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| Dvdivas
was founded by John Gabbard in 2000. It's purpose has been and
remains to be to provide you, the entertainment community with
the latest dvds and movie reviews. It will continue to be your
link to the most popular dvd movies. |
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“Hardcore”
|
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Reviewed
by: |
Wayne A. Klein |
| Genre: |
Drama |
| Video: |
1.85:1 Anamorphic
widescreen |
| Audio: |
Dolby Digital
Surround 2.0 (stereo) |
| Languages |
English |
| Subtitles |
English |
| Length |
108 minutes
|
| Rating |
R |
| Release Date |
9/14/04 |
| Studio |
Paramount
Home Video |
| Commentary:
|
None |
| Documentaries:
|
None |
| Featurettes:
|
None |
| Filmography/Biography:
|
None |
|
Interviews: |
None |
| Trailers/TV
Spots: |
None |
| Alternate/Deleted
Scenes: |
None |
| Music
Video: |
None |
| Other:
|
None |
| Cast
and Crew: |
George C.
Scott, Peter Boyle, Season Hubley, Dick Sargent |
| Written
By: |
Paul Schrader
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| Produced
By: |
Buzz Feitshans
|
| Directed
By: |
Paul Schrader
|
| Music:
|
Jack Nitzsche
|
| The
Review: |
Businessman Jake Van Doren's(George
C. Scott in a riveting, brilliant performance) life and his
deeply held religious beliefs are shaken to their core. Van
Doren's teenage daughter doesn't return from a church outing.
Worried, Van Doran hires a private detective Andy Mast(Peter
Boyle)to help track her down. What Mast returns with shakes
Van Doren Calvinist faith. His daughter has been appearing
in cheap porno movies. Van Doren realizes the only way to
bring his daughter back from this seamy, sordid world is if
he goes to get her himself. He poses as a porno producer to
get leads that will take him to his daughter in hopes that
he can get her back before something truly horrible happens
to her. *** This riveting drama from Paul Schrader ("Taxi
Driver")clearly draws from some of Schrader's own convictions
and religious beliefs. His upbringing as a Calvinist influences
and informs the character of Van Doren. Scott, Boyle "Outland",
"Everybody Loves Raymond"), Dick Sargent ("Bewitched"), Season
Hubley and Marc Alaimo ("Star Trek: Deep Space Nine")
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| Image
and Sound: |
The DVD
transfer looks crisp and sharp. Unfortunately, the age of the
film and the film stock means that it does look grainy. That
actually works in favor of the story capturing the harsh look
of porno movies and giving a gritty reality to the film. The
vivid, sharp high definition transfer means that the image will
look pretty good even on an HDTV or big screen with only a marginal
drop in image quality. The film’s original soundtrack sounds
as if it has been cleaned up a bit. While it’s a bit compressed
and lacks the depth and openness of a contemporary film, the
overall sound is clear without the thin clipped quality one
might expect of a film that’s 25 years old. |
| The
Extras: |
There's
no extras on the film which is a pity. I would love to have
heard Schrader's comments on the making of the film 25 years
later. It seems to me I recall a vintage promo piece that
was aired on TV during its theatrical run. Including that
along with some updated interviews with Boyle, Hubley and
producer Buzz Feitshans would have provided extra value here
but, knowing the limited budget the producer of the DVD had
to work with, it was probably cost prohibitive. It's a pity
as this terrific but brutal film certainly deserves far better
than just a standard transfer without any extras.
|
| Commentary:
|
While George
C. Scott isn't around any longer, Season Hubley and Peter Boyle
could also have provided a commentary track (and it would have
been less expensive to produce than a featurette on the making
of the film). |
| Final
Words: |
A minor
classic from Schrader gets the basic treatment for DVD release.
Although there aren’t any extras, the image and sound have been
cleaned up quite a bit and the high definition transfer means
that the film looks great even when viewed on a HDTV. It’s not
Schrader’s best film but with a raging performance at its core
from both George C. Scott and Peter Boyle, “Hardcore” remains
a powerful, dark and sad film about the predators that inhabit
our world. |
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