an Executive Order by Governor Harper Finn (Brett Cullen), ICE rounds up all children of undocumented immigrants, even if the kids had been born in the United States, and suddenly the siblings and some other friends find themselves in a very scary holding facility.

An potential way out of sorts is offered to some in the group with a kind of "work release" program where they're assigned to a what is supposed to be a sort of nursing home called the Elderly American Tolerance & Understanding Project, and, again, for anyone looking for that telegraphing situation I've brought up previously, simply review the title of the organization and see if you can divine something from it which goes directly to the burger issue mentioned previously. Things get increasingly gonzo and almost science fiction oriented as JP's predicament devolves, and this is another point in the film where a button pushing subtext may be defeated by an actual text that is simply too out there.

Suffice it to say that not only Soylent Green is people (so to speak), and those aforementioned Elderly Americans may be getting Old through unnatural means. It may simply be one menu item too many (to hopefully appropriately utilize a food metaphor), though to be fair, American Carnage has some winning performances and some kind of fun and spooky special effects that may recall transformations in films like An American Werewolf in London, as odd as that may sound. American Carnage never quite manages to figure out how to balance all these disparate elements, and to find a tone that supports both black humor, cheeky interrelationship comedy and what ultimately turns into something close to a horror film.

Note: My colleague Brian Orndorf had about the same general reaction to the film that I did. You can read Brian's thoughts here.

American Carnage Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

American Carnage is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. The closing credits offer the Alexa logo, but as of the writing of this review, I haven't been able to track down any authoritative information as to the resolution of the DI. While I've often gone on record stating my general preference for Red captures (when compared to Arri Alexa captures), this presentation is nicely sharp and extremely well detailed most of the time, with a bright and vivid palette that pops, at least when lighting conditions allow. There are intentional moments of quality impairment, so to speak, in terms of things like supposed news broadcasts and the like, but the actual narrative sequences offer secure fine detail and appealing clarity. After yet another very brief occurrence of banding during the first Lionsgate boot up masthead (even clearly visible through my screen capture unit, which is not always the case), I noticed no other major compression issues.

American Carnage Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

American Carnage features a nice sounding DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, though considering a perhaps less than expected use of source cues and an ambience that increasingly verges on horror territory, some may wish for just a bit more consistent engagement of the surround channels. There are some impressively immersive moments, including the horrifying ICE takedown of JP and others, and some of the initial holding cell sequences have some good, "echo laden" moments. The main story also offers some outdoor sequences that offer good ambient environmental effects, and a couple of gruesome transformation scenes also have some fun if disturbing sound effects. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English and Spanish subtitles are available.

American Carnage Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary by Writer / Director Diego Hallivis, Writer / Producer Julio Hallivis, and Producer Andres Rosende


• Behind the Scenes of American Carnage (HD; 34:10) is a multi part series of featurettes that includes some enjoyable interviews and candid footage. Probably unsurprisingly, this is a spoiler fest, for anyone who might be concerned.


• Deleted Scenes (HD; 2:28)

Additionally, a digital copy is included and packaging features a slipcover.

American Carnage Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

While perhaps a bit too subliminal to be an actual telegraphing element as per above, those interested may want to look into the etymology of the word carnage, since it is absolutely germane to this film's gonzo plot proceedings. This is a near miss in my estimation, done in by probably trying to work in a few too many plot threads which can tend to undercut a rather provocative look at what so-called Dreamers may fear, if not actually experience. Technical merits are generally solid and the supplements enjoyable for those considering making a purchase.