Suddenly Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.0

Suddenly Blu-ray Movie Review

The horror.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman September 19, 2013

Who knew that the last twelve months or so would (forgive me) suddenly be a banner year for Suddenly? The now legendary 1954 noir starring Frank Sinatra was released on Blu-ray in late 2012 by both Film Chest/HD Cinema Classics and Image Entertainment (the film itself is in the public domain, hence the competing releases). And now comes this pretty awful remake, one which (according to IMDb) has only had a rather recent Canadian theatrical release and is now being ported straight to home video, which is probably where it belonged all along. Suddenly is actually a property which deserves reexamination from a modern perspective; its story of a bunch of renegades taking a family captive because their home offers a vantage point over where the President will be appearing, giving them the opportunity to assassinate him, is full of the sort of post-modern paranoia and political subterfuges that many contemporary filmmakers love to exploit. Unfortunately in this case, the contemporary filmmaker in charge of this project is the infamous Uwe Boll, a would be auteur who is probably better known for his kind of trashy (though sometimes enjoyable, in a low rent kind of way) horror outings. Screenwriter Raul Inglis has attempted to invest this reboot with all sorts of post-modern trappings, including a now alcoholic cop, returning vets suffering from their own version of post traumatic stress disorder, and a smart alecky kid who probably deserves a smackdown much more than the one Frank Sinatra delivered to Kim Charney in the 1954 version.

Those who have seen the 1954 version of Suddenly will no doubt recognize the broad outlines of this story even if some changes have been made, though most of the changes here ironically give this reboot the feel of a made for television movie, replete with a number of turgid soap operatic elements thrown into the mix. As with the original version, a gaggle of strangers wanders into a small town and takes a family hostage in order to pull of an assassination attempt. In this revisionist entry, they pretend to be Secret Service agents supposedly scoping out a dangerous site, though it turns out they have scoping (as in rifles) of another sort in mind.

Taking over the Frank Sinatra role here is Dominic Purcell, who also starred in Boll’s Assault on Wall Street. It’s perhaps only a slight Freudian slip that the character has been renamed from Baron to Barren for this version. Replacing Sterling Hayden, who played Sheriff Todd in the original, is Ray Liotta, and essaying the part of the frightened mother Ellen originally played by Nancy Gates is Erin Karpluk, another Boll holdover from Assault on Wall Street. Ellen’s young son, who has the unfortunate nickname of Pidge, is portrayed by Cole Corker.

Boll has perhaps set the bar so intentionally low with his output that it’s actually notable that Suddenly moves with a certain briskness, even if some of its revisionist attempts, including Todd’s drinking problems and the issue of post traumatic stress disorder, seem to have been ported in from a nearby Lifetime made for television outing. But Boll, to his credit, is able to work up at least a creditable head of suspenseful steam once the pieces have been set in place, and the family becomes increasingly desperate to prevent a horrible tragedy. That said, much of this Suddenly plays like a maudlin exercise in self-indulgence, and the film is middling at best.

Suddenly would seem to be material rife with possibilities for a modern day reboot, especially with regard to disaffected government workers who, to borrow a phrase from a recent congressional candidate, have decided to use “second amendment remedies” to bring about political change. But the ham fisted screenplay by Raul Inglis never approaches this material with anything other than rote formulas and predictable plot machinations. Unfortunately that approach is further hampered by Boll’s insistence on a supposedly arty European style, which instead works against what should be a lean, mean and to the bone thriller.

Suddenly Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Suddenly is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Gaiam Vivendi with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. Technical data on this film is fairly hard to come by, but to my eyes it seems obvious this was digitally shot and in fact this has the appearance of slightly glossier videotape quite a bit of the time. Detail is actually admirable, especially since Boll and DP Brendan Uegama (who hilariously moved on to a film called Septic Man, according to the IMDb—some may wonder if that's actually a step up, quality wise) exploit close-ups so much of the time. Colors are accurate looking if never overly robust. Boll and Uegama instead traffic in the cool grays and blues of Vancouver, B.C., where the film was apparently shot. There are some contrast issues here, especially with regard to the sequences in the family's cellar, where they're held captive for long swaths of the movie. The light balance here is ineffective and simultaneously depletes fine detail from the adequately lit parts of the frame while shrouding the darker sections in really murky shadow detail.

Suddenly Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Suddenly's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 is solid if not overly ambitious, offering both dialogue and foley effects with excellent fidelity and at times reasonable surround activity. The score, by Stu Goldberg (a fantastic keyboard player whom I referenced in the Santana and McLaughlin: Invitation to Illumination Blu-ray review) is effective and spills into the surrounds quite effectively. Dynamic range gets a workout courtesy of some of the fitful action elements.

Suddenly Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

No supplements are offered on this Blu-ray.

Suddenly Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This is one case where the original isn't just better, it's a lot better. It's too bad, really, because Suddenly has a lot of relevant issues for today's world and under better stewardship it could have been quite an interesting reboot. To be completely fair, this isn't the worst Uwe Boll film ever made (there's a list waiting to be made by some industrious film fanatic), but that's a backhanded compliment at best.