Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Dead in Tombstone Blu-ray Movie Review

"God's country. Turns out they struck a vein of gold..."

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown February 18, 2014

In college, Poor Man's Pizza & Cupcakes were always on the menu. Poor Man's Pizza: drizzle olive oil and grind sea salt into a pan on medium heat. Add a soft flour tortilla topped with pizza sauce, finely shredded mozzarella cheese, a bit more sea salt and red pepper flakes. Cook until the underside of the tortilla is crisp and golden. Cost per pizza: 32¢. Poor Man's Cupcakes: top Ritz crackers with Pillsbury vanilla icing. Cost per cupcake: 6¢. That's two pizzas and a half-dozen cupcakes for $1. Add a can of soup and a McDonald's Dollar Menu sweet tea if you're looking to splurge. (I haven't whipped up a batch of "cupcakes" in years. Poor Man's Pizza is still around, though, and a big hit with my son and his friends. I've become way too skilled at making PMPs taste way too good.)

Dead in Tombstone is Poor Man's Crow, with a more-grizzled-than-usual Danny Trejo strapping on the six guns of a man who returns from the grave hellbent on exacting vengeance on the men who put him there. Trejo's gunslinger, Guerrero de la Cruz, and Mickey Rourke's scene-chomping Lucifer occasionally make director Roel Reiné's direct-to-video actioner something of a modestly budgeted, mildly tasty treat, sure. But its bland supporting cast, undercooked script and over-seasoned genre dialogue keep this one from being a more filling, satisfying and enjoyable main course.

The devil went direct to video, lookin' for some souls to steal...

"The West. People call it the New Frontier. It sounds almost... nice. They'll tell you it's built on the backs of God-fearin' folks with true grit in their hands and the American Dream in their hearts. Well, whoever wrote that's sellin' snake oil. The real West is a heartless, lawless viper pit. An American nightmare forged by the flames of Hell and the hammer of the Beast. I oughta know. I am Lucifer, and I devour the souls of men. In the West, I never go hungry."

Betrayed by his gang, shot to pieces and sent to Hell, infamous outlaw Guerrero de la Cruz strikes a deal with the Devil, a fallen angel eager to add a few more bloodthirsty villains to his collection. Rising from the grave, Cruz is granted a 24-hour window to hunt down his killers -- Snake (Edward Akrout), Darko (Ovidiu Niculescu), Baptiste (Emil Hostina), Ramos (Ronan Summers), Washington (Radu Micu) and their money grubbing, power hungry leader, Red Cavanaugh (Anthony Michael Hall) -- and condemn them to Lucifer's torture chambers, where they belong. But Guerrero's simple mission is complicated by a plot to to control a series of gold mines, the involvement of a corrupt businessman named Judah Clark (Colin Mace), and the emergence of Calathea Massey (Dina Meyer), the widow of a local sheriff (Daniel Lapaine) Red killed minutes before Cruz.

Reiné, God bless him, turns a two-bit misfire into a semi-bearable, albeit not-entirely-watchable supernatural western. King of the direct to video sequel (at least as far as Universal is concerned), the Death Race 2 director tries his hand at an original property; one that even boasts a hint of potential. And considering how little he has to work with, the results aren't all that bad. To clarify: all that bad. Dead in Tombstone still suffers, and suffers mightily, especially when Trejo isn't gritting his teeth opposite Rourke. Satan must be a helluva lot of fun to play, because there are plenty of otherwise unredeemable movies redeemed by the ultimate unredeemable baddie. (Whew. Say that six times fast.)

Unfortunately, Rourke isn't around for most of the movie, and Trejo and Hall, much as they try, can't shoulder the rest of the flick all by their lonesome. The action and gunfights are flat and too sporadic as well -- even after the film gets off to a relatively strong start -- and Guerrero's six-stage vengeance is too uninspired and generic. With more cash, better supporting actors and a crew of veteran filmmakers, Dead in Tombstone might have made something of itself. As is, it doesn't have enough fire in its gut or lead in its guns.

