7.3 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A Texas Ranger and a ruthless narcotics kingpin - they were childhood friends, now they are adversaries....
Starring: Nick Nolte, Powers Boothe, Michael Ironside, Maria Conchita Alonso, Rip TornWestern | 100% |
Crime | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English, English SDH, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Digital copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
C. Courtney Joyner and Henry Parke contribute another enjoyable and informative commentary as a bonus item included with this release, and they go into some detail about this film's extremely long gestational period, one which saw any number of people go in terms of "attached stars", writers and/or directors. That may be one reason why Extreme Prejudice can seem like it has plot elements that are at cross purposes with each other, but as Joyner and Parke also at least allude to, some of the changes that occurred in at least the writing department may have actually helped to streamline things. In that regard, the opening "introductions" of a team of kind of quasi-black ops types evidently took reams of paper in an earlier version by John Milius, but which in this final offering are handled rather brilliantly, with brief looks at various characters, and then even briefer interstitials that provides their "personnel file", kind of like would often be seen in the opening moments of old episodes of Mission: Impossible. In this particular instance, though, this "Impossible Missions Force" is made up of a motley crew of guys the rest of the outside world thinks is dead for one reason or another. Playing out pretty much simultaneously with those introductions are even more involving a Texas Ranger named Jack Benteen (Nick Nolte), who is seen in an early vignette with his partner Sherriff Hank Pearson (Rip Torn) attempting to bring a low life drug runner to justice. Are these two elements part of the same story or have they been shoehorned in together in a not very organic way?
Extreme Prejudice is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Film's Vestron Video Collector's Series imprint with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. As usual with these Vestron Video releases, there's unfortunately no real technical information given about the transfer, though if you search our news articles (see the tab above), you'll notice we posted that StudioCanal was working on this film along with a couple of others, and this does have the StudioCanal logo up front. The result is often quite striking, with a nicely suffused palette and generally very commendable detail levels. Fine detail is supported immeasurably by some extremely brightly lit outdoor moments, where things like the stubble on Boothe's face or even some of the tiny hairs in his nostrils can be easily spotted. There are some kind of curious variances along the way. The last third or so of the film looks a bit dowdy and brown, and not just because of the shooting locations. There are also some dark moments where the grain field is noticeably coarser in appearance, but I noticed no real compression issues of any kind. Clarity can also experience brief moments of ebbing and flowing, not necessarily tied to any lighting conditions. My score is 4.25.
Extreme Prejudice has a well wrought DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track that capably supports some of the film's more gonzo elements, like an explosion that just erupts out of nowhere early in the film (Joyner and Parke postulate that it may have been the result of some footage left on the cutting room floor that might have better contextualized what's going on). Jerry Goldsmith's typically excellent score also sounds full bodied and propulsive. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English, English SDH and Spanish subtitles are available.
This is a viscerally exciting film a lot of the time even when it's not making a whale of a lot of sense, but this Vestron Video release ups the ante by providing enough supplements that fill in some of the backstory and perhaps make the film all the more enjoyable because of its kind of crazy quilt ambience. Technical merits are solid, and the supplementary package very enjoyable. Recommended.
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