6.2 | / 10 |
Users | 3.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
A southern boy goes to Chicago where he becomes a cop and finds himself in the middle of a plot involving a vengeance-seeking Appalachian relative.
Starring: Patrick Swayze, Liam Neeson, Adam Baldwin, Helen Hunt, Andreas KatsulasCrime | 100% |
Thriller | 64% |
Action | 29% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English SDH, French, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 2.5 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
In 1987, Patrick Swayze scored a sleeper smash with “Dirty Dancing,” catapulting the actor to bigger and better roles in Hollywood, offering a shot at starring vehicles after years of supporting work. In 1990, Swayze hit the jackpot with “Ghost,” a bona fide blockbuster that made him a household name, using sensual pottery and a resolute commitment to emoting to turn his last name into legend. Yet, there was an odd year in between the hits, with 1989 providing an especially double-fisted year for Swayze, testing out his newfound bankability with two actioners of disparate temperaments, both met with cult approval and middling box office. “Road House” is the more infamous of the pair, with its golden leading ladies, throat-tearings, and Jeff Healy-backed bluesy mischief, extending the concept of a barroom brawl to feature-length proportions. It was undeniably silly yet utterly irresistible, turning Swayze into an action figure with outstanding catchphrases (“Pain don’t hurt.”) and a coolness about him that solidified his unique screen presence. The lesser of the ’89 releases was “Next of Kin,” which once again called upon the star to utilize his physicality, this time in a cop drama with an unexpected southern twist. Less volatile than “Road House,” “Next of Kin” certainly has its appealing moments, but the sheer Swayze-ness of the production feels unnecessarily muted.
The AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation shows some difficulty with black levels, which lean toward clotted in evening and low-lit encounters, snuffing out backgrounds and costume particulars. However, for a catalog title, fine detail is satisfactory, with comfortable reads on facial reactions, weapon brandishing, and production design achievements, with the Kentucky sequences retaining their alien appearance (thanks to Irvin's addiction to smoke machines). Grain is in good shape without an overt presence, gifting the image a subtle cinematic life, and the print is largely clean. The color palette looks on the muted side, but far from smothered, with hearty primary hues popping off city street lighting and vending machine warehouse items. Skintones appear a little bloodless but workable.
The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix carries a shrillness that's uncomfortable at times, especially with pronounced soundtrack selections that lack a balancing bass element. Without dimensionality, the mix carries a heavy frontal workload, though voices, while thin, are easily followed, making accents and performance speeds easily understood. Sync is iffy at certain moments, though this could be the result of extensive ADR work, which is surprisingly sloppy. Scoring is animated without encroaching on the dialogue exchanges, and atmospherics register strongly. Unfortunately, it's a strident track requiring a little volume riding to endure.
There is no supplementary material on this disc.
While it makes an effort to feel substantial, "Next of Kin" can be quite stupid. The mafia characters alone are cringe-worthy, revealing a cartoonish quality that makes Briar and Truman's inability to nail Joey for his crimes quite baffling. The climatic showdown inside a cemetery also lacks imagination, reducing the blood feud to a tame declaration of war between the hillbillies (armed with arrows, snakes, and a secret code of animal noises) and the mob (who bring Uzis and a lack of common sense). "Next of Kin" only works when it refuses the routine, showing life with rural touches, emotional internalization, and country justice, not cruddy violence with dopey Italian caricatures. As he's done on many occasions, Swayze's fiery commitment saves the film, making the investigative moments and domestic interplay more interesting than the payoffs, which is truly a backwards equation when dealing with an actioner. "Next of Kin" isn't a dazzling picture, but there's personality about it that eases the blow of idiocy, keeping the adventure of Truman Gates, redneck cop, alive and well.
1989
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2014
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2000
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1983
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1991
2001