Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

The Package Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf December 17, 2014

Timing is everything in Hollywood, and 1989’s “The Package” didn’t have much luck during its initial theatrical release. A Cold War thriller issued as the Cold War was winding to a close, the feature was met with a yawn at the box office, perhaps waiting for a time when its premise could be assessed away from headline-fueled expectations. In 2014, immediacy isn’t important to appreciate the picture’s strengths, with director Andrew Davis (following up his Steven Seagal debut, “Above the Law”) overseeing an intelligent take on the action film, managing a politically minded plot while working out the breathless details of car chases and shootouts, making sure the audience is sufficiently lathered up before returning to global concerns. “The Package” has a problem with payoffs, but it’s exciting work, held together by stars Gene Hackman and Tommy Lee Jones, who keep a modest manhunt effort alert with their professionalism and commitment to infusing their characters with needed idiosyncrasy.

Stationed in West Berlin to help protect the secretive nature of nuclear treaty talks between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, Special Forces Master Sergeant Gallagher (Gene Hackman) is confronted with the botched arrest of two suspicious hikers, which eventually leads to a terrorist strike. Questioned by suspicious superiors, including Col. Whitacre (John Heard), Gallagher is handed a babysitting job to lay low for a few days, ordered to escort prisoner Boyette (Tommy Lee Jones) back to America. Unaware of any potential danger, Gallagher is jumped and beaten unconscious, allowing Boyette to escape and assume his true mission of assassination, working his way to Chicago to make sure the Cold War remains as tense as ever. On the hunt for clues, Gallagher seeks help from ex-wife Eileen (Joanna Cassidy) and Chicago cop Delich (Dennis Franz), struggling to reveal Boyette’s enigmatic history and plans for murder.

There was a time in the late 1980s and early 1990s when Andrew Davis was pumping out thrilling entertainment. The director of “The Fugitive” (a Hail Mary movie if there ever was one) and “Under Siege,” Davis built a reputation for fast-paced, smartly executed actioners that gave the genre a little grit and character, rarely indulging B-movie temptations. “The Package” falls neatly into this run, supplying the helmer with a tale of intrigue and pursuit, basted in paranoia and double-crosses. The time period is distinctive, but screen activity is timeless, watching the players sprint around cities, conducting troubling business as the clock ticks down to certain doom -- a promise of assassination that could jeopardize progress on disarmament talks between the superpowers. Adding a sense of the theatrical to the story is a group of anti-communist loons involved in the Boyette situation, forcing Gallagher to infiltrate the irate Americans and figure out what part they play in the larger conspiracy.

The plot plays to Davis’s strengths, setting Gallagher loose in Chicago, where he encounters threats of all kind, including a run-in with goons inside a parking garage and engages in a shoot-out with killers at a local bar, gradually coming to terms with the enormity of the situation and the need for shadowy forces to protect Boyette. “The Package” doesn’t always secure its suspense, frequently working itself up with scenes of questioning and confrontation without providing a reasonable pay-off, saving the big show for the finale, where sustained thrills finally reach a satisfying conclusion. The picture periodically deflates, but it never comes to a full stop, with extended screen time devoted to Boyette surveying his urban surroundings, positioning himself for the job he was hired to carry out. And Gallagher keeps up the investigation, dealing with accusations of murder and a lack of information on his nemesis that requires access to government computer records, permitting Pam Grier to show up in a brief role as one of Eileen’s underlings.

The pursuit is diverting, but “The Package” is really about watching great actors toy with chewy roles. Hackman is his usual commanding self as Gallagher, but it’s not a traditional turn of heroism. Instead of brawn, the actor plays panicked, making the string of near-misses more about survival than military authority, keeping Gallagher approachable as the leader is reduced to a follower during most of the movie. Jones has a significant role in “The Package,” but isn’t the feature’s focal point, making his moments count as Boyette silently surveys his opponents, keeping up his reputation as a stealthy assassin. Breaking up the boys club is Cassidy, who brings needed femininity to the effort, joining the action with ease. And Franz provides Davis with rumpled Chicago sass, playing his umpteenth cop role with endearing commitment.

The Package Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

While it looks slightly aged with a touch of filtering, the AVC encoded image (1.84:1 aspect ratio) presentation for "The Package" communicates the picture's wintry look to satisfaction. Offering a colder palette, hues remain appealing, with stable blues and military greens. Skintones are appropriately pinkish, reflecting chilly locations. Detail is adequate, providing a sense of street life with distances, and costuming delivers the feel of fabric. Facial particulars are also inviting, with two meaty leads in Hackman and Jones to study. Blacks are spotty, showing signs of crush in limited lighting. Print shows some wear and tear, but nothing overt, limited to mild speckling and scratching.

The Package Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix does what it can with limited reach, sustaining action beats with a nicely balanced blends of atmospherics and scoring, which holds instrumentation during blasts of mayhem. Gunshots sound surprisingly deep, adding to the intensity of the picture. Dialogue exchanges are clear, with a contained range of emotion.

The Package Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Intro (2:09, HD) with director Andrew Davis welcomes viewers to "The Package" Blu-ray, quickly segueing into a quick interview about the movie and its production achievements.

• Commentary features Davis and actress Joanna Cassidy.

• Interview (6:10, HD) with Cassidy is on the hesitant side, with the actress searching for the right words to describe her time with "The Package" and her feelings for her co-stars and Davis. It's a shame there isn't more offered with her, but Cassidy provides a few nuggets of information, including an explanation for her poofy, strangely colored hair.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (2:19, SD) is included.

The Package Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"The Package" kicks into gear for its climax, which finds Gallagher in a full gallop, trying to catch up with the enemy and avert a political and personal nightmare. Davis is up for the challenge, sustaining an impressively extended closing chase that mirrors "The French Connection" at times, while the rest is pure ticking clock goodness, out to drive the audience wild as everything conspires to keep Gallagher down. Thankfully, Davis saves the best for last, driving an adrenaline spike into the third act, successfully landing the picture with a bang. A few bangs actually, offering a corker of a final shot that's a macabre treat. "The Package" is uneven work, perhaps a bit frustrating as it tries to find its footing as a thrill machine during the first half. However, Davis keeps up the fight, determined to shape the feature into something nail-biting and politically provocative. It's a shame the production missed its initial opportunity to make a proper multiplex impression, but hey, that's what home video is for.