THE MOVIE

Derek Vineyard (Edward Norton) is released from jail after serving three years for killing two black kids. At the time of the killing, Derek was a important figure in a white-supremicist group. Now, having realised the error of his ways while in prison, he wants to make things right by getting his younger brother Danny (Edward Furlong) out of the influence of the group that he once headed. However, Derek soon learns that redemption has a high price.

The term "...a powerful movie..." is an overused one, but without a doubt, one that applies to this film. However, things were not so smooth in getting this story to a theatrical release. Director Tony Kaye tried to sue the studios to have his name removed from the credits and replaced with Humpty Dumpty after a dispute over the final cut. Considering this was his first major studio release, he has probably cut his own throat, and shouldn't expect to be welcomed back to Hollywood in a hurry.

Disputes aside, the final studio backed version that went through and we now have on DVD is perfectly fine as it is. Containing plenty of iconic images, some that certainly won't be leaving my mind any time soon, it doesn't beat around the bush about the nature of racism and the destruction caused by peoples blind hatred.

In a final note regarding the acting, Edward Norton in the central role manages the near impossible by being an unlikeable vessel of hate and racism early on, then grabbing our sympathies (though not our forgiveness) nearer the end. He is certainly one of the stronger actors of his generation, and I think his best is yet to come.

THE TRANSFER

Video:

The quality on show here totally wowed me. About five minutes in, I actually turned to my wife and said "Whoaw, this is a ripper of a picture!" This is definitely one of the better transfers I've seen in a while. The image appears totally devoid of grain, artefacts, noise and any generally type of blemish that comes to mind. The sharpening seems pretty much spot on, with only the slightest hint of edging appearing to attract my eyes. The colours were very pleasing to the eyes, also. With the mix of b/w footage interspersing the colour footage, there are a lot of opportunities for things to look bad, but it never really fails. Saturation looks great and very natural. Shadow detail is good but not over detailed. The one aspect of this transfer I wasn't certain about was in some pivotal moments of the B/W footage. It seemed as though there was some reddish hue seeping into the image, particularly noticable on the faces on screen. This was only faint, but it was visible. I'm not totally certain whether this was intended or a fault of either the television or the transfer, and I wouldn't be so arrogant to assume that it was intended by the director without having seen a theatrical print. Other than that, this transfer is a real pleasure to watch.

Audio:

There's no doubt the "Impress People" setting was used in the audio transfer. From start to finish, the sound was top notch and faultless, as far as I'm concerned. The all important dialogue was clear throughout, from low to high tones, making everything easily understandable. The forward soundstage was suitable expansive when necessary and pulled back into the centre when moving into more personal scenes. The surrounds were only called to standout in pivotal sections that were never exploitive, but rather added to the sensation of directional steering quite well. All the sounds had a good "body" that resonated well throughout the room, having a substantial feel to them.

THE EXTRAS

Not a great lot in this section. We are given 3 Deleted Scenes to view and a Theatrical Trailer. The deleted scenes reveal a little bit of somewhat relevant extra info in one, and a bit of throwaway info in the others. The Cast and Crew Bio's aren't too bad, but are written in a very small font that makes reading from a distance a bit of a chore. Overall, I viewed it as most dissapointing that we missed out on a commentary, but given the circumstances of the creative differences between the director and the studio, I guess this was never going to happen. Tis a shame, too.

SUMMARY

This is a must see movie, wonderfully acted by all those involved to great effect, and wonderfully playing it's hand to get the message across. The decision to buy the DVD would not be straight forward for everyone, but I believe it to be an essential addition to a collection, based on the quality of the film alone, regardless of the lack of extras. The transfer is excellent in all regards and does the film justice.