Mad Dog Time Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		1.5

Mad Dog Time Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman November 17, 2015

As the year starts to wend its way toward its conclusion, many reviewers (including those of us here at Blu-ray.com) have to start ruminating over which films and/or releases we’ll choose for our annual Ten Best lists. But what about a Ten Worst list, or even better (and/or worse, as the case may be), a “Worst Worst” single entry denoting the most execrable release of the year? Well, that approach may not ever have the popular appeal of the former idea, but it’s notable that Mad Dog Time resulted in a bit of a “thumb fight” between vaunted reviewers Siskel and Ebert when each wanted to make the film their choice for 1996’s all time worst release (according to the “rules” of their broadcast, each reviewer had to select a different film for this—um, honor). Mad Dog Time seems to be about a bunch of Damon Runyan types shooting each other, at least as evidenced by a series of killings scattered throughout the film (not to mention its trailer, which is built largely out of these sequences). A rather incredible cast (Richard Dreyfuss, Jeff Goldblum, Gabriel Byrne, Ellen Barkin, Kyle McLachlan, Burt Reynolds, Diane Lane, Gregory Hines, Christopher Jones and just for good measure Billy Idol) is unable to salvage this odd, misshapen film, one which fails spectacularly to generate even one laugh.

Vic (Richard Dreyfuss, who also produced) is an iconic mob boss who has been locked away in a psychiatric facility for some time. He’s due to get out, and the film begins with at least one of his former associates being gunned down. One former associate who manages to escape the slaughter is Mickey Holliday (Jeff Goldblum), but only because he has hidden Grace Everly (Diane Lane), Vic’s former main squeeze. A rather large number of supporting characters enter the fray, but the film plays out as an uninspired goof, filled with a number of frankly stupid cameos and never managing to gain much if any comedic traction. Writer-director Larry Bishop (son of Joey, one of those aforementioned cameos) evidently cashed in whatever Hollywood chips he had to recruit his starry cast, but his screenplay is so unhinged that it’s all largely for naught.

Mad Dog Time Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Mad Dog Time is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Olive Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Elements have faded noticeably, with the result being things like flesh tones skew toward the brown side of things, and none of the already kind of dowdy palette ever pops with much immediacy. Bishop plays with elements like repeated dissolves (to no purpose and sometimes within the same scene) and interstitial uses of brief patches of color, and these and other opticals register understandable upticks in softness, grain and at times dirt. Detail is rarely more than middling even in close-ups, as are sharpness and clarity.

Mad Dog Time Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Mad Dog Time features a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track that offers good clarity and precision for everything from the use of Rat Pack inflected source cues to the ubiquitous reports of pistols being fired. Dialogue is cleanly and clearly presented and there are no age related issues to discuss in this review.

Mad Dog Time Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer (1080p; 2:23)

Mad Dog Time Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Mad Dog Time may well serve as one of the prime exhibits that even assembling a cast of this talent and magnitude can't guarantee an enjoyable (let alone a coherent) film. Technical merits range from so-so (video) to very good (audio) for those considering a purchase.