Hot Seat Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.0

Hot Seat Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman August 2, 2022

Hot Seat is one of those supposedly intricately plotted thrillers which in fact can be summarized pretty easily by saying it's an overly convoluted "limited release" (read that as "more or less direct to video" release) that is silly beyond belief, predictable to the max, and perhaps most saliently, often derivative to the point that some may be asking on first (and my hunch is only) viewing, "Haven't I seen this somewhere before?" Among the other items arguably lifted from other movies is a disembodied voice of a villain barking out orders to the perceived hero over a loudspeaker, which may invite memories of Saw, to which some curmudgeonly jaded types may add "why can't these characters be murdered viciously?" Of course, that's said in jest, but this is such a tired enterprise that some of the perceived "entertainment" value may come from such mundane things like wondering how in heaven's name Kevin Dillon was afforded billing above Mel Gibson.

Those wanting a plot recap of Hot Seat are encouraged to read the review by my colleague Brian Orndorf, which I'd simply add to by mentioning that this is at least the fifth film I've seen just over the past couple of months where a harried female spouse presents her husband with a divorce petition, only to have a number of intervening and often violent incidents convince them there's still hope in the relationship. I joke only slightly in saying somehow I've managed to get close to 30 years of marriage without any explosions, gunfire, hostage taking or similar activities convincing me I'm really meant for my wife, or vice versa, but this particular plot device is simply indicative of how completely rote and by the numbers Hot Seat is.

To be fair, this is at least competently made, and performances are decent. There's also one brief moment of true Hitchcockian suspense that even uses Hitchcock's famous example of how to establish suspense by an opening vignette that shows a bomb timer counting down while a variety of people (including a child of course) go about their business, unaware. Unfortunately, it's largely downhill after this.

Hot Seat Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Hot Seat is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. Probably unsurprisingly for such a small scale effort, I haven't been able to track down any authoritative technical information on the shoot, the IMDb has virtually nothing, and the closing credits offered no camera information. This is a competent digital capture that I'm assuming had a 2K DI (as always with my reviews, if anyone can point me to verifiable information to the contrary, private message me and I'll happily post an update here). Aside from once again very brief banding that is noticeable during the disc boot Lionsgate logo, this doesn't have any major compression anomalies, but it also probably isn't going to set any videophile hearts on fire. The CGI is almost laughably bad at times (look at the "smoke" from the "explosion" in screenshot 9 for just one example), but detail levels remain very good to excellent otherwise throughout the presentation. There is a perhaps refreshing lack of overt grading, and most of the film plays out in relatively natural looking lighting, with the possible exception of some slightly blue graded material in a police station.

Hot Seat Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Hot Seat features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track that has moments of energy, as in the opening bomb explosion or some later fireworks further into the story, but a lot of this film plays out in sequestered environments where surround activity is limited almost entirely to ambient environmental sounds. As such, the sound design here isn't showy or overly ambitious, but there is some depth and layering here that is appealing. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. The fact that this is the rare Lionsgate release with a Spanish audio track and subtitles in a variety of languages other than English suggests the label may feel there's an international market for this film.

Hot Seat Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer (HD; 2:26)

Additionally a digital copy is included and packaging features a slipcover.

Hot Seat Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

You've seen something like Hot Seat any number of times, but if you're a fan of the "eclectic" cast (which also features Shannon Doherty in a kind of quasi-cameo), this is probably an agreeable enough time killer, though a completely undemanding one (which may be another point in its favor for some). Technical merits are generally solid for those who may be considering making a purchase.