Dr. Death Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

Dr. Death Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman April 11, 2022

Anyone who is old enough to remember the 1990s certainly remembers the "first" "Dr. Death:" Dr. Jack Kevorkian, the man who championed the cause of assisted suicide and carried out some 130 of them (statistic per his Wikipedia page) before his conviction in the late 90s. The TV show which bears his morbid nickname has nothing to do with him, but rather the other "Dr Death," an individual of slightly more recent vintage: Dr. Christopher Duntsch. Duntsch was an active neurosurgeon in the Dallas area in the 2010s and gained a reputation as a notoriously boastful and confident, but in the operating room sloppy and uncaring, hack. This show tells his morbid true story with heat wrenching detail and excellent dramatic flow.

Official synopsis: Based on the hit podcast from Wondery, Dr. Death tells the shocking true story of Dr. Christopher Duntsch (Joshua Jackson), a seemingly bright, young neurosurgeon with a thriving medical practice. But all is not as it seems. When a growing number of Dr. Duntsch's defenseless patients end up permanently maimed or worse, two fellow physicians, neurosurgeons Robert Henderson (Alec Baldwin) and vascular surgeon Randall Kirby (Christian Slater), attempt to stop him before he causes any more harm.

The series begins with a compelling opening scene with patient testimonies overlaid atop the doctor’s face, slowly closing in on Jackson’s stoic, expressionless glare, seeming to suggest that he feels neither joy nor pity for his painfully mutilated patients. It’s an unsettling beginning that portends a particularly dark tone, which the show offers with morbid precision. The series engages from the first episode; it’s intense, dark, and sets the stage for the drama to follow, capturing Duntsch’s confidence outside the operating room and gross failures inside of it. Meanwhile, it follows Kirby and Henderson’s burgeoning collaboration to halt Duntsch’s gruesome work.

One of the most compelling characters is nurse Josh Baker, played by Hubert Point-Du Jour. Baker is the first to step forward and bring Duntsch’s gross misconduct to the attention of his superiors; he is in many ways the audience’s eyes and ears, the “everyman” balance who rallies against Duntsch so far as the system, and the chain of command, will allow him. The cast is of course uniformly terrific, and how could it not be with a star-studded trio of leads. Jackson is wonderful as the compellingly dark Duntsch, a man whose hubris is never realized; rather than finesse his way through surgery, he butchers his patients despite his outward assuredness of capabilities, and it is in the how and the why draw into his psyche that is the real star of the show. Jackson brings a perfect balance to the part, never surrendering to one extreme or the other but building a full character from top to bottom and from the inside out that is a grim picture of humanity and its most dangerous: extreme pride, extreme ability, and extreme mental deterioration. Baldwin and Slater play well together as veteran surgeons who spearhead the case against their colleague.

Simply put, Dr. Death is a terrifying show because it’s very relatable and very real. Everyday, thousands of people put their bodies in a doctor’s trust, and most of the time the doctor is a person the patient barely knows. There’s a certain need to trust in the system and the rigors of the medical school process, and for the most part that trust is well-founded. It is when the odd bad apple like a Christopher Duntsch falls through the cracks that it becomes difficult to hold that trust, especially when such gross surgical misconduct is allowed to continue on with patient after patient. Indeed, this is more frightening than any “real” Horror film with a make-believe boogey man, because what's here is real and could happen to anyone at anytime. It certainly helps that the show is built with precision craftsmanship and serious dramatic intensity that gnaws at and draws the viewer into one of the most frightening realities of helplessness the small screen has ever seen.

The following episodes comprise the series. Summaries are courtesy of the Blu-ray packaging:

Disc One:

• Diplos: Two doctors investigate the maiming and death of patients at the hands of a Dallas neurosurgeon.
• Ain't No Bum: Henderson and Kirby try to strip Duntsch of his medical license: Duntsch joins the football team.
• Dock Ellis: Duntsch meets his mentor; Henderson and Kirby explore the medical system.
• An Occurrence at Randall Kirby's Sink: Henderson and Kirby crash a function in Duntsch's honor; Duntsch sets up his practice in Texas.

Disc Two:

• The $?!& in the Bed: Duntsch begins operating in Dallas; Henderson and Kirby gain an ally in stopping Duntsch.
• Occam's Razor: Duntsch attempts to fix a disastrous surgery; Shughart builds her case against Duntsch.
• Feet of Clay: Duntsch tries to mount a defense; Henderson, Kirby and Shughart seek answers to lingering questions.
• Hardwood Floors: Duntsch's victims confront him as Henderson, Kirby and Shughart set out to put him behind bars.

Dr. Death Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Overall, this 1080p Blu-ray presentation is very good. The picture offers good quality texturing that reveals every fine skin and hair detail, clothing line and seam, and environmental element with format-standard levels of visible excellence. The environments range from doctor's offices to operating rooms and from home interiors to old locker rooms during flashback sequences to the early 90s. There is nothing that escapes the image's attention, and even if it does not achieve absolute format pinnacle there is no shortage of fine details to enjoy. Colors are solid if not looking a little flat and the image slightly dim. It's not often extraordinarily well-lit but essential tones are deep and true. Skin tones are solid, black levels are appropriately deep, and whites fare well enough. There is some minor cause for pause; some banding and macroblocking issues are apparent but these are not generally grotesque or severe. Overall, this is a very nice and satisfying Blu-ray from Universal.

Dr. Death Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The supplied DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack delivers a high-quality listen. The track offers good office space environmental fill, such as ringing phones and the like, while operating room sounds like beeps and chatter are nicely immersive, drawing the viewer into the various tense moments during key botched surgeries. However, musical balance is not always quite so satisfying as it should be. It can be a little unwieldy, but it seems to be by design; the least precise sounds come during some of the operations to raise tension and danger. Mostly, the program is propelled by its dialogue, which is always clear and center focused for the duration.

Dr. Death Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Unfortunately, no supplements are included on either Blu-ray disc. No DVD or digital copies are included with purchase. This release does not ship with a slipcover.

Dr. Death Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This is a first-class show. It's very well made and strongly acted. It's absolutely terrifying because it's absolutely real. It's more frightening than most any fictional Horror movie and it's so well done that, for all the nerve-tingling and skin-crawling fear, audiences cannot look away. Universal's two-disc set is unfortunately featureless, but the video and audio presentations are fine. Highly recommended based on the strength of the show itself.