Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		2.0

Survive the Night Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman July 18, 2020

It’s actually been a good, long while since the grizzled visage (airbrushed or not) of Bruce Willis on a Blu-ray cover has graced (?) my review queue, but Survive the Night offers some perfectly generic key art which features Willis, replete with him sporting a nicely embossed police badge on this release’s slipcover, just in case you need a clue as to whether he’s a good guy or a bad guy in this particular outing. This film is arguably even more generic than the cover art might suggest, which is saying something. In yet another “family taken hostage” drama, Willis plays Frank, a retired cop who is paterfamilias to a brood including his son Rich (Chad Michael Murray), who is an ER doctor but who is of course estranged from his father. When two thugs, one of whom is badly wounded, target Rich as their putative savior, invading the family home to get some medical attention, all hell of course breaks loose.

One of my favorite black comedies is The Ref, which (for those who haven't seen it) involves a burglar breaking into a home with a constantly bickering dysfunctional couple, finding out that he had gotten himself into something he hadn't bargained for. I almost wish Survive the Night had similarly played things for laughs, because the two frankly lunatic villains in this film, brothers Matty (Tyler Jon Olsen) and Jamie (Shea Buckner), also find themselves caught in a family dynamic that they can't handle (in more ways than one). Strife abounds between Frank and Rich, and Rich is in fact kind of a basket case due to a malpractice suit that was filed against him, something that also spills out into his relationship with his wife Jan (Lydia Hull) and daughter Riley (Riley Wolfe Rach).

Unfortunately, things are played deadly seriously in Survive the Night, with predictable results. The film at least has the sense not to be overly ambitious, and it doles out the family drama and hostage aspects in about equal measure. Performances are generally fine, even if Willis' take on his character relies mostly on a tightly clenched jaw and squinting eyes.

Note: My colleague Brian Orndorf may have liked Survive the Night at least marginally more than I did. You can read Brian's thoughts here.

Survive the Night Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Survive the Night is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.00:1. The IMDb doesn't list much in the way of technical data, and I personally haven't been able to uncover anything authoritative. This looks digitally captured, and like a lot of material filmed that way, this presentation struggles a bit since so much of it takes place in dimly lit or absolutely dark environments. Shadow detail can therefore be more than a bit hazy at times, and fine detail tends to ebb and flow depending on lighting conditions. In the few decently lit moments, detail levels perk up measurably, even if the palette seems intentionally tamped down throughout the film. A few scenes, like a horrifying sequence at a convenience market, are bathed in almost sickly yellow tones.

Survive the Night Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Survive the Night features a surprisingly spry DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, at least given the fact that a lot of the film tends to play out in relatively cloistered environments. Still, a few jolts of sonic energy, some courtesy of the behaviors of the bad guys, gives the film occasional bursts of activity, and the outdoor material in particular has good placement of ambient environmental sounds. Dialogue, score and effects are all presented with fine fidelity and no problems whatsoever.

Survive the Night Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• The Making of Survive the Night (1080p; 10:00) is a standard issue EPK with interviews and behind the scenes footage.


• Director / Cast Interviews (1080p; 32:22) include Matt Eskandari, Chad Michael Murray, Lydia Hull, Jessica Abrams, Shea Buckner, and Tyler Jon Olson.


• Survive the Night Trailer (1080p; 2:07)

Survive the Night Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I guess the moral of Survive the Night is, whatever little problems your family may be experiencing, there's nothing like a good home invasion with desperate criminals to get everyone on the same page. This is pretty much 100% predictable from the get go, but for those who like Willis in steely resolve mode, it probably will provide enough entertainment value. Technical merits are generally solid for those who are considering a purchase.