Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		2.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		2.5

Johnny Handsome Blu-ray Movie Review

A star-studded cast elevates an otherwise mediocre affair.

Reviewed by Dustin Somner July 27, 2010

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.

Born with a horribly disfigured face, John Sedley (Mickey Rourke) earned the name ‘Johnny Handsome’ among the criminal underworld of New Orleans. Well known for his uncanny ability to identify and stage successful heists, Johnny is approached by his longtime friend Mikey (Scott Wilson), who asks for his help in planning a robbery at a local coin store. Agreeing to move forward, Johnny and Mikey enlist the aid of two low-life criminals named Rafe (Lance Hendrikson) and Sunny (Ellen Barkin) who quickly reveal their own set of diabolical plans. Betrayed and alone following the tragic results of the heist, Johnny finds himself back in prison while Rafe and Sunny make off with the loot. Unwilling to act as a snitch on behalf of Lieutenant Drones (Morgan Freeman), Johnny’s assigned hard labor in the surrounding fields of the prison, leaving him vulnerable to an attempt on his life (ordered by Rafe) that lands him in a secured hospital setting. Here he meets an enthusiastic young surgeon named Dr. Fisher, who approaches the deformed patient with a proposition to reconstruct his face. In theory, the doctor believes this newfound sense of normalcy would allow Johnny the opportunity to leave behind his life of crime by opening the door of social acceptance, transitioning him into a productive member of society. Apprehensive at first, Johnny accepts the lengthy treatment, and emerges with a new lease on life. Following his release, he lands a job as a construction laborer and discovers for the first time the love of a woman. Everything seems perfect at first, but Johnny finds it impossible to erase the memory of Rafe and Sunny’s actions during the heist, eventually deciding vengeance is the only way to truly move on and be happy.

Based on the novel “The Three Worlds of Johnny Handsome” by John Godey, the film combines an interesting mix of social commentary, film noir, and good old-fashioned heist entertainment. Had these three elements been handled with a touch more precision, I could have envisioned the development of a cult following in the subsequent years since its release. After all, the ensemble cast remains a veritable who’s-who of Hollywood’s elite, and the core concept behind the storyline offers an interesting take on the idea of free will. We’re asked to decide for ourselves if the burden of horrible disfiguration and speech impediment offer adequate reason to pursue a life of crime, while witnessing an example of what may happen if those elements are removed from the equation. As interesting as that initially sounds, the manner in which the film tackles such heavy subject matter eventually becomes one of the many downfalls.

The primary problem with Johnny Handsome is the lack of any legitimate character building to create a foundation we can build on. The opening scene begins with Mikey approaching Johnny about his need for cash before moving immediately into a heist sequence. Everything about their history together is glossed over, and we know next to nothing about Johnny’s life as a disfigured man struggling to get by. His past is briefly touched on during a later interview with Dr. Fisher, but even at that point we’re only told a story about his rejection as a deformed child. This lack of build-up to the events that occur in the film eliminates a portion of the sympathetic element in the story, since we’re never privy to the reasoning behind Johnny’s life of crime. This weakness also extends to the transformation of Johnny’s face as a result of the surgical procedure. We spend such a short period of time with the disfigured Johnny that the reversal of fortune loses the emotional weight that may otherwise have been possible. I blame part of the problem on the propensity for action in the film (placing greater emphasis on the revenge aspect of the plot), but doubt it would have taken much to lend both elements a leading role in the story.

As mentioned earlier, there’s precious little to complain about in the acting department. Mickey Rourke does an exceptional job throughout his speech transitions, giving his character a fluid progression toward normalcy that’s difficult to pull off. It would have been tempting to fall back on his normal voice during the later stages of the film, but the fact that Rourke continues to speak with a higher-pitched lisp serves as a reminder that this newly attractive man is still the same character found earlier in the film. Likewise, Lance Hendrikson delivers his typical edgy persona, Forest Whittaker is compelling as the sympathetic doctor who takes up Johnny’s cause, and Morgan Freeman is strong yet underutilized as the devil’s advocate in Johnny’s life. Placed together with the other fine actors that populate the film, it makes you wonder what could have been if other elements of the production had been just a little better.

Johnny Handsome Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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.

Johnny Handsome Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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.

Johnny Handsome Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

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.

Johnny Handsome Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

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.