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Victory

Believing the film "Victory" didn't have much of a chance at success in the U.S. market, Miramax released the film theatrically in foreign markets before bringing it to American homes with a direct-to-video release. It's a classic case of sensationalism over plot, acting, and entertainment; otherwise, this surprisingly entertaining drama would have been given a just chance. ***

The story begins in the Dutch East Indies at a small hotel that has become the home of Axel Heyst (Willem Dafoe), who ends up falling in love with the prostitute (Irene Jacob) purchased by the hotel's dark owner (Sam Neill). Dafoe and Jacob make plans to run away, and carry them out after he is accused of murder; later, they are pursued by a band of pirates arriving on the same island in search of their lost loot, and soon after by Neill himself. ***

The movie is based on the novel by Joseph Conrad, and has also been made into a movie version in 1940; ironically, much of the same flaws exist between the two. The plot is somewhat predictable in terms of who did what and who will do what later, but the honest acting from the three leads, as well as some solid direction from Mark Peploe, keep it from being a complete loss. The production design is commendably lush and full of period references, while the action in the finale is quite catchy. It won't win any Oscars, but "Victory" earns points for effort.

The 2.35:1 anamorphic image is a so-so transfer that could use some improvements, mostly in the way of clarity. Noise and fuzziness can be distracting in more than one case, while edges aren't as sharp as they could be. Colors are striking in some instances, and drained in others. ***

The sound is mastered in Dolby 2.0 Surround, but doesn't make for much of an experience. The surrounds kick in for the occassional sound effect and the score, but little else, while deep bass remains absent for the most part. Dialogue sounds clean but suffers from some leakage into the front channels, and the overall track has a forward lean.