6.4 | / 10 |
Users | 3.5 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
John Sedley is a petty gangster whose facial deformities earned him the nickname "Johnny Handsome." When Johnny and a friend are double-crossed during a robbery by two partners, his friend is killed and Johnny is sent to prison. There, a sympathetic surgeon makes a deal to give Johnny a new face - and a new shot at life. Once on the outside, Johnny discovers that staying straight isn't easy. But his new look does open one door for Johnny - revenge.
Starring: Mickey Rourke, Ellen Barkin, Elizabeth McGovern, Forest Whitaker, Morgan FreemanDrama | 100% |
Crime | 69% |
Thriller | 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)
French: Dolby Digital 2.0
English, English SDH, French, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 2.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Mickey Rourke’s Hollywood film career is littered with nearly as much gossip and rumor as his personal life. Once considered a top contender among the most promising actors working in Hollywood, Rourke quickly developed a reputation for being difficult to work with, and at times an on-set menace. The reports could certainly have been blown out of proportion, but his wild, outspoken spirit eventually led down a road littered with scores of burnt bridges. Returning to his first love as a boxer in the early 90’s, Rourke staged a successful professional career during his time in the ring, but a number of brutal bouts left his face scarred and battered by the time he hung up the gloves. Turning back to acting in the years that followed, he consistently struggled to find legitimate acting work (largely attributed to his irresponsible actions and attitude during his earlier acting career), resigning himself to bit parts in low budget films that barely paid the bills. Fortunately, this downturn trend in his career underwent a dramatic reversal in recent times, but one will always wonder if the same firecracker personality that led to his Hollywood ousting still resides below the surface. There’s no denying his outlook on life and acting has changed, but have his core beliefs changed as well? Only time will tell.
A precursor to Marv in Sin City.
Presented in 1080p utilizing the AVC codec (at an average bitrate of 24Mbps), Johnny Handsome is in desperate need of a makeover. Aside from weak bouts of clarity, the main contributing factor to the compromised visual presentation is the overall coloring of the film. Greens and yellows tend to dominate most scenes, lending a sickly appearance to most skin tones, and painting shadows in unnatural hues. Further compounding the problematic nature, we have black levels that rarely descend below dark shades of gray, and contrast differentiation that struggles to accurately separate subtle shade variations. These issues alone should be enough to lower this into below average Blu-ray territory, but when you throw in fine object detail that rarely surpasses the quality of a decent upscaled DVD, you're left with precious little to rave about. I suppose in the interest of saying something positive, I should mention I never noticed any aliasing, edge halos, or other digital anomalies, leading us to assume this is the best we can expect short of a dramatic restoration.
Turning to the audio portion of the disc, we're given a lossless stereo track that demonstrates the limitations in sound design dating back to 1989. The obvious primary weakness is a lack of depth or immersion in the mix, since your two front mains carry the majority of the load. When moderate side-to-side separation is detectable, the mix acquires a robust characteristic that demonstrates fleeting moments of greatness despite the lack of rear activity. Unfortunately, those scenes are few and far between, often stepping aside for sequences that contain little more than dialog and extremely subtle environmental effects. This could be considered a good thing, since the dialog on a full surround offering usually demonstrates the same front-heavy nature, but there's no denying the lack of a full-blown upgrade in the vein of Lionsgate's other surround sound remasters. Moving beyond the lack of channel separation, the track rarely leaves much to complain about. Clarity is excellent, volume balance is appropriate, and aside from subtle age-defining brightness there are no glaring source flaws to be found.
Wordsmith (1080p, Dolby Digital 2.0, 12:39 min.): Screenwriter Ken Friedman is brought in for this retrospective look at the completion of the screenplay and the resulting production. If you're looking for background on the project, this is likely your best option.
Eye of the Beholder (1080p, Dolby Digital 2.0, 10:15 min): Michael Westmore (special make-up effects designer) is interviewed in his own retrospective discussion of the facial disfigurements portrayed in the pre-surgery portion of the film.
Action Man (1080p, Dolby Digital 2.0, 11:12 min): Actor/Stunt Coordinator Allan Graf discusses his involvement in the film and how he developed a relationship with director Walter Hill.
Rounding out the extras, we have a high definition trailer for Johnny Handsome and a video stills gallery.
I'm willing to offer a marginal recommendation on Johnny Handsome, but stop short of giving it a full-fledged endorsement. The storyline is entertaining yet flawed, the acting is universally excellent, and the production values are decent for a late 80's film. If you go in simply looking for an experience that's worthy of a one-time investment of 96 minutes, I'm sure you'll come away satisfied. However, those hoping for something memorable or moving should temper their expectations accordingly, and avoid the inevitable disappointment that will surely ensue.
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Import
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Limited Edition to 3000
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Choice Collection
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