6.4 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
When a clan of drunken goons get off scot-free after senselessly killing a young trucker’s family, the trucker, Joey Rosso (Don Michael Paul), takes matters into his own hands by building the ultimate monster truck to even the score. Spitting flames, armed with a giant drill, his awesome rig is unstoppable as Joey pursues the clan leader Tiny Doyle (Ned Beatty) and his murderous offspring. He tracks down the clan, one by one, crashing cars, flattening trucks, demolishing buildings and destroying anything or anyone that gets in his way
Starring: Don Michael Paul, Lawrence Dane, Ned Beatty, Lisa Howard (I), Michael J. ReynoldsDrama | Insignificant |
Action | 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, 16-bit)
BDInfo
None
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
According to “Rolling Vengeance,” when life gives you lemons, you retreat to your farm and build a fire-belching monster truck capable of killing anything in its path. The 1987 revenge picture has a special way of doing business, trying to sell the specialty of a monster truck used as a lethal weapon, and why not? It gets the job done, with as much property damage as possible. It’s an amusing premise, but screenwriter Michael Thomas Montgomery doesn’t know the fine line between manipulation and punishment, keeping the feature on the nasty side when all it truly takes to inspire pushback is a lot of attitude and some mild maiming. The movie could do with less child murder and rape, but for those capable of absorbing overkill, “Rolling Vengeance” eventually becomes the film the marketing promises, pitting dim-wits against the might of an enormous truck stocked with weapons.
The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation doesn't appear to offer a recent scan, showcasing persistent softness that robs the viewing experience of most fine detail. Textures only really come through in close-ups, while a metallic presence on the trucks is only moderately appreciated. Colors also seem fatigued, offering muted hues on costuming and small town decoration. Greenery also lacks snap. Skintones are adequate but a little bloodless. Delineation is passable. Source is satisfactory, without any noticeable display of damage. Some mild banding is detected.
The 2.0 DTS-HD sound mix also suffers from age-related issues, offering a muffled listening event that keeps dialogue exchanges subdued. Intelligibility isn't wiped out, but definition is lacking, missing expected crispness to help appreciate performances. Music also suffers from the same problem, unable to carry the feature as intended. Sound effects are appropriately loud. Hiss is detected throughout.
Beatty goes for broke as Tiny, and once the truck takes command of the feature, "Rolling Vengeance" provides some decent car stunts and chaos. Think of it as "Road House" but with a larger, weaponized monster truck, and that's essentially the tonality director Steven H. Stern is after, creating a battle zone between nice guys and rednecks. Sadly, "Rolling Vengeance" doesn't reach delirious highs of escapism, routinely grounding itself with shock value in a weird quest to motivate a lead character who doesn't need much to go berserk. However, if your only interest is watching a monster truck rampage around Canadian locations and reduce cars to chunks of metal, the picture might hit all the right spots, though there's a bit of a wait before the beast is unleashed on all the goons it can find.
2018
2019
1943
2020
2017
2021
Vinegar Syndrome Archive / Sold Out
1993
Season 1
2013-2014
1985
Special Edition
1983
1987
2011
2017
2019
2019
2019
1977
2015
1972
2016