THE MOVIE

Directed by Renny Harlin (Cliffhanger, Die Hard 2), The Adventures of Ford Fairlane stars Andrew "Dice" Clay in the title role. Supported by such names as Wayne Newton, Priscilla Presley, Morris Day, Lauren Holly, Tone Loc, Vince Neil, Robert Englund and Ed O'Neill, I'm sure you can guess how this 1990 film plays.

For those who haven't seen it, here's the run-down. Ford Fairlane is a tough guy. Strong New York accent, Danny Zuko hair, the works. He's god's gift to women, and the coolest guy in the world. Well that's what he thinks (or what Dice thinks about himself anyway). Unfortunately, he's a wanker (or as my girlfriend put it "He's a f*#$ head!"). If you've never heard Dice's stand-up routine, he's the man behind such 'clever' lines as "Jack be nimble, Jack be quick. Jack burnt off his f*#$ing dick OOHHHHH" and "Little boy blew - he needed the money OOHHHHH". After every punch line, he goes 'OOHHHHH'. If this doesn't paint a good enough picture of this film and Dice himself, then here's the plot. There's a rock band called Black Plague, and the lead singer has been murdered. Ford Fairlane is called in to solve the case. That's right, he's a detective!

This film - and Dice's comedy - may have worked 10-15 years ago, but now it comes off as crude, offensive, unfunny and dumb humour. Those of you who saw Ford Fairlane when it came out, may still hold a place in your hearts for this film, and there's nothing wrong with that. But those Dice-virgins out there will most-likely not find much in this film at all worth re-visiting. I'm a mix of both of those people. I saw this film 11-12 years ago, but still think Dice is a talentless wanker.

THE TRANSFER

Video:

The film is presented in it's original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, and is anamorphically enhanced. The print has been pretty well looked after, as this transfer surprised me for a 12-year-old film. Not in the same league as Terminator 2, but for a film that most people had forgotten about, it's very good. Sharpness and slight grain let it down slightly, but there's really not much else wrong with the picture. While not perfect, the video transfer for Ford is quite excellent in comparison to the film's content

Audio:

The audio is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0. Unfortunately, a 2.0 mix cannot receive more than 2.5 from this reviewer. But for what it is, it gets the job done. All sound is perfectly clear, and there are no problems whatsoever with audio sync. The only aspect that keeps this from scoring more points is the total lack of the .1 LFE and the almost non-existent surround usage. This film could have done with a 5.1 mix, but was probably originally recorded in 2.0 anyway.

THE EXTRAS

Theatrical trailer only.

SUMMARY

The Adventures of Ford Fairlane and Dice himself cannot survive in this day and age, and have both found themselves buried in the cult sections of most video/cd shops. I know there are still fans out there, but to newcomers, the film will most likely never be seen twice. The DVD boasts a great video transfer, and a satisfactory (if limited) sound mix. Fans will be happy with the disc - which, by the way, is not available in Region 1 yet.