6.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
A police detective tracks a serial killer who is stalking young women on a beach front after each game that a baseball pitcher wins.
Starring: Roy Scheider, Karen Young, Lane Smith, Richard Bradford, Paul GleasonCrime | 100% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
None
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
It's "if they don't win it's a shame" not "if he wins someone dies." Lives are on the line every time a Houston Astros pitcher takes the mound in Night Game, a disappointingly dull Thriller/Procedural that focuses on a detective tracking down a killer who only strikes when a certain pitcher wins a game, at home, at night. That's even more convoluted than leading the team in ninth inning doubles in the month of August. The Astros happen to be in a pennant race, and it's their young, hotshot new pitcher twirling gem after gem to get the team back into contention, so the bodies mount rather quickly. Sports backdrops aren't new to the genre; Jean-Claude Van Damme starred in a solid little movie called Sudden Death about a cop in search of a killer at a Pittsburgh Penguins hockey game. The Last Boy Scout mixed up murder, politics, and pro football. Most of these sorts of movies are middling at best, decent time killers with a fun and familiar backdrop but hardly approaching the realms of classic cinema. Night Game, however, takes the cake as arguably the worst of the bunch. It's a flat movie that feels like it's standing still far more often than it seems to be in motion, if nothing else circling the drain and collecting all of the usual transparent plot devices and twists along the way to cinema oblivion.
Gotcha!
Night Game's 1080p transfer impresses. Its only real drawback is the constant presence of light, mostly unobtrusive spots and speckles. Otherwise, it's smooth sailing. The image retains a light grain structure and enjoys a fine film-quality texture. The image is naturally sharp and nicely defined, with general facial and clothing textures clear and accurate while the transfer also reveals nicely defined building façades around the city, solid crowd definition in Astros games, and astroturf and dirt textures in the dome. Colors are impressively accurate and bold, showcasing an even, natural palette that's never overcooked or dull. Skin tones and black levels impress (beyond film's open where blacks go undesirably pale). The image suffers from no overt examples of noise, blockiness, aliasing, or other common problems. Overall, this is a strong visual release from Olive Films.
Night Game's DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 lossless soundtrack maanges to spring some life into a mostly talk-heavy film. Music is nicely defined with clear, accurate, and distinct instrumental details flowing into the stage from a wide front end. The track is packed with easy-flow and nicely defined support effects, whether big cheering crowds at baseball games, chirping birds off to the side in chapter five, light radio chatter on police frequencies, or the general din at a carnival or on the beach. A couple of gunshots fall in-between puny and aggressive. The dialogue-heavy film never flubs on the spoken word, recreating each syllable with a center-focused presence, natural volume at reference level, and stable and articulate delivery.
This Blu-ray release of Night Game contains no bonus content.
Night Game is a terribly disappointing, flat, uncreative, and tedious movie that manages to wipe itself clean of any real sense of urgency or emotion. While the killer's identity does, at least, make sense, there's nothing else here of value and there's zero re-watchability. Performances satisfy basic requirements and the film is competently, if not dryly, assembled. Olive Films' Blu-ray release of Night Game delivers good video and audio presentations. No supplements are included. Rent it, watch it, forget it.
2020
Collector's Edition
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