Dead in Tombstone Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Too slick to be as gritty as it thinks it is, too dark to be as striking as it longs to be, Dead in Tombstone's digital photography is too glossy for it's own good. Universal's 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentation hits its target dead center, though, with a technically proficient image free of major issues or problems. Contrast is hot and crush is rather severe, but so go Reiné's intentions. Colors are bleached to the point of being rather bloodless, although Hell and various kill shots feature some suitably gory primary punch. Skintones are saturated accordingly, and black levels are about as deep and restrictive as they get. Detail, meanwhile, is excellent, with crisp, clean edge definition and exacting fine textures. There also isn't any serious macroblocking, banding or aliasing to worry over; just a bit of occasional noise within scenes and elements that rely on VFX.

Dead in Tombstone Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There isn't much nuance to Dead in Tombstone's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track. It's loud and angry, and that's about it. But it suits Reiné's revenge western just fine and at least keeps things exciting when the visuals fail to live up to their promise. LFE output is bold and brawny, with booming gunshots and big, bombastic explosions. The rear speakers send scraps of wood flying, townsfolk scrambling and bullets whizzing, all courtesy of decidedly decent directionality, smooth cross-channel pans and a reasonably immersive soundfield. (Several scenes are too front-heavy, but chalk that one up to the film's direct-to-video sound design, nothing more.) Dialogue is clean and clear at all times too, and there aren't any real prioritization issues to speak of. Hybrid's score comes on a tad strong at times, but now I'm just nitpicking. Dead in Tombstone delivers the AV goods.

Dead in Tombstone Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Unrated Cut of the Film: The Blu-ray edition of Dead in Tombstone features two stabs at the film: a 100-minute unrated cut and a 100-minute R-rated cut. It's already a bit redundant to issue both a rated and unrated cut on a direct-to-video release, but with both being the same length, the differences amount to little. The unrated cut is even six seconds shorter.
• Audio Commentary: If nothing else, the ever-engaging Roel Reiné knows how to throw together a supplemental package. Dead in Tombstone is armed with a solid selection of extras, starting with a candid audio commentary from the director. Learn how Reiné put together Tombstone on a dime, what Trejo and Rourke brought to the table, and the tricks of the low-budget trade.
• Deleted Scenes (HD, 21 minutes): Nine deleted scenes -- "It's Time," "Mrs. Massey is Queen," "Death Walks Among Us," "The Name of This Town is Tombstone," "Ramos Visits Guerrero's Grave," "You Know It's a Slaughterhouse," "Guerrero Grabs the Guard," "Thanks Again Guerrero" and "Who Should Be Left to Stand?" -- plus a "Deleted Shots Montage" are included.
• The Making of Dead in Tombstone (HD, 10 minutes): Go behind the scenes in this EPK-style production featurette, complete with interviews with key members of the cast and crew.
• Horses, Guns & Explosions (HD, 5 minutes): The title tells you everything you need to know.
• Roel Reiné: The Leader of the Gang (HD, 4 minutes): The director steps front and center.
• A Town Transformed (HD, 4 minutes): Putting together Tombstone and dressing its hotspots.
• Creating Hell: The VFX (HD, 3 minutes): A look at the film's visual effects.

Dead in Tombstone Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Dead in Tombstone assembles a reliable trio of leading men but neglects to build a better, more sharply penned and capably shot revenge western around them. Trejo gives his all but looses ground to his character's poorly cast gang, Hall sneers and leers with the best of 'em but still has to deliver some truly terrible dialogue, and Rourke gnaws on scenery but is largely constrained to the shadows. The Blu-ray itself is much more notable, with an excellent video presentation, strong DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, and a surprisingly generous supplemental package. Dead in Tombstone still never amounts to more than a rainy day rental, though, so RedBox first, ask questions later.