Point Doom Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Point Doom Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 23, 2020

Art Camacho's "Point Doom" arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Dark Force Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage trailer for the film; behind the scenes program; and various cast and crew interviews. In English, without optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

At the club

I don’t know what the total budget of Point Doom was, but all of the money that were spent on it are on the screen for everyone to see. Also, you can tell that the people that put the film together really wanted it to look as cool as possible. How do we know this? Because you don’t just cast Sebastian Bach, Andrew Dice Clay, Ice-T, and Richard Grieco if you are only trying to do a small film. Someone even managed to convince Angie Everhart to play a troubled epileptic.

While having a drink at The Play Pen in LA, jaded and single talent agent Rick Hansen (Grieco) meets Stephanie (former model Jennifer O’Dell), who works there as a waitress. Rick’s good friend and owner of the club Frankie (Clay) warns him not to get involved with her because she already has a boyfriend, but he ignores his advice and hands her his business card. Later on, after Stephanie gets off work, Rick offers to buy her a drink, but she immediately rejects him and walks away. Instead of giving up on her, however, Rick waits until she is picked up by her boyfriend, a tough and abusive biker named Blackie (John Enos III).

Rick and Stephanie meet again, only this time she comes to see him wearing a pair of black sunglasses to hide the big bruises around her eyes. When Rick learns that Blackie is responsible for her misery, he offers to take her to his house, not realizing that her boyfriend is using her apartment to hide a duffel bag full of drugs and cash which he and his friend Spider (Zach Galligan) have stollen from the leader of their gang, Tiny (Jim Maniaci). Stephanie reluctantly agrees because she feels that it is her duty to continue supporting her epileptic sister, Jessica (Everhart), and then begins packing her belongings. While helping her pick everything she needs, however, Jessica accidentally hands Stephanie the duffel bag with the stolen goods, and Rick puts it in the trunk of his car. Shortly after, the missing duffel bag unleashes a series of dramatic events and eventually forces Rick to confront Blackie and Spider in a deadly duel.

Directed by Art Camacho, Point Doom offers the type of loose and gritty B-grade action fun that effectively died around the time it was released. To be perfectly clear, these types of genre films are still being made, but nowadays they are done almost exclusively with cheap digital equipment that effectively makes them look like unusually long streaming ads. They are lifeless and dull, often extremely annoying as well.

While certainly not a genre masterpiece, Point Doom oozes genuine enthusiasm and actually looks like a proper low-budget film. A lot of the action footage, for instance, is shot on good locations that help the intended ambience of the story. Also, a lot is done to make the LA night scene look as authentic as possible. This includes its darker and seedy side as well, which these types of low-budget films often needlessly exaggerate. (The striptease club Clay runs and the many dancers in it look one hundred percent authentic. The tough bikers that gather in the other club are the real deal as well).

The acting is easier to describe as inspired than great. Clay is definitely in his element while he is around his girls. Grieco is slightly underwhelming at times while playing a good guy who wants to settle down, but is still likeable. Enos is shaky, though, and the more time passes by, the clearer it becomes that he routinely overplays his character. The real surprise is O’Dell, who looks great before the camera and conveys perfectly the strengths and weakness of her character.

The original soundtrack features excerpts from some very heavy tracks by the likes of White Zombie, Motley Crew, Motorhead, and Duff McKagan.

*One of the film’s producers, David DeFalco, steps in front of the camera as well, playing an unhinged biker next to the equally wild lead singer of Skid Row.

Point Doom Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Point Doom arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Dark Force Entertainment.

The release is sourced from a recent and very handsome remaster. The entire film looks lush and healthy, almost as it if was completed a few months ago. Clarity and depth are enormously impressive, which isn't an easy accomplishment because there is quite a bit of darker club/nighttime footage with wide ranges of shadows and nuances. Delineation is either very good or excellent. The entire film also boasts terrific ranges of colors, again with the darker footage actually looking most impressive. Ideally, density should be slightly better, but the quality of the visuals is excellent. There are no distracting debris, cuts, damage marks, or other similar imperfections. My score is 4.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Point Doom Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit). Optional English SDH subtitles are not provided for the main feature.

There are no technical issues to report in our review. However, I must say that the audio mix makes it clear that the film was in fact done with a smaller budget. It just feels that from time to time there is room for much greater dynamic balance with plenty of nuanced dynamics. The dialog is clear, stable, and very easy to follow.

Point Doom Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - vintage trailer for Point Doom. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, 480/60i).

• Cast Interview - in this archival program, Jennifer O'Dell, Angie Everhart, and Richard Grieco discuss their contributions to Point Doom, the qualities of their characters, and what it was like to work with director Art Camacho. In English, not subtitled. (17 min, 480/60i).

• Executive Producer Interviews From the Set - in this archival program, Michael Feichtner and Steven 'Bernie' Bernheim, as well as Zach Galligan discuss the production of Point Doom. In English, not subtitled. (16 min, 480/60i).

• Behind the Scenes of Point Doom - raw footage from the shooting of Point Doom, plus a long interview with producer David DeFalco. In English, not subtitled. (21 min, 480/60i).

Point Doom Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Point Doom delivers everything its synopsis promises, maybe even more. No, it is not a genre masterpiece, but you can tell right from the get-go that its independent producers wanted it to look as good as it can. To be honest, I think that a lot of the nighttime and rougher footage looks much better than what we are currently seeing in many 'big' independent films. I don't know if Point Doom will be everyone's cup of tea, but I had a good time with it. Dark Force Entertainment's Blu-ray release is sourced from a very solid remaster and features a good selection of archival bonus features. RECOMMENDED.