7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Baxter, a sociopathic bull terrier, stars in this chilling French horror film that blends thrills and black comedy into a truly original tale. The inner thoughts of the brooding Baxter reveal that he is quite unhappy with his situation — living with an elderly woman who is afraid of him. In search of his ideal master, he successfully plots how to do away with her — and attempts a similar plan when he becomes dissatisfied with his next owner. It is not long before the ingenious Baxter finds the perfect guardian — a lonely, introverted boy whose macabre interest in Hitler's personal life helps turn the all-too-willing canine into a thoroughbred killing machine.
Starring: Maxime Leroux, Lise Delamare, Jean Mercure, Jacques Spiesser, Catherine FerranForeign | 100% |
Horror | 45% |
Dark humor | Insignificant |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.67:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.66:1
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
“Baxter” is a 1989 French production adapting the general strangeness of a 1977 book, “Hell Hound.” The tale explores the sociopathic interests of a bull terrier who’s passed around to different owners during his life, learning to understand how humans act when dealing with various emotional and physical challenges. It’s dark material brought to the screen by director Jerome Boivin (who co-scripts with Jacques Audiard), who tries to bring viewers inside the mind of a dangerous yet curious canine, yet avoid horror film formula in the process. “Baxter” is a bizarre endeavor, never quite reaching its thematic goals, but it does have some interesting scenes of mental illness to keep it involving.
The AVC encoded image (1.67:1 aspect ratio) presentation appears to be sourced from an older master of "Baxter." Detail is acceptable, enjoying the highly decorated nature of the film, which visits domestic spaces and junk yard bunkers. Facial surfaces are softer, and animal particulars on Baxter are passable. Colors lead with reds for wallpaper choices and costuming, which also favors lighter blues. Yard greenery is distinct, along with the brownness of muddy areas. Skintones are natural. Delineation is satisfactory. Source is in good condition, with some speckling and hairs. Banding is periodically detected during the viewing experience.
The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix provides a decent clarity for dialogue exchanges, with most information coming from the inner thoughts of Baxter, who offers a hushed sense of contemplation. Scoring supports as necessary, with passable instrumentation. Sound effects are adequately detailed.
On the page, the story is offered room to explore Baxter's mental searching and unique perspective on the meaninglessness of life. In "Baxter," Boivin often struggles to visually present such an experience, unable to fashion a sturdy arc of awakening, ending up with something more episodic instead. It's meant to be a more disturbing viewing experience, and it has moments of violence that do the trick, including some edgy interactions between the actors and the bull terrier. Expectations for a more insidious picture aren't met, as "Baxter" isn't defined enough to create unease, with only occasional shock value working to charge up the batteries on a slow-burn feature.
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