Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Rolling Vengeance Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 29, 2024

Steven Hilliard Stern's "Rolling Vengeance" (1987) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include archival program with actor Lawrence Dane; archival audio commentary by critics Paul Corupe Jason Pichonsky; and vintage trailer. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Them boys

They could be in Idaho or Kansas, Tennessee or Texas, Maine or Arizona. These boys are everywhere. They drink a lot and make sure that they are noticed. When they drink more, they start picking on random strangers and causing trouble. If they face serious resistance, they create serious trouble. They usually roam free in small towns, or suburbs that used to be small towns.

The most dangerous of these boys are the ones who have made a little bit of money and grown big heads. Alcohol makes them feel invincible. They own guns, so if they begin feeling invincible, they tend to use their guns and it is when serious trouble happens.

In Rolling Vengeance, these boys are gathered around a redneck with a fake black tooth named Tiny Doyle (a terrific Ned Beaty). He owns Tiny’s, the biggest attraction in town, which sells steaks, booze, and lousy dances from smiling half-naked ladies. Because he has made enough to stay out of trouble even when he breaks the law, Tiny demands respect and gets it – or at least when he is in and around his establishment.

But the boys around Tiny, a few of whom are his sons, pull him into very serious trouble after they cause an accident that kills the wife of an independent truck driver (Lawrance Dane) making deliveries to his establishment. A friendly judge exonerates all of them, but the truck driver vows to avenge his late wife, so later they stage another accident and kill him too. Convinced that it is pointless to demand justice through the legal system, the truck driver’s son (Don Michael Paul) then builds a massive monster truck and goes on the warpath.

Directed by Steven Hillard Stern in the late ‘80s, Rolling Vengeance is the kind of genre film the Cannon Group would have loved to have in its catalog. Indeed, it is easy to tell that it was made quickly and with a modest budget, but it does not look cheap and oozes genuine enthusiasm that is very appealing. Beaty is its biggest star, but several other good character actors match his efforts surprisingly well. It has plenty of action that is nice to look at and effective, too.

However, Rolling Vengeance is easier to place among similar genre films that emerged from the ‘70s, like White Line Fever and High-Ballin', because it retains a genuine appreciation for realism. (Very few such genre films in the Cannon Group catalog do). Also, like White Line Fever and High-Ballin’, it behaves like a contemporary western, which was a very popular trend throughout the ‘70s. So, while a straightforward genre film, Rolling Vengeance is not a typical ‘80s genre film.

Unsurprisingly, the most exciting material features the angry son’s massive monster truck. When it begins crushing its opponents, the camera comes very close to it, perhaps even dangerously close, and the mayhem unfolding before it produces some quite incredible visuals. (Two custom-built monster trucks were used, but by the time filming was completed only one had managed to survive the mayhem. Later, the survivor was used in real monster truck battles).

The soundtrack was created by Philip Marshall, who scored one of the most famous sequences in the cult ‘70s film The Warriors.

Rolling Vengeance Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Rolling Vengeance arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

Rolling Vengeance made its high-definition debut with this release in 2017. The new Special Edition is sourced from the same master that was used to prepared the previous release.

While a new 2K master would have produced a nice upgrade in quality, I like the current master quite a lot. A few of the daylight visuals reveal small limitations, but delineation, clarity, and depth range from good to very good. Grain exposure could be a slightly more convincing, but there are no traces of problematic digital corrections, so there are no serious anomalies to report. Darker areas, where older and weaker masters tend to reveal noisy grain, look good, too. Color balance is fine. A few primaries can be better saturated and several supporting nuances expanded, but there are major issues. Image stability is good. I noticed a few white specks, but there are no large and distracting surface imperfections. All in all, while the film can look fresher, it still looks quite nice in high-definition. My score is 3.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Rolling Vengeance Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I did not notice any serious issues to report. Clarity, depth, and stability are very good. I would describe dynamic intensity as very good, too. However, there is plenty of intense action material where some minor yet meaningful improvements could be possible. Why? It feels like the monster truck should sound even better. But I could be wrong. It may very well be that this is how the soundtrack was finalized and replicated by the lossless track. The upper register is very healthy.

Rolling Vengeance Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this archival audio commentary was recorded by critic Paul Corupe of Canuxploitation.com and film historian Jason Pichonsky. The two gentlemen speculate that Rolling Vengeance might be the greatest monster truck film and discuss its production in Canada, the original screenplay and the changes that were made in the current version of the film, the various casting choices, the action material, etc. It is a wonderful, very informative commentary, so if you enjoy Rolling Vengeance, consider spending ninety minutes with it.

• Lawrence Dane - in this archival program, actor Lawrence Dane, who plays the independent truck driver, explains how he entered the film industry after relocating from Quebec to America and discusses the evolution of his acting career. Dane also addresses his long professional relationship with director Steven Hilliard Stern and their collaboration on Rolling Vengeance. The program was produced for Kino Lorber in 2017. In English, not subtitled. (10 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for Rolling Vengeance. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

Rolling Vengeance Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

What makes Rolling Vengeance a special genre film? A couple of things. It is the first proper monster truck film, and it was shot in Canada, not America. It comes from the '80s, but its attitude and style are of a contemporary western from the '70s, like White Line Fever and High-Ballin'. It produces mayhem like the one seen in Steel Arena, another special genre film from the '70s, that is no longer possible to stage and shoot. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from an old but strong master and has two very good bonus features. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.