Murder Weapon Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Murder Weapon Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf November 9, 2016

Enjoying a career playing teases and monsters, actress Linnea Quigley receives an opportunity to show off her thespian range in 1989’s “Murder Weapon.” Granted, director David DeCoteau (credited here as “Ellen Cabot”) still demands a substantial amount of nudity and sexuality from Quigley, but the actress gets to do a little more in this oddball thriller, trying out a few dramatic exchanges to help “Murder Weapon” achieve a small degree of gravitas it wouldn’t otherwise enjoy.

Psychological examination is attempted in “Murder Weapon,” which tracks the rehabilitation of Dawn (Linnea Quigley) and Amy (Karen Russell), two troubled women recently released from a psychiatric prison, working with therapists (including Lyle Waggoner) to help stabilize their lives. However, with the women team up to throw a party, all hell breaks loose once again with an invite list that includes ex-boyfriends and a masked killer. DeCoteau deserves some credit for at least trying to show patience with the plot, building characterization with damaged women and their twisted confessions, but it doesn’t take long before “Murder Weapon” settles into the B-movie routine, inspecting topless antics and gore zone visits, with violence amplified in the third act as slasher interests take control of the effort.

Murder Weapon Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation is sourced from a 16mm original camera negative, and looks quite appealing with a thick but managed layer of grain, giving the feature a compellingly filmic presence. Detail reaches as far as it can, doing well with facial particulars on close-ups and textured costuming, while the picture's ample exploitative touches are open for inspection. Colors are compelling and natural, with more animated primaries and warm skintones. Delineation isn't problematic. Framing can be strange, exposing camera equipment and tight headspace. Title sequence shows off some mild banding, but the rest of the viewing experience is smooth and steady.

Murder Weapon Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 1.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix showcases a few seemingly inherent recording issues, finding balance between scoring cues and soundtrack selections and dialogue exchanges off, with music periodically overwhelming performances. Being a cheapie B-movie, there's no expectation of pristine quality, but the listening experience sounds crowded at times, also hearing ambient noise encroaching on exposition. The track has its moment of clarity, settling down long enough to enjoy what passes here for suspense.

Murder Weapon Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features director David DeCoteau and actress Linnea Quigley.

• Intro (2:26, HD) with DeCoteau discusses the film's six day shoot and location difficulties.

• And a Video Trailer (1:24, SD) is included.

Murder Weapon Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Murder Weapon" isn't particularly exciting. Heck, I'm not sure it even makes sense. It serves as an opportunity for DeCoteau to showcase nudity and bloodshed for the home video market, making the feature appealing for select viewers already tuned into this bottom-shelf frequency. It's worth a viewing to see Quigley move away from the norm for a brief moment, testing her skills with a few appealing dramatic passages, briefly exposing a burgeoning actress before DeCoteau returns her to bikini-removal duty, snapping "Murder Weapon" back to reality.