Angel Town Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		2.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		2.0

Angel Town Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 8, 2021

Eric Karson's "Angel Town" (1990) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of the MVD Rewind Collection. The supplemental features on the disc include exclusive program with cinematographer John LeBlanc; exclusive program with actor Frank Aragon; making of featurette; archival promotional materials; and more. In English, with optional German subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Frenchman Olivier Gruner was the logical answer to Belgian star Jean-Claude Van Damme. He was very good looking and a former Navy Seal with the type of skills that were incredibly valuable to producers who loved to invest in action films during the 1980s and 1990s. In 1990, when Gruner made his acting debut in Eric Karson’s Angel Town, he seemed like the perfect package.

Despite some very good promotional tactics that put the spotlight on Gruner the right way and then initiated excitement for Angel Town, however, it is awfully difficult to argue that he managed to meet the expectations. There are a couple of reasons for this. The most obvious one is Gruner’s acting inexperience, which was so striking that it dramatically affected the quality of the action footage that was expected to make Angel Town a hit. Simply put, Gruner’s real-life experience as a Navy Seal was completely wasted because his acting inexperience made it impossible to incorporate in his work before the camera. Gruner’s transition to the film business was at odds with the expectations that were attached to it as well. When Van Damme began his acting career, he went through a few small parts that reportedly allowed him to become comfortable with the technicalities of performing and being followed closely by the camera. His bigger parts, where he established himself as an action star, came later on, and this was a process that evolved gradually as well. (Admittedly, Van Damme’s wild lifestyle and especially his drug addiction produced all kinds of other problems that he struggled to overcome, but his improvement after each film was undeniable). Gruner was expected to impress from the get-go and, unfortunately, he wasn’t able to do it.

French student Jacques (Gruner) lands in LA ready to begin work that would earn him a graduate degree in engineering. But immediately after he checks in with his university advisor, he realizes that he will have to find a place to stay on his own. Shortly after, he ends up in a seedy part of town where local gangs frequently clash, and then, completely unaware of the everyday drama that has turned the area into a battleground, rents a cheap room in the home of a single mother (Theresa Saldana) whose son (Francisco Aragon) has become a target for a couple of violent thugs. When Jacques witnesses the thugs abusing and then trying to hurt the boy, he intervenes, effectively forcing them and their friends to put a mark on his back as well. A few days later, the thugs declare war on him and the boy’s family.

There is very little to like in Angel Town. The screenplay produces a series of cliched situations that keep pushing Gruner’s character in different confrontations with the local bad boys that are so ridiculous that more often than not it looks like they might have been pulled out of a junked parody. Indeed, not only does the material look completely random, but the choreography of the action where Gruner is supposed to shine is so amateurish that it instantly becomes problematic even for a C-grade project with a long list of unknown actors. This is the main reason why Angel Town does not work. Gruner’s stiffness and mechanical lines could have been ignored if the action was at least somewhat decent, but the fights look very poor, so even folks that usually pursue these types of genre films to get a nostalgia fix will have a difficult time discovering something to appreciate.

Karson, who was also one of the producers of Angel Town, was able to bring on board cinematographer John LeBlanc, who had previously shot music videos for Prince (Kiss), Sheena Easton (Eternity), and Vanessa Williams (The Right Stuff). Sadly, LeBlanc’s work on the music videos is vastly superior.

Angel Town Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Angel Town arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of the MVD Rewind Collection.

The release is sourced from an old and very, very weak master. Frankly, folks, approximately eighty-five percent of the content looks like upscaled material, so on a larger screen the key qualities that we address in our reviews become seriously problematic. For example, delineation and depth range from very weak to poor, which is why massive portions of the film look incredibly flat. The native dynamic range of the visuals is destabilized as well, though admittedly the improper gamma levels do the most significant damage that you will instantly notice on your screen. Colors look weak and dated. Predictably, balance is very problematic and sadly in some areas entire ranges of nuances are missing. Image stability is mostly good, but there are some areas with light instability that you will definitely notice. The entire film can look a lot healthier as well. There are plenty of dirt spots, specks, scratches, and fairly large blemishes. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your Blu-ray player regardless of your geographical location).

Angel Town Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are four standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English: LPCM 2.0 (48kHz, 16-bit), English: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps) German: Dolby Digital 2.0, and Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0. Optional German subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I viewed the film with the English LPCM 2.0 track, which is actually quite good. Clarity and sharpness are its greatest strengths. It is relatively healthy as well. However, depth and overall dynamic intensity quite underwhelming. Depth, in particular, should be quite a bit better. Currently, there are just too many areas where the sound is simply too 'thin'.

Angel Town Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interview with Olivier Gruner - in this archival program, Olivier Gruner recalls his initial encounter with director Eric Karson, and discusses his involvement with Angel Town as well as the evolution of his acting career. In English, not subtitled. (21 min).

• Interview with Director/Producer Eric Karson - in this video program, Eric Karson discusses the production of Angel Town, the journey of its main protagonist, Los Angeles and its gang history, Olivier Gruner's performance, etc. The program was produced exclusively for the MVD Rewind Collection in 2018. In English, not subtitled. (44 min).

• Interview with Star Frank Aragon - in this video program, actor Frank Aragon recalls how he was cast to play the character of Martin and discusses his contribution to Angel Town. There are some very interesting comment about Olivier Gruner's martial arts skills as well as shooting in a dangerous area in East LA. In English. The program was produced exclusively for the MVD Rewind Collection in 2018. In English, not subtitled. (31 min).

• Interview with Cinematographer John LeBlanc - in this video program, cinematographer John LeBlanc recalls his involvement with Angel Town (after his work on Stripped to Kill) and what it was like to work with Eric Karson first-time actor Olivier Gruner. The program was produced exclusively for the MVD Rewind Collection in 2018. In English, not subtitled. (24 min).

• Making of Featurette - an archival featurette that promotes the virtues of Angel Town. Included in it are clips from an old interview with Olivier Gruner. In English, not subtitled. (14 min).

• Interview with Eric Karson - in this archival interview, Eric Karson discusses his career and involvement with Angel Town. In English, not subtitled. (17 min).

• Promotional Materials - vintage promotional materials for Angel Town.
  
  1. Trailer One
  2. Trailer Two
  3. Trailer Three
  4. TV Commercials

• Poster - a mini-poster for Angel Town. (See packaging photos that are included with the review).

• Additional Trailers - additional trailers for the following titles from the MVD Rewind Collection catalog:
  
  1. 37: A Final Promise
  2. Black Eagle
  3. Blast
  4. Crazy Six
  5. Out of Time
  6. The Man from Earth: Holocene
  7. Walking Tall

Angel Town Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It isn't difficult to understand why Eric Karson and a couple of other producers decided to launch Olivier Gruner's acting career with Angel Town. In the early 1990s, the Frenchman had the right physique for an action star and looked very handsome before the camera, so it wasn't unrealistic to assume that he could have been the next Jean-Claude Van Damme. But he wasn't, and despite claims to the contrary, Angel Town is a genuine stinker. Indeed, it is one of the lamest action films the decade produced because there is a gigantic disconnect between its ambitions and production qualities, and yet for some odd reason the people that made it remained completely oblivious of this crucial flaw. The release we have reviewed is sourced from an old and very weak master, but has a strong selection of exclusive new and archival bonus features.