5.3 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Two LAPD detectives who moonlight in other fields investigate the murder of an up-and-coming rap group.
Starring: Harrison Ford, Josh Hartnett, Lena Olin, Bruce Greenwood, Isaiah WashingtonComedy | 100% |
Crime | 41% |
Action | 34% |
Thriller | 20% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Spanish: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Hollywood Homicide was a notorious bomb when it hit theaters in June 2003. Despite the star power of Harrison Ford, the directorial skill of Ron Shelton (Bull Durham, Tin Cup) and the authenticity of Shelton's co-screenwriter, former cop Robert Souza, who borrowed heavily from his own experiences, critics savaged the film and audiences stayed away. The $75 million production took in just over $51 million at the box office worldwide. There were a few exceptions to the general condemnation, however. One was the late Roger Ebert, who appreciated the snap of the dialogue between Ford and his co-star Josh Hartnett. Another was myself, who has always enjoyed Ford in comic roles, even if the only one that ever succeeded with audiences was in Working Girl. Besides, the title should have tipped off everyone that this wasn't your standard tale of crime; this was a Hollywood tale. If New York crime stories are typically about grit, and L.A. crime stories are usually about corruption, a Hollywood story recalls Oscar Levant's famous quip: "Strip away the phony tinsel of Hollywood and you'll find the real tinsel underneath." In Shelton's and Souza's script, the homicide detectives were anything but hard-boiled. Sure, they did their jobs, but their hearts lay elsewhere—in show business, New Age pursuits and that classic preoccupation of the true Hollywood insider, real estate. If Hollywood Homicide has a notable feature that makes it unlikely as a crowd-pleaser, it's that too much seems to be happening at once, and it's easy to imagine audiences in 2003 not knowing where to focus. (The marketing campaign didn't help.) Shelton's strength as a director is his ability to keep multiple balls in the air, but audiences who still expected Harrison Ford to be the dashing action hero probably weren't ready for the quick shifts in tone that his character undergoes, often in the same scene, as he juggles different aspects of his life. Ford handles these transitions with the skill of the consummate pro he long ago became, but he's been hemmed in for much of his career by audience expectations based on Han Solo and Indiana Jones. The detectives in Hollywood Homicide do eventually close their case, but neither of them is that kind of hero.
Barry Peterson, who had just shot Dark Blue for Shelton, returned as the DP on Hollywood Homicide. Consistent with the Southern California sunshine—the lively credit sequence is set to "I Love Cali (In the Summertime)" performed by Roscoe—Peterson gives everything a bright, colorful look with good contrast and a minimum of shadow, even in night scenes. Sony has provided Mill Creek with a clean source and a good quality transfer that is detailed and sharp and does not appear to suffer from untoward digital processing to sharpen edges or remove grain. The black levels look right, the contrast doesn't wash out shadow detail, and the colors are appropriately saturated. Although the average bitrate of 19.00 Mbps seems low, I didn't observe any obvious artifacting, probably because long stretches of the film involve conversations with little excess motion in the frame. That, plus the black space created by the 2.40:1 aspect ratio, probably conserved enough overall bandwidth for demanding sequences like the intense car chase (much of it against traffic), the opening club shootout and the final confrontations between the heros and the main bad guys.
The film's original 5.1 track is presented in lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1. It's an effective mix that rises to the big moments, like the panicking crowd when the members of H2OClick are shot in Julius' club and the zooming, careening traffic when Gavilan and Calden take off in pursuit of a suspect through the streets of Beverly Hills (and beyond). Dialogue is clear, dynamic range is wide, and bass extension is deep, which is especially important for the strongly rap-flavored soundtrack that keeps poor Gavilan so off-balance. The instrumental underscore is credited to Alex Wurman, who scored Play It to the Bone for Shelton and recently did the soundtrack for the first season of The Newsroom on HBO.
The disc has no extras for Hollywood Homicide. Sony's 2003 DVD contained a director's commentary, the film's trailer and trailers for other Sony films.
Ron Shelton received screenwriting and story credit for another 2003 buddy cop movie that was released the month after Hollywood Homicide and made a lot more money. Shelton's bank account probably did better from that Jerry Bruckheimer production, Bad Boys II, but in an interview ten years later, he admitted that he'd never seen the finished product and had barely watched the film to which it was a sequel. If not for his name in the credits, you'd never know he was involved. Some jobs are done for the paycheck, and others bear an unmistakable artistic stamp. For better or worse, Hollywood Homicide is clearly a Ron Shelton film. For my taste, that's definitely a plus, but I leave the individual decision to the viewer. The Blu-ray, though bare bones, is a quality presentation.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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