Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Gang Related Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 17, 2016

Jim Kouf's "Gang Related" (1997) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of independent distributors Olive Films. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film and an archival featurette with cast and crew interviews. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

"Nothing wrong with taking out the garbage."

James Belushi and Tupac Shakur are two cops who play both sides of the law. They have been doing it for years and are convinced that as long as they remain careful they can continue to make hundreds of thousands of dollars in addition to their salaries that will eventually allow them to retire in style.

But when the two partners sell some drugs to an undercover DEA agent (rapper Kool Moe Dee) and then kill him, their lives suddenly become very complicated. While investigating their own crime, they decide to transform a homeless drunk (Dennis Quaid, Wyatt Earp) into the vile killer everyone is looking for, but when they go to court with their man it is confirmed that he is actually the missing brother of the founder of a huge telecommunications corporation. So they are forced to improvise in order to effectively distance themselves from the ‘killer’ who is now defended by a legendary lawyer (James Earl Jones, Dr. Strangelove), but the more they try, the more difficult it becomes to defend their lies.

Jim Kouf’s Gang Related is a violent and gritty yet in a way rather casual crime thriller that should appeal primarily to fans of its two leads, Belushi and Shakur. It is a shame that it turned out to be the legendary rapper’s final film because he looks really good in it and had he lived longer there is no doubt that he would have done even better work.

The film’s message is a simple one: What goes around comes around. It is delivered in a rather cynical fashion, but considering the nature of the story the cynicism certainly feels justified. After the partners kill the DEA agent and the investigation begins, it is basically only a matter of time before their made up case collapses and the lies are exposed. This is obvious so what makes the film somewhat unpredictable is the middle section where they are routinely served rather large doses of their own medicine. Here there are a couple of good twists that also introduce some light humor that counters the cynicism quite well.

Belushi and Shakur may seem like an odd couple as both have very different acting styles, but in this film they look great together. Belushi is the confident leader who always has some sort of a plan that provides him and his partner with a safe way out of messy situations. Shakur is the concerned realist who senses that a disaster is imminent but hopes that he is wrong. There is real chemistry between these guys that definitely helps this film look very authentic.

The supporting cast, however, isn’t as convincing. Quaid’s character transformation is quite problematic and a lot of his recollections sound flat-out suspicious. (The short segment from the prison where he talks about his past is awful). Lela Rochon plays a sexy exotic dancer who also frequently looks lost. Gary Cole also overplays his character.

Gang Related was lensed by cinematographer Brian Reynolds, who is probably better known for his contributions to Hugh Wilson’s Guarding Tess and TV’s NYPD Blue.

The original soundtrack that was issued on CD features a number of popular tracks from Mack 10, Shakur and Outlawz, Ice Cube, Nate Dogg and Daz Dillinger, and Daz Dillinger and Tray Deee, amongst others.

Gang Related Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Jim Kouf's Gang Related arrives on Blu-rray courtesy of Olive Films.

The release has been sourced from a pre-existing master, but the film's overall appearance is quite good. It looks a tad softer than it should, but detail and clarity are still pleasing. During some of the darker footage depth isn't overly convincing, but some of the stylistic enhancements are also responsible for the limited dynamic range. In fact, the effect is noticeable even during some of the daylight sequences (see screencapture #1). Still, there is no doubt that shadow definition should be better. There are no traces of recent denoising corrections. However, the high-frequencies should be better while grain should be better exposed. The best news here is that there are no traces of problematic sharpening adjustments. Rather predictably, despite some of the softness the film still looks pleasing when viewed on large screens. Color are stable and natural, but ideally there should be a wider range of healthy nuances. Overall image stability is excellent. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Gang Related Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master 5.1. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

There are no technical issues to report in our review. Clarity and depth are very good. There is a good range of nuanced dynamics as well, though the film's original sound design isn't overly impressive despite the fact that there are quite a few intense action sequences. The dialog is stable, clean, and fairly easy to follow. There are no audio dropouts, pops, cracks, or digital distortions to report in our review.

Gang Related Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for Gang Related. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Featurette - an archival featurette with clips from interviews with Tupac Shakur, producer Brad Krevoy, director Jim Kouf, James Belushi, and James Earl Jones, amongst others, as well as raw footage from the shooting of the film. In English, not subtitled. (10 min, 1080i).

Gang Related Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Gang Related is a decent crime thriller that will probably appeal mostly to fans of its two leads, James Belushi and the late rapper Tupac Shakur. Olive Films' technical presentation of the film is rather good, but there is definitely room for important improvements. The release comes with a short but very good featurette with some excellent comments from Tupac Shakur about life, race relationships, and American laws. RECOMMENDED.