Mob Land Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Mob Land Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown January 26, 2024

If Pulp Fiction reintroduced John Travolta to the masses, parading him into the spotlight and giving him a second chance at stardom, what was the movie that shoved him back in the cinematic woodshed? Some might argue it was turn-of-the-century megabomb, Battlefield Earth, which in every way is exactly as terrible as you've heard. But a few against-type action-lite dramas followed -- Swordfish, Basic, Ladder 49 and The Taking of Pelham 123 -- keeping Travolta's head above the waves. (Not to mention Wild Hogs and Old Dogs, which kept knee-slapping dads the world over eager to see what ol' Johnny would get up to next.) Others might point to The Forger, Life on the Line or In a Valley of Violence, which reached... but couldn't quite connect. His turn as Robert Shapiro in American Crime Story, though, would disagree. No, the film I'd enter into consideration would be 2016's I Am Wrath, or perhaps even 2018's Gotti or Speed Kills, all of which feature Travolta's face blown up to poster-size enormity, were barely released in theaters before being tossed on Blu-ray and DVD, and represent a significant decline in the actor's star power. Brilliantly titled masterpieces like Trading Paint, The Poison Rose, (my favorite) Pitbull: 3 to Tango, Paradise City (the worst of the bunch) and, as (bad) luck would have it, 2023's Mob Land, one big bore of a peacekeeping western-noir afternoon nap.

Deep in the heart of Dixie, in a small town struggling with the ravages of addiction, local sheriff Bodie Davis (John Travolta) tries to maintain the peace when desperate family man Shelby (Shiloh Fernandez) robs a pill mill with his reckless brother-in-law, Trey (Kevin Dillon). But the supposedly easy score takes a violent turn, alerting the New Orleans mafia's revenge-seeking enforcer (Stephen Dorff), who threatens Shelby's wife (Ashley Benson) and daughter. Written and directed by Nicholas Maggio and co-written by Rob Healy, the film also stars Tia DiMartino, Timothy V. Murphy, Robert Miano, Debra Nelson, Emily Tremaine Fernandez, Jesse Sharp and Tommy G. Kendrick.

That's the last time Hell or High Water should be mentioned within earshot of Mob Land. It's a strange comparison anyway beyond the similarities in plot, but it is one that lends itself to revealing what Maggio and company were trying to achieve. Instead, Mob Land evokes the driest of dry direct-to-video semi-actioners in which an aging star is cast as, um, an aging lawman struggling to defend his home turf. It's hardly a stretch, and even less of a win for the film. Travolta hasn't aged well, nor has his squinty eyed delivery, having stalled out somewhere in the early 2000s and moving backwards in time, desperate to reclaim the acclaim of Pulpier days. The actor simply lacks range, with a string heart of gold tough guys and heart of nails bad guys who really boil down to the same guy backed by a few different life choices. Add to that the likes of Dorff, who deserves better material but can't seem to behave well enough between flicks to garner much good will from Hollywood, and Dillon, who works well in dim-witted comedies but proves inadequate in heavier stuff. Rather than a noirish neo-western, we're treated to a deathly slow, ultimately rote series of cliches that will leave movie fans reminiscing about far better films.

Maggio is making his directorial debut with Mob Land, and perhaps its unfair to expect so much out of a film given a tight budget that was no doubt wrapped up in securing a decent cast and accomplished little more. Shot digitally, there's a lot left to the imagination and even more left to be desired, but I can't help but wonder: what if more time, more cash, some script doctoring and some better casting were in place? Would Mob Land be a better film? Even breakthrough level for Maggio? It's possible, and I wonder how many talented filmmakers spin the cylinder just a hair too long when playing Hollywood's Russian roulette. I would love to hear Maggio's unfiltered thoughts. Is he truly proud of Mob Land as it is? Confused by its poor reviews? Is this the exact film he had dreamed of? Or did he do the best he could with what he had: a shot at proving himself just enough to land his next gig? Perhaps he's a killer script writer, or an incredible director, but not a man for both jobs. Maybe... we'll never know. Mob Land is not the film I would bet a career on, so here's hoping -- genuinely -- that there's more to Maggio than this one suggests. I love a good dark horse story. Who knows? This could be the start of one...

Mob Land Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Cinematographer Nick Matthews's biggest project to date has been Saw X, which sets a bit of a low bar for Mob Land, even if both were released in 2023. Here, predictable sepia, amber and teal tones are used to give the film's palette a distinctly neo-noir, western flavor, despite a muddy, ruddy disposition that sometimes renders colors and black levels murky and inconsistent. Skin tones follow suit, dragging Mob Land's 1080p/AVC-encoded video transfer into a danger zone of problematic stylization. Fortunately, detail remains exceedingly impressive, with sharp definition, precisely refined textures and unobtrusive grain, and the encode is a technically proficient one, free of banding, blocking and errant noise. This is the film and aesthetic Matthews and Maggio intended, so go easy on Lionsgate if it all comes across trope-y for the genre. You'll be moderately pleased but you won't walk away labeling Mob Land a great- looking flick either.

Mob Land Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Mob Land's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track is pretty good... decent... fine? There isn't a whole lot to evaluate sonically in such a slow, plodding crime film. Dialogue is clean and intelligible, with solid prioritization, and ample rear speaker activity creates enough of an immersive sense of space and place to earn points. Substantial LFE support is sparse and dynamics are merely fine, although there are a handful of scenes that give the mix something to work for courtesy of shotgun blasts, gunfire, burning trucks and other more climactic fare. Again, this is Mob Land as it was designed, so it's hard to lay much blame at the feet of the film's lossless audio if you come away shrugging your shoulders.

Mob Land Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Unlike most Lionsgate DVD-cased Blu-ray releases, Mob Land actually comes with two extras: an audio commentary with writer/director Nicholas Maggio, cinematographer Nicholas Matthews and actor Shiloh Fernandez, and an 18-minute HD featurette, "Walking the Line", allows the same three men to discuss the film further (although there is quite a bit of overlap).

Mob Land Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Mob Land is not the film that will resurrect John Travolta's career (which was already resurrected once, in 1994). It's dull, tiresome and ultimately far more predictable than its "unpredictable" tag suggests. Fortunately, Lionsgate's Blu-ray release is better thanks to a faithful AV presentation and a decent pair of bonus features.