6.8 | / 10 |
Users | 3.8 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
On their way to a boxing match, 4 friends get off the expressway in the worst part of town to avoid a traffic jam. But they cross paths with a psychotic drug lord, Fallon, who kills one of his subordinates right before their eyes--and wants no witnesses. Soon an innocent evening's fun has turned into a deadly, nail-biting game of cat and mouse through Chicago's asphalt jungle, as each layer of civilization is stripped away and they must rely on their animal instincts, and each other, to survive...Judgment Night.
Starring: Emilio Estevez, Cuba Gooding Jr., Denis Leary, Stephen Dorff, Jeremy PivenThriller | Insignificant |
Crime | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
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)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Judgment Night's plot pits innocent bystanders against hardened drug dealers and murders. In the film, the former desperately run for their lives through Chicago's seedy underbelly. The film's chase-based action may not sound original, and the film does little, if anything, to reinvent a fairly basic story line. Director Stephen Hopkins (Predator 2, Lost in Space), working on a screenplay written by Lewis Colick and Jere Cunningham, nevertheless creates a frenzied, desperate and despair-defined atmosphere as the innocent men, who are outgunned and out of their element, frantically flee and try to find a way out of the situation, including running, negotiating, and eventually fighting. The story is not about the external details but rather how the four men process and respond to their predicament, how they evolve from frightened friends to fearsome fighters. Hopkins and his writers keep the story flowing as realistically as it can, though, never elevating the heroes beyond reason and never building the villains as unstoppable entities. All of the characters are flesh-and-blood, and it's in their evolving responses, along with Hopkins' tight direction, that elevates the film above similar cinema chum.
According to a source at Warner Archive, Judgment Night has received a new transfer from an IP scanned at 2K by Warner's MPI facility. There is an international release of the film on Blu-ray which was apparently sourced from an older, and lesser, Universal master created at least a decade ago. The results for this Blu-ray are quite remarkable. WAC's 1080p Blu-ray delivers a gorgeous film-quality image, blessed with a finely rendered natural grain structure that compliments fine detailing which shows no signs of unwanted or unwarranted grain reduction or texture tampering. The result is a natural, high yield image that even in challenging dark scenes -- which comprise the vast majority of the movie -- produces a cinematic quality for the home. Facial and clothing textures come easily and with natural complexity. The challenges posed by the darker nighttime exteriors and various low-light interiors are never hurdles this image cannot overcome. Gritty urban environments are likewise healthy and robust, whether street-level details, sewers, stores, or apartment building interiors, the latter of which represent just about the best-lit scenes in the film beyond the opening minutes. Colors are nicely rendered and appear accurate, masked by the movie's overwhelmingly dark scenes and locations, but they do impress within the film's natural visual parameters and excel in an early dusk scene when the friends prepare to leave on their trip or in any of several better lit locales. Blood is a particular standout seen towards film's end. Black levels are strong with only slight elevation. Only the most eagle-eyed viewer will spot one or two stray pops or speckles. No serious source wear or encode artifacts are apparent; WAC's bitrate hovers around 40Mbps for the duration. Fans could not have asked for more from a Judgment Night Blu-ray.
Judgment Night was one of the first films to release theatrically with DTS sound, and for this Blu-ray release Warner Archive has produced the soundtrack from the digital 5.1 printmaster. The results are very impressive. The film begins somewhat reservedly, front-heavy, and not particularly interesting one way or another, but a few early scenes highlight the potential and goodness to come, such as when Frank cranks up the music, momentarily, in the RV. Once the action picks up, this proves to be a positive, energetic track with music offering positive front-side stretch. When the men make their escape from Fallon and his gang after witnessing the execution, musical engagement, clarity, and vigor are terrific, while support effects such as gunfire and explosions offer commendable depth, detail, and stage engagement. Gunfire is always a highlight, with many shots coming from a large caliber Desert Eagle or a variety of revolvers presumably shooting .357 loads; while shots don't match the ear-bursting intensity of real gunfire, the sense of depth and stage fill is quite impressive, whether above ground, inside a building, or down in the enclosed confines of a sewer. It's in those sewers where the track enjoys some of its most prominent surround engagement in the way of realistically tinny reverberation, creating a claustrophobic, inescapable sonic landscape that's the perfect compliment to the on-screen action. Other prominent effects are handled as well as can be expected, including a blaring alarm in chapter 25 which delivers a steady, penetrating intensity. Light atmospherics gently immerse the listener into various locations throughout the film, with light breezy winds, rustling papers, and rolling bottles defining an exterior scene early in the film when the friends stop to tend to a wounded man who is eventually executed at the end of Fallon's revolver. Dialogue is center positioned, lifelike, and well prioritized for the duration.
Warner Archive's Blu-ray release of Judgment Night contains no supplemental content. The main menu screen offers only options for "Play Movie" and to toggle subtitles on and off. No DVD or digital copies are included. The release does not appear to ship with a slipcover.
Judgment Night may not be a classic, but the film just works. Leary delivers a commanding performance as the lead villain While Estevez, Gooding Jr., Piven, and Dorff are smartly cast as the hunted. Hopkins does much without developing any of them too intimately, relying on atmosphere, tension, and terror to carry the film. It's a well paced, relentless film that holds up to repeat viewings. Warner Archive's Blu-ray is the definitive home video version. Though it's entirely absent any supplemental content, the video and audio production qualities are first-rate. Highly recommended.
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