6.7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
The story takes place in the slums of Washington DC, a world ruled by violent gangs and ruthless drug dealers. We get to see what happens to the characters over the course of 24 hours. Lucas, a 14-year-old Hispanic boy, inducted since age 10 into the brutal gang life of a San Salvadorean neighborhood in Washington D.C., is determined that his 10-year-old brother Miguel won't follow the same path. When Daniel (an Afghanistan war veteran) comes into the neighborhood looking for drugs to escape his own reality, an unusual opportunity arises that can change their lives forever. With the help of Daniel, Lucas tries to flee his gang-lord mentor, Rincon.
Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Joseph Long (I), Joana Metrass, David Castañeda (II), Gary BeadleCrime | 100% |
Action | 42% |
Thriller | 6% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.38:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English SDH, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Digital copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
He’s battled robots, M. Bison, Dolph Lundgren (multiple times), and he almost, in the mid-90s, went head-to-head with the abominable snowman. And now Jean-Claude Van Damme is going after the MS-13 gang. It’s a sobering change of pace for the action star, as “We Die Young” intends to be a grittier endeavor, with a streetwise sense of horror from writer/director Lior Geller. Van Damme isn’t the traditional hero here, but a broken man barely clinging to life, inspired to stand between the street gangs that control America’s capital and the young lives threatened by violence. “We Die Young” isn’t going to blow minds with its offering of chases and intimidation, but Lior sustains credible peril while examining an urban fight for survival.
The AVC encoded image (2.38:1 aspect ratio) presentation is certainly facing an uphill challenge when it comes to clarity in "We Die Young." There's a lot of handheld camerawork to deal with, giving the film its intended blur of violence, but detail, when it has a chance to breathe, is quite appealing. Tattoos are common, and the details of such art are open for study, making facial surfaces and makeup achievements interesting. Interiors are equally textured, along with street visits, making signage and community wear and tear easy to examine. Colors are defined to satisfaction, offering more varied hues with wedding day decorations, while mood lighting is understood. Skintones are natural. Delineation is adequate. Some mild banding is detected.
The 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix is an active event, with fine sense of circular position, keeping surrounds active with community bustle and action sequences, which carry enjoyable separation and panning effects. Dialogue exchanges are sharp and true, handling heavy accents with decent weight. Low-end does well with explosions and harder acts of violence. Music is defined, from traditional scoring to more active soundtrack selections, which capture sharp beats and vocals.
"We Die Young" slips into action mode on occasion, most notably during a mid-movie chase between Lucas and MS-13 goons that slams through the neighborhood, gifting the picture some kinetic energy to go with all the hard stares and gangland struggles. Geller fumbles some ideas (the ending is too light for a setting this grim), and the low-budget shows in limited locations, but "We Die Young" provides Van Damme with a needed acting challenge, putting his natural screen presence to good use in a more socially minded bruiser that's timed to tap into current national fears.
2017
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The Dirty Harry Collection
1976
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Special Edition
2008
2003
2019
1999
Hodejegerne
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2017
1998
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2001
1989
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Standard Edition
1979