5.5 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A beautiful but horny and neglected Beverly Hills wife hires a hot young stud as a gardener. It eventually gets through to her husband that some hanky-panky may possibly be going on, and he begins to spy on her. Complications, and murder, ensue.
Starring: Linnea Quigley, Jan-Michael Vincent, Jack Carter (II), Mindi Miller, Michelle BauerThriller | 100% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Instead of keeping up with comedies and horror efforts, director David DeCoteau aims for a more sensual, soap opera mood with 1989’s “Deadly Embrace.” Aiming for a late night pay cable vibe, DeCoteau (billed here as “Ellen Cabot”) and screenwriter Richard Gabai cook up a few games of sexuality and power to fuel this mild take on film noir, but they also keep up with the era’s demands for nudity and overheated bedroom encounters. Mercifully, most of “Deadly Embrace” is played relatively straight, dropping a campy approach to at least attempt a level of suspense typically ignored from cheapie productions.
Much like "Murder Weapon," the AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation is sourced from a 16mm original camera negative, allowing "Deadly Embrace" to look fantastic for its HD debut. Colors are tastefully refreshed, brightening up the picture with vibrant costuming and compelling skintones, giving the movie's substantial nudity a boost. Detail is available, identifying locations and facial reactions, and set decoration is clear enough to take in. Grain is thick but filmic. Delineation handles dream sequences with care. A few pronounced vertical scratches are detected.
The 1.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix leads with dialogue exchanges, which sound natural and clear, handling differences in dramatic approach and heated exchanges without distortive extremes. Scoring is supportive without intruding on the dramatics, offering pleasing instrumentation. Atmospherics aren't extraordinary, but locations are identifiable.
"Deadly Embrace" slips into the danger zone during the third act, increasing threats and violence as a delicate situation of unfaithfulness is exposed to everyone. DeCoteau doesn't have the budget or the time to craft a thrilling payoff, but "Deadly Embrace" at least tries to go for a punch, arranging hard looks and brandishing guns for a true sense of finality.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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