6.3 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A woman and her young daughter are caught in the crossfire when whiskey, guns, and the desire for revenge violently intersect in a tough-and-tumble Mississippi town.
Starring: Garrett Hedlund, Willa Fitzgerald, Ryan Hurst, Woody McClain, Mel GibsonThriller | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English SDH, French, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Digital copy
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
"A woman and her young daughter are caught in the crossfire when whiskey, guns and the desire for revenge violently intersect in a tough-and-tumble Mississippi town." Has there ever been a more perfect neo-western plot synopsis? You can practically hear the sizzle of the sun, the crickets lurking in the darkness, and the hiss of the wind as guns are drawn and blood is shed. Unfortunately, that "practically" is about as good as it gets. Desperation Road isn't a bad film; just an unremarkable, wholly average genre pic that doesn't rise above its own tropes. Gibson is back (monthly it seems, at least in the world of direct-to-market movie releases), aiming to dust off his image and try again, while Hedlund is the real star, stuck here doing too much of the heavy lifting while scene partner Willa Fitzgerald struggles to mine gold out of a shallow mine. It doesn't help that sexual assault is once again the propellent of a thin revenge plot, with too little time devoted to the nuanced anguish and maternal drive of Fitzgerald's single mother in favor of an old standard: the hesitant heroics of a tragically misunderstood ex-convict. It all collides in truly predictable fashion, though it tells a decent enough tale along the way.
Lionsgate at least doesn't discriminate. Desperation Road may be direct-to-market fare but its 1080p/AVC-encoded video transfer looks every bit as good as that of a top-dollar theatrical release. Colors are desaturated on the whole (by design), though swaths of sun-kissed amber, oddly tropey neo-noir teal, and shallow but ominous black levels lend some striking genre flair. Skin tones follow suit, as do a series of blood-drained primaries, which all sounds negative but falls perfectly in line with Crocker and cinematographer Sy Turnbull's intentions. Detail is excellent, as is delineation, with plenty of revealing fine textures and crisp edge definition on hand to sweeten the pot. There also isn't anything in the way of significant banding, blocking or noise, making for a clean digital image whose only wear and tear comes courtesy of Turnbull's modern southern gothic-stylings, rather than anything attributable to the Blu-ray presentation.
Desperation Road offers a quieter crime drama than you might expect, particularly in its first hour, but the film's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track gets a good workout all the same. Violence erupts with wince-inducing weight and LFE-backed brutality, chaotic scenes are quite immersive thanks to exacting directional effects and slick channel pans, and the soundfield is notably involving, with rear speaker activity that boasts everything from subtle environmental realism during subdued, reflective moments to explosive engagement when it all goes sideways. Dialogue is always clear and intelligible (even when Hedlund does his best to muddle his words and give sub-junkies another excuse to watch every film with subtitles) and the fidelity of the original sound design is spot on. No complaints here.
No, Amazon didn't send you the wrong item. The Blu-ray release of Desperation Road comes packaged in a standard DVD case, which has
become a bit of a fairly common practice with direct-to-market Lionsgate titles. The combo pack features Blu-ray, DVD and Digital copies of the film.
Desperation Road might have been more effective had Crocker found a way to translate the untranslatable from page to screen. No small feat for any director, but one the two-time filmmaker struggles with. The film is a solid southern gothic neo-noir western, sure. Its burdens, though -- tropes and cliches aplenty -- are a bit too much for it to bear. Lionsgate's Blu-ray release is a step up, thanks to an excellent AV presentation and welcome selection of supplements, despite the fact that the DVD-size case the release is packaged in proves to be a cumbersome nuisance. All told, you could certainly do worse. A decent flick and a reasonable pricepoint? Go for it.
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