Supremacy Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		1.5

Supremacy Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman April 22, 2015

This has not been as especially auspicious year (or several) for race relations in the United States of America, with a seemingly unending series of provocative incidents that have often set those of different ethnicities and/or political leanings against each other. Those very tensions might have made Supremacy a potentially compelling drama as it details a member of the Aryan Brotherhood who is released from prison, almost immediately kills a black police officer, and then, panicked and on the lam, takes a black family hostage. Unfortunately, this is largely a tawdry and exploitative affair, one which at least offers Danny Glover as the stolid paterfamilias who has to deal with possibly unhinged criminal Tully (Joe Anderson).

Supremacy touts itself as having been based on a real life incident (evidently the part about shooting the cop), but so much of the film is so hyperbolic that it strains credulity. It doesn’t help that Glover’s character Walker is an ex-con himself and therefore not trusting of the police. If your family were being held at gunpoint and you had at least an option of getting outside help, wouldn’t it seem wise to at least investigate the possibility? That’s just one of several plot stumbles Supremacy makes, trading thriller and even horror tropes for any nuanced examination of prejudice and race relations.

Supremacy Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Supremacy is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Well Go USA with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. According to the IMDb, the film was shot on Super 16, and so those expecting a super sharp, crisp presentation may be at least slightly disappointed. The biggest issue here is that almost the entirety of the film plays out in shadowed, darkened environments, and the film stock simply can't capture a full range of tones, leaving shadow detail murky at best and even general detail sometimes at least slightly subsumed by the encroaching darkness. In the interstitial "dream" sequences with Tully in the car, things perks up considerably, with a natural looking palette and at least adequate amounts of detail (see screenshots 1 and 3). Further exacerbating issues are some questionable color grading choices, choices which only further minimize clarity and amounts of detail (see screenshot 4). Given appropriate expectations, though, and understanding the format and shooting conditions, Supremacy offers a stable, organic looking viewing experience.

Supremacy Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Aside from a couple of bursts of sonic energy, Supremacy's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix is a rather tamped down affair, an approach which while not showy in any regard supports the film's largely claustrophobic ambience. Dialogue, some hushed, some screamed, is rendered cleanly and clearly. Fidelity is fine, and dynamic range, while not at the extremes of high octane action films, is generally quite wide.

Supremacy Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Behind the Scenes (1080p; 8:34)


• Trailer (1080p; 2:01)

Supremacy Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Supremacy certainly has a provocative enough premise, but it wastes it with a tawdry, exploitative presentation that plays everything for scares rather than really investigating honest (if sometimes despicable) human emotions. Performances are generally strong, though, and Glover fans may find enough here to warrant a rental.