Hate Crime
(2005)
Picture: C+ Sound: C+ Extras: B- Film: B
In what
at first seems a simple story, Robbie (Seth Peterson) & Trey (Brian J.
Smith) live together, one is killed and there is no doubt that it is a Hate Crime. A possible suspect is young Chris Boyd (Chad
Donella), who is a homophobe, but Tommy Stoval’s drama is not the same old
gay-bashing tale where it happens and we get either “oh, it’s bad” or becomes a
possible revenge tale despite Political Correctness telling us that we only get
peaceful gay persons 100% of the time when all people are entitled and deserve
to be angry or feel how they want.
Fueling
Chris is that he is part of an intolerant Christian Church run by his father (Bruce
Davidson) who is its preacher. Instead
of making this a gay/straight issue or a tired, overly simple tale about the
dilemma, Stoval’s screenplay is smarter and takes a solid step forward in
dealing with the issues at hand, especially when an ugly bashing occurs.
Casting
and performances all around are interesting and impressive, including Giancarlo
Esposito as a potentially intolerant detective and sex symbol & former
model Susan Blakely as the wife of Davidson’s minister. This is much more like the kind of heart and
soul important film about Gay men that The Gay New Wave failed miserably to
produce, leading to its eventual implosion.
It may not cover every aspect of these issues thoroughly, but it does a
great job for the time it runs and is one of the most impressive such
productions in a while.
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 was shot by Ian Ellis in digital and it may be
soft and lack some detail, but it looks good for a digital shoot and is one of
the best (big budget or independent) such shoots we have seen to date. The Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 mixes are about
the same with limited surrounds and dialogue that is clear, if not of the best
fidelity. However, it is professionally
recorded and Ebony Tay’s score is not bad.
Extras Commentary by director Tommy Stovall, "Project
Hate Crime" featurette, “The Making of Hate Crime"
featurette, deleted scenes, still gallery, San Francisco Premiere footage,
Music Video and the original trailer.
-
Nicholas Sheffo
