Movie Reviews

Freeways are clogged. Terror stalks our cities. At shops and restaurants, the customer is seldom right. Pressures of big-city life can anger anyone. But Bill Foster is more than angry. He's out to get even. Foster abandons his gridlocked car, license plate D-FENS, on the hottest day of the year and walks straight into an urban nightmare both absurdly funny and shatteringly violent. Michael Douglas is Foster, an ordinary guy at war with the frustrations of daily life. Robert Duvall is the savvy cop obsessed with stopping Fosters citywide rampage. This spellbinding thriller is their story, asking "Are we falling apart?".

Writer Ebbe Roe Smith and director Joel Schumacher craft an interesting tale of a man living too close to the edge and what happens when he is pushed too far. In many ways, the film plays out like a video game—our hero (or villain, depending on your point of view) starts his adventure with only his fists, and as time progresses, he acquires more lethal weapons—ultimately, automatic ones—with which to battle his foes.

The VC-1 encode is acceptable for a 16-year-old film, but it's not earth-shattering. Details are a bit soft, especially on longer shots, but the close-ups are much sharper and reveal accurate flesh tones and decent texture. The print is in very good shape with minimal grain, and the color saturation looks natural and well-balanced.

The Dolby TrueHD 2.0 soundtrack is a bit of a surprise given that most films receive a remastered 5.1 track when released on DVD and Blu-ray. The surround channels are virtually silent, even with Pro Logic IIx engaged in my pre/pro, but given the stereo source, this isn't much of a surprise. Dynamics are acceptable with intelligible dialog, and the frequency range has ample low end and crisp highs. Gunshots sound a little hollow and nowhere as realistic as on the recently reviewed Taken, but given the time difference between the productions and the advancements in recording technology, that's to be expected.

The Blu-ray comes in Warner's DigiBook packaging, which includes a 34-page book attached to the case with some essays about the movie, production notes, and some photos. Additional supplements found on the disc include a decent commentary from Schumacher and Michael Douglas, a short SD interview with Douglas, and the theatrical trailer.

I've always liked this film and can sympathize with some of D-FENS' gripes about society—especially his tirade in the fast-food restaurant—although I don't approve of his behavior. The video encode is solid, but the TrueHD 2.0 soundtrack is a head scratcher. Recommended for fans.