Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		2.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.5

Heatstroke Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman September 25, 2014

The heat is on in Heatstroke, a simple little survival-themed Thriller from Director Evelyn Purcell and based on the novel Leave No Trace by Hannah Nyala. The picture brings nothing new to the table but proves a serviceable, and frequently baseline enjoyable, little romp through dangerous, wide-open country where fear lurks across the plains: fear of man, fear of beast, fear of starvation and dehydration. While the film never fully pulls the audience into its world -- never does it really convey a sense of unbearable heat, unquenchable thirst, heart-stopping danger, and gut-punching emotion -- it serves up enough basic feeling to keep the audience involved, even as the film marches to a rather predictable beat. It's satisfying entertainment that's not destined to become a classic but that enjoys enough technical polish in support of a solid generalized story to keep its audience engaged, though not on the edge of the seat, on through to the end.

Divorced Hyena expert Paul (Stephen Dorff) is set to go on safari with his girlfriend Tally (Svetlana Metkina), a survival expert, to study the animals up-close. When Paul learns from his ex-wife that his daughter Jo (Maisie Williams) has been arrested for drug possession, it's decided that she should accompany him on the trip, to get her away from life's negative influences and enjoy some father-daughter time in the wild. Of course, Jo's not thrilled. She'd rather keep her ears under headphones and her nose up against her iPad rather than explore an exotic countryside. Finally, everyone reaches a breaking point. Paul and Jo leave Tally to take the girl to Johannesburg for the first flight back to the States. While they are gone, Hyenas break into camp and all bust destroy Tally's food and water reserves. She makes the trek to the nearest watering hole but makes a grisly discovery that will ultimately lead her, along with Jo, into a fight for survival both agains the African elements and a band of deadly gun runners.

Heatstroke is one of those movies that doesn't really get anything wrong but doesn't do a whole lot exceptionally well, either. The film's strength lies in its photography. Director Evelyn Purcell and Cinematographer Ben Nott do a fine job of using the barren landscape to their advantage, making use of terrain, light, and shadow to excellent effect in support of not only basic scene structure but in support of character emotion, story themes, and enhanced drama and fear. That said, much of the movie feels rather skin-deep. As nicely photographed, staged, and edited as it may be, there's a distinct lack of dramatic character to the film as it moves from predictable point A to linear point B to expected outcome C. Yet it's solid enough to maintain a fair pace and keep the audience not so much on its collective toes but satisfied with a baseline journey of survival with a few run-of-the-mill human themes and ideas mixed in for good measure. In short, it's one of those "no harm, no foul" movies, a good bit entertaining and well crafted but far removed from the upper-crust the best of the medium has to offer.

Where the film finds its most vulnerable weak spot is in its acting and characterization. In Heatstroke, only predictably bland, cookie-cutter style character dynamics seem allowed. There's the daughter from a broken home, the father she still loves, and the woman getting between them. The tension between Jo and Tally rarely feels genuine, and neither does their slowly growing bond as they fight side-by-side for survival under harsh environmental conditions and with a relentless, savage enemy tracing their every shared step. The script never provides them much novelty in reconciling their differences later in the film or, earlier, building a truly dynamic separation. It's all constructed on simple premises that have been done time and again before. It works to general satisfaction, but viewers shouldn't expect anything above and beyond in the character department. The acting is equally unimaginative. Though the performances aren't by any means terrible, there's a lack of nuance, certainly more a fault of a linear script than poor performers. Svetlana Metkina and Maisie Williams satisfy core requirements but don't really dig too deeply to find the characters beyond the stock materials from which they are made.

Heatstroke Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Phase 4 has burned Heatstroke onto Blu-ray with a capable 1080p transfer. Though the image frequently sports blacks that favor a purple shade and some slight banding across wide-open sky shots, the image mostly satisfies. Details are crisp and nicely defined. Whether a roughly textured safari hat, human skin details, or rough African terrain, there's a clarity of image and accuracy of texture that helps the transfer settle into a comfort zone of quality. Colors are bold and crisp, with solidly reproduced primaries that stand nicely apart from the near constant backdrop of earthy shades that dominate most every frame. Phase 4's transfer, aside from a few bugaboos, suits the material well and presents viewers with a satisfying watch that is, unfortunately, not equalled by its well below-par audio track.

Heatstroke Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Heatstroke's Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack fails to set sound systems ablaze. It's disappointingly puny and flat, finding little vigor or realism in anything it does. Its best asset is its ability to lightly immerse the listening audience into the African plains. The surround speakers frequently come to life with the mixed sounds of nature in a suitably enveloping and satisfying presence. Another plus is solid-front-center dialogue reproduction. However, most every other element falls flat. Gunshots are particularly disappointing. There's no sense of weight, power, or even volume. There's no crack, no open-world reverberation, nothing. Every shot is flat and lacking even a semblance of realism. Other assorted action sound effects are likewise disturbingly dull and lifeless. Music is suitably reproduced but lacks that crisp nuance around the range that defines the best tracks. Overall, this is a serviceable listen but nothing more.

Heatstroke Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Heatstroke contains no bonus content. The main menu screen offers only selections for "play movie" and "scene selections."

Heatstroke Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Heatstroke is by no means a terrible movie. It's just a generic movie. No doubt the character dynamics and story work better in Nyala's written work, where there's more space to breathe and explore. In 90-some minutes, Heatstroke really has no choice but to maneuver around simplicity, to build a capable story but one that lacks dramatic nuance and heart. It's viable short-term entertainment but viewers looking for something deep and new should seek out another title. Phase 4's Blu-ray release of Heatstroke delivers solid video, disappointingly bland audio, and no supplements. Rent it on a slow night.