Endangered Species Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Endangered Species Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf May 30, 2023

Robert Urich was primarily known as a television personality, with Hollywood working very hard to make him a household name, keeping him employed as much as possible during the 1970s and ‘80s. There were hit shows such as “Vega$” and “Spenser: For Hire,” with Urich showcasing a rugged screen presence that helped to define masculine characters for the small screen during this era of T.V. entertainment. The actor attempted to jump to the big screen along the way, with 1982’s “Endangered Species” one of his earliest leading roles, bringing his leathery ways to a film co- written and directed by Alan Rudolph, a helmer known for more nuanced offerings of character and tone. The pair go to work with something of a character actor convention in the picture, which strives to set an eerie tone concerning cattle death, shadowy military plans, and small-town tensions. “Endangered Species” is a paranoid thriller from the 1970s trying to find an audience in the 1980s, with Rudolph attempting to make as strange a movie as possible while still dealing with storytelling formula. It works for most of the run time, with the production generally capable when it comes to providing an unusual viewing experience that’s also quite cliched, making heads spin while eyes roll.

Ruben (Robert Urich) was once an NYC supercop working to take down crime, but his violent methods and growing alcoholism have turned him into a disgrace, fired from the force, giving him an opportunity to work on himself. Ruben tries for a fresh start in Colorado, collecting his wayward daughter, Mackenzie (Marin Kanter), and making the trip out west, looking to connect with his pal, Joe (Paul Dooley), a journalist in Bannon County, a rural community that’s recently elected Sheriff Harriet (JoBeth Williams) to protect the land. Ruben and Mackenzie settle into their surroundings, but something strange is happening around them, with the discovery of mutilated cows disturbing the locals, including Cattlemen Association president, Ben (Hoyt Axton). Little is understood about the situation, with Ruben inclined to join the investigation, trying to make sense of the gruesome happenings, getting close to Harriet in the process. Clues lead to a former NORAD missile base nearby, but as Ruben, Harriet, and Joe get closer to understanding the crisis, outside forces begin to push back.

“Endangered Species” plays like it was worked over by studio politics before release, opening with a card describing how chemical and germ warfare was banned in the U.S. in 1969, clearly identifying at least part of the threat facing the characters in Colorado. The story is positioned as something of a mystery, with the screenplay trying to sell the suspicion that issues with cattle death are tied to a possible U.F.O. presence in the area, with Rudolph summoning suspense with the appearance of lights in the sky and animal mutilations on the ground, with these creatures destroyed in ways too exact for natural explanation. Whatever question mark was originally intended for the effort is erased in the final cut.

The mystery aspect of “Endangered Species” is torched right from the start, but there’s more to appreciate here, including the development of Ruben as a tough guy falling on hard times, forced to reassess his life choices when police brutality and the bottle catch up with him, urging him to work on his issues via the planning of an autobiography. He’s also looking to change his contentious relationship with his 16-year-old daughter, struggling to keep up with the independent teenager. “Endangered Species” capably juggles Ruben’s entrance into Bannon County with the development of the cattle mutilations, which are increasing around the town, raising tensions between Harriet and Ben, highlighting specific power plays as community order is tested. The new sheriff is also handed depth in the writing, with Harriet facing blatant sexism wherever she goes, struggling to define her authority around men who don’t take her seriously.

Between Ruben’s downfall and Harriet’s frustrations, there’s something fascinating brewing in “Endangered Species,” extending to town agitation, with Joe the reporter keeping an eye on things with help from his big city friend. Escalation is present in the picture, with a barn fire and the presence of speeding trucks adding to suspense, and there’s a human side as well, with Ruben trying to deal with Mackenzie, who’s quick to anger and happy to date a twentysomething deputy, offering daddy woes to a man who once lived to beat up suspects and drink himself into a stupor. Ruben’s battle with sobriety is also included, but “Endangered Species” gives in to predictability, as the ex-cop and the sheriff are soon tempted into a relationship, taking a break from all the dead cows and physical dangers to have sex, which is ridiculous, reeking of a studio demand to help soften an otherwise grim tale of doom, and one with an unsettling (but in the best way) electronic score by Gary Wright. The film wouldn’t work as well as it does without this odd musical presence.

Endangered Species Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation is listed as a "New 2023 scan from the interpositive." It's a softer viewing experience for "Endangered Species," with a milder sense of skin particulars on the cast, which varies greatly in age and personal appearances. Cattle gore is reasonably defined. Town tours carry decent dimension, visiting businesses and the open world. Interiors secure a moderate view of decorative additions. Colors are decent, with a cooler sense of rural engagement and military base operations. Clothing choices bring out some brighter primaries, along with signage. Crayola-esque blood shows some life. Greenery is acceptable. Skin tones are natural. Delineation is satisfactory, with long portions of the feature dealing with evening encounters. Grain is reasonably resolved. Source is in good condition.

Endangered Species Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA mix provides a simple listening experience, with dialogue exchanges aged but approachable, handling with decent intelligibility. The strange electronic score supports adequately, with passable instrumentation and suspense emphasis. Atmospherics and sound effects are appreciable.

Endangered Species Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features film historians Lee Gambin and Paul Anthony Nelson.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (1:20, SD) is included.

Endangered Species Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Endangered Species" supplies leathery banter among the characters, with Rudolph (and co-writer John Binder) looking to maintain tensions with snappy lines and pronounced attitude, which adds to the dramatic experience. Human casualties also increase suspense, inspiring Ruben and Harriet to get serious about their mission to uncover what's behind the farmland massacre. The feature maintains a compelling pace right up to the moment it starts to expose what's going on in Bannon County, which turns the movie into a sillier understanding of devious happenings and dangerous people with bad facial hair. "Endangered Species" isn't great with answers, doing much better with questions, as Rudolph manages personal problems and community anxiety well, adding bits of Cold War information to add to the overall pressure of the story. Of course, any big reveal has already been exposed in the opening minute of the film, but there's more here to embrace than simple solutions, finding Rudolph committed to a grittier sense of personality and nobility, laboring to deliver a viewing experience that scores with some frights and resonates with human behavior, politely refusing strict genre classification.