Sabotage Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Sabotage Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman May 7, 2024

For all you presumed hordes of fans who have been waiting for an opportunity to screen a Tibor Takács double feature courtesy of two nearly simultaneously released Blu-ray discs, your moment has arrived. Not only is MVD Visual's MVD Rewind imprint offering this film with a rather interesting cast list, Lionsgate's ongoing partnership with Wal-mart for exclusive SteelBook releases will soon be offering those interested a repackaging of The Gate (my review of the SteelBook should be live in a few days, but in the meantime those interested can head over to my older The Gate Blu-ray review of Lionsgate's previous wide release).

If Mark Dacascos is the top billed star, appearing as a hardscrabble Black Ops soldier named Michael Bishop, it's probably the rest of the cast that may attract the most attention. Tony Todd is on hand as a completely unhinged mercenary named Jason Sherwood who infiltrates a mission Bishop is trying to complete, with the (literal) upshot being Sherwood kills all the other participants, but (hey, there wouldn't be a movie otherwise) leaves Bishop only (supposedly) mortally wounded. A few years later Bishop has moved into being a bodyguard, but of course Sherwood is still up to his old antics. Those shenanigans end up implicating Bishop with law and order type Louise Castle (Carrie-Anne Moss), who's also a harried mother, so there are plenty of opportunities not just for damsels but also children in distress. Add in the venerable Graham Greene and John Neville in colorful supporting turns, and the overall cast is really rather interesting.

There's somewhat inconsistent energy in this piece, and Dacascos' well regarded action skills are only put to intermittent use. You've no doubt seen a conspiracy laden thriller like this before, and frankly probably done with more flair, but the cast here may be enough to recommend this occasionally wobbly effort to some.

Sabotage Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Sabotage is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of MVD Visual's MVD Rewind Collection imprint with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. The MVD Rewind Collection typically doesn't provide a ton of technical provenance information, and that's once again the case here. Quite a bit of this presentation looks very good, with healthy suffusion in the palette and some appealing fine detail levels, but there are also a number of rather rough looking moments, often in lower light situations (see screenshot 8 for one example). At times this roughhewn quality can lead to a certain amount of splotchiness in backgrounds aside and apart from any grain resolution issues. While the palette is, as mentioned, generally well suffused there are some observable variances in color temperature and densities. Grain does fluctuate pretty widely throughout, but at least implies no aggressive filtering was attempted. Occasional small signs of age related wear and tear can be spotted.

Sabotage Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Sabotage features occasional rambunctious LPCM 2.0 audio. The track springs to life in some of the action sequences, as sporadic as those may be, and scenes like the opening battle rife with gunfire have considerable energy. The score by Guy Zerafa is a synth laden vestige of a bygone age, but resonates with a good full bodied sound. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Sabotage Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interview with Actor Mark Dacascos (HD; 32:11) looks like it was done from his phone in 2023, and provides some fun background. Audio on this one is a bit on the tinny side.


• Interview with Tony Todd (HD; 13:24) looks like it was similarly "shot", albeit this time at a completely peculiar angle. Todd is always an interesting presence, but he may come off as unnecessarily snarky here.


• Trailers include several releases from MVD, but not Sabotage.

The keepcase features a reversible sleeve and encloses a folded mini poster. Packaging features a slipcover.

Sabotage Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Sabotage never really surprises with any of its plot mechanics, but Tony Todd just steals the show with his completely lunatic performance. Technical merits are decent (video) to fine (audio), and the two interviews quite interesting, for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.