Dig Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		2.0

Dig Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman November 6, 2022

Liongate, Saban and/or Grindstone seem to have a monopoly on low grade fare that often features an erstwhile marquee star like Bruce Willis or Mel Gibson prominently featured in key art if not in the actual film, but kind of weirdly (and perhaps amusingly), there are not one, but two, Lionsgate offerings now being released more or less in tandem that co-star Emile Hirsch. Thankfully, he's much too young to have an airbrushed version of his visage on the front cover, but that may be one of the few things to garner appreciation from this film in particular (the other Hirsch effort, Devil's Workshop, may (with an emphasis on that being a potential) have a bit more to offer.

Dig at least gets started with a (literal) bang, in a viscerally disturbing sequence which unfortunately the film is never able to duplicate. Hot tempered dad Scott Brennan (Thomas Jane) arrives at a dusty bar with his wife in order to "reclaim" their errant daughter Jane (Harlow Jane, daughter of Thomas Jane, and in just one example of how uncreative this film is, playing a character named Jane). Things go awry at a nearby gas station due to Scott's lack of impulse control, leading to the shooting death of his wife and the near deafness of his daughter (in just one of several pretty improbable plot points).

Things get ludicrous pretty quickly when Scott agrees to work for an obvious lunatic named Victor (Emile Hirsch), who wants some "work" done on an isolated house where a development has been planned. Of course Victor and his girlfriend Lola (Liana Liberato) have ulterior motives, and soon enough Scott and the understandably estranged Jane need to work together to overcome potential disaster and escape the hands of two would be murderers. It's all patently predictable, and the film's few relatively interesting aspects like the father-daughter turmoil, are never fully explored.

While this film bears the imprimaturs of both the aforementioned Lionsgate and Saban, it rather fascinatingly also features mastheads for a label I used to review years and years ago, Screen Media, along with one of those "Chicken Soup for the Soul" brandings (evidently part of Screen Media's PR efforts). That seems like a patent bait and switch for any parental units looking for a so-called "Dove approved" offering, which this most certainly is not.

Note: My colleague Brian Orndorf was similarly unenthused about Dig. You can read his thoughts here.

Dig Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Dig is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.38:1. Probably unsurprisingly, this film's IMDb technical specs page is completely empty as of the writing of this review, and a cursory search of the internet didn't really dredge up much information, other than an isolated photo of cinematographer Stephen St. Peter holding an Alexa camera in what looks like the New Mexico location for this film. I frankly didn't have the patience to listen to the commentary all the way through, where this may have been addressed, but as even a quick glance at some of the screenshots I've uploaded to accompany this review will disclose, while this is assumedly a digital capture, it has been "stylized" rather aggressively with frankly dirty looking digital grain. The pock marked black grittiness tends to completely overwhelm the image in vistas featuring skies, which unfortunately are dwelt upon unceasingly throughout the film. The entire presentation therefore has a fuzzy, almost out of focus looking at times, appearance where fine detail can struggle to emerge confidently. Things have been graded to a kind of bland peach-ochre- beige spectrum where nothing pops very dramatically.

Dig Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Things are probably a bit better with regard to Dig's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 audio. This is an obviously low budget affair, largely confined to one set for the duration of the story, but there is still decent attention paid to the immersive qualities of some well done ambient environmental effects. Occasional startle effects like the unexpected gunfire early in the film also reverberate with sufficient energy. Dialogue (such as it is) is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English and Spanish subtitles are available.

Dig Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary with Director K. Asher Levin and Actor Thomas Jane

Additionally a digital copy is included and packaging features a slipcover.

Dig Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Dig at least gave Thomas Jane a chance to work with his daughter, not to mention a perhaps more questionable chance for Emile Hirsch to go Southern Gothic for no apparent reason. This film starts out with an interesting angle which is almost immediately subverts with a predictable set of "family in hostage crisis" clichés. Technical merits are okay, though I found the video presentation frankly off putting, for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.