Stuck
(Blu-ray + DVD-Video/Image Entertainment)
Picture:
B+/B- Sound: B+/B- Extras: B+ Film:
B+
One of
the more enjoyable thrillers of late is 2007’s Stuck arriving on both DVD and Blu-ray just in time for this years
Halloween. Unlike so many films these days that try to be over the top in
order to scare us, this one keeps things simple, realistic, and the result is a
film that deserves more attention that it will probably get, hopefully this
Blu-ray and DVD release will correct that.
Brandi
(Mena Suvari in a great role) has everything going for her as she is in line
for a new promotion at her retirement home, where she plays a compassionate
caregiver. One night on her way home from the club she ends up hitting a
recently homeless man named Tom (Stephen Rea) and the accident soon turns into
a hit and run, the only problem is that this particular accident has left Tom
stuck in the windshield. Brandi is scared, plus she is worried about this
jeopardizing her newfound success, and since no one seemed to notice she drives
all the way home and parks the car inside the garage with the bloody body still
on her car. The remainder of the film could have turned into this really
bizarre and ridiculous horror film, but instead it becomes a really smart film
that keeps a sense of realism and brings up a variety of thought-provoking
ideas.
What I
particular enjoyed about the film is the constant battle that wages on about
doing ‘good’ and whether doing that always leads to the right things.
Unfortunately the world we live in today is slowly turning into one that does
not benefit the people who try to do the right things in life. I applaud
the films ability to not only be a taut thriller, but also a deep character
study that is so rare in the film industry that it’s a fresh breath of air.
For this
Blu-ray release the film gets the good with a really pleasant 1.78 X 1 transfer
presented in 1080p High Definition. Colors are accurately rendered with
deep blacks and true whites. The DVD just has a flat appearance and it’s
easy to see the limitations not only in the resolution department, but in the
overall fidelity of the picture. Colors, contrast, and detail are highly
superior on the Blu-ray. Not only is the picture superior, but so is the audio
as the Blu-ray gets a stunning DTS-HD 5.1 mix, which offers a terrific lossless
audio track, there is also a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix here as well for comparison
purposes, which is the same as what comes with the DVD. In this case, the
DTS-HD mix gives a greater sense of warmth, definition, and overall character
to the film, especially when the soundtrack starts pumping in and other
critical scenes, for instance the impact of the accident. The Dolby
Digital 5.1 mixes sound far too flat, weak, and just don’t bring a life-like
and realistic presentation forward, but the DTS-HD manages this quite well.
Extras
include a commentary track by director Stuart Gordon that is highly insightful
and I found to be one of the more enjoyable commentary tracks in a long long
time. He is joined by writer John Strysik and Mena Suvari. There is
also a behind-the-scenes section, plus a special segment on the special effects
used in the film, which again I found to be really a step above many of the
cookie cutter films of late, especially in the horror genre. There are
interviews and extra footage taken from the AFI and the Dallas International
Film festival as well, it’s evident from these extras that everyone involved
believed highly in this film and I can now see why that is the case and I stand
behind this film as one of the more underrated features to come out in the last
5 years.
A
worthwhile gem! You’re likely to get “stuck” on this film!
- Nate Goss
