Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.0

Men of War Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman December 10, 2024

Maybe it's my admittedly niche interest in Golden Age actress Frances Farmer that brought to mind any number of 1930s and 1940s potboilers like South of Pago Pago as I watched Men of War, since both films as well as numerous others offer supposed interlopers who take over some kind of native population (often on an island) in order to plunder their natural bounty. Those two "historical" examples aside, of course it's perfectly understandable to include much more contemporary outings that basically (horrible pun ensuing) mine that same narrative territory in any listing, as in a little film called Avatar or something like that. This rather wide array of properties often feature characters who initially might seem to be part of the invading force(s), but who come to the realization they're really more on the side of the natives. That's pretty much exactly the underlying plot dynamic of Men of War, a film that posits Dolph Lundren as a mercenary named Nick Gunar who is ostensibly going to, yep, invade an island to help what might be called "background villains" to gain access to hordes of precious jade. Guess who suddenly has a crisis of conscience once he's there?

Somewhat hilariously, there's another Frances Farmer film involving a madman taking over a native island, an early Technicolor opus called Ebb Tide (based on a Robert Louis Stevenson tale), which may indicate how often this particular plot point has been utilized (and, considering the Stevenson connection, how long lived it's been), but rather interestingly within this general context, the screenplay of Men of War was co-written by John Sayles, and there is therefore arguably a bit more somber, sober tone to the proceedings that may hint at what might be called the socioeconomic underpinnings of some other Sayles efforts. That is not to say the film doesn't give ample opportunities for Lundgren to literally flex his muscle(s) and deliver some well staged action scenes.

Men of War Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Men of War is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of MVD Visual's MVD Rewind Collection imprint with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. As usual with these MVD Rewind Collections, there's not much if any technical information included, but this is a surprisingly healthy looking presentation for a film that looks like it only has had a "double feature" release in Region A courtesy of bargain bin purveyors Echo Bridge Entertainment, so I am kind of assuming by default that this probably looks a good deal better than that older release, though I've admittedly never seen it. (Rather interestingly, if you look at the international releases listed on the site, Men of War has been rather well represented in 1080 across the globe.) The palette is generally very nicely suffused and natural looking throughout, though there are some momentary downgrades in the last section in particular, where some of the island material can look a little rough with a slight downgrade in suffusion and clarity. Detail levels are commendable for the most part, especially in close-ups where some of the fine detail on things like one character's gruesome facial injuries is quite gory looking. Grain can be heavy but has no real resolution issues.

Men of War Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Men of War actually defaults to the LPCM 2.0 track, which may indicate an acknowledgement that the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 option tends to open things up kind of fitfully, though there is some clear and enjoyable engagement of the side and rear channels in the many outdoor moments in terms of ambient environmental effects. The surround track probably also has a bit more punch in the midrange and low end, which can become more noticeable during some of the action sequences. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English and Spanish subtitles are available.

Men of War Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Introduction by Director Perry Lang (HD; 00;36) is accessible either as a standalone supplement or under the Play Menu, where it's authored to lead directly to the main feature.


• An Unsafe Place: Making Men of War (HD; 12:53) offers thoughts by Lundgren collaborator Jeremie Damoiseau.


• Raw Footage / Dailies of Select Scenes (SD; 9:44) have timecode captions.


• Photo Gallery (HD; 7:36)


• Theatrical Trailer (SD; 1:47)

The keepcase insert features an inner print of Lundgren in close-up. A folded collectible mini poster is enclosed. Packaging features a slipcover.

Men of War Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

While not as patently silly as the two Farmer outings mentioned above, it probably can't be argued that this is the best thing John Sayles has ever (co) written, though you can kind of feel some of Sayles' sentiments suffusing at least the background of this piece. Technical merits are generally solid and the supplements appealing, for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.