Why So Blu?

Vendetta (Blu-ray Review)

When the Blu-ray includes trailers for The Condemned, See No Evil, See No Evil 2, and Leprechaun: Origins, you know you’re about to see the finest film of the year. Lo and behold, those rascals at WWE have done it again. I don’t follow wrestling, so I have no clue who The Big Show is, but with a name like that, how can you go wrong? Vendetta offers enough goofiness to sustain ten films, with acting so over the top and action so brutal and bloody, I have to ask myself, “is this possibly my new favorite film?” (No.)

Film  

A question I periodically ask myself is, “how mad can Dean Cain truly get?” The Soska sisters have undoubtedly asked themselves that same question, because they’ve made a film which depicts Dean Cain as the angriest man on the face of the earth. For good reason, too. After taking down super-criminal Victor Abbott (bigshow), the judicial system fails to properly convict him, letting Abbott roam free to murder Cain’s wife (who also happens to be pregnant). Poor Dean Cain is nothin without his wife, so he takes matters into his own hands, killing Big Show’s brother, resulting in Cain’s arrest and incarceration at THE SAME PRISON GAME IS AT! You could say Dean Cain has a vendetta.

Vendetta is directed by the Soska Sisters, who previously made See No Evil 2, and American Mary, neither of which I have seen. I’m not surprised that both are horror films, as Vendetta is overflowing with occasional creepiness and grizzly bloodshed. They use the prison set (in reality a closed mental institution) to wonderful effect. The film might have been more successful as a straight horror film.

By the time the film reaches its anarchic climax, you’ll have forgotten all about the film’s faults, bewitched by the waterfalls of blood that soak every frame. Despite the shortcomings, which include a predictable script that dares you to shout the lines before the characters do, and a paint-by-numbers plot (complete with a twist that *SHOCKER* the warden might be conspiring with Big Show!), the film manages to invest the viewer in the final showdown between the two leads. These two might never win any Oscars anytime soon (never say never), but they deliver a damn good show. A Big Show, one might say…..(I’ll show myself out).

Video 

Encoding: MPEG-4  AVC

Resolution: 1080p

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1

Clarity/Detail: The image is sharp and clear, you’ll be able to see ever drop of sweat and blood on Big Show’s bald head.

Depth: Just look at any moment that has a character walking down one of the prison’s many hallways for a great demonstration of how 3-dimensional the film looks. Or, even better, watch the final battle in the yard.

Black Levels: Many scenes are shot in the dark, with rich black levels, adding a level of creepiness to the film. The filmmakers really took advantage of the set they were working with, using it to it’s full potential.

Color Reproduction: This isn’t exactly the most colorful film. In fact, it’s a fairly grey looking picture, so when the blood starts gushing, it’s incredibly vibrant, popping on the screen.

Flesh Tones: Poor Dean Cain. He looks so old and so worn. All the flesh tones are fully detailed and lifelike. You’ll see every vein on Big Show’s bald head.

Noise/Artifacts: Nada. So clean, like Big Show’s bald head.

Audio  

Audio Format(s): DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1

Subtitles: English, English SDH, Spanish

Dynamics: There’s a lot of mediocre dialogue before skulls begin getting cracked, but once the fighting begins, turn this up. There’s bashing! crashing! bone breaking! All with a clear separation of sound effects, dialogue, and music. As clear as Big Show’s bald head.

Low Frequency Extension: Every punch, cut, and bite is superbly enhanced by your subwoofer. Your neighbors will believe a prison riot has just broken out. It’s okay, just explain it’s the work of The Big Show and his delightful bald head. They’ll understand.

Surround Sound Presentation: The front speaker get most of the dialogue, but anytime fighting begins, it moves to the rear in accordance with who is getting thrown where. It’s pretty bald great.

Dialogue Reproduction: Crisp, clean, bald, and clear.

Extras  

A couple of fun pieces along with an UltraViolet digital copy of the film.

The Making of Vendetta (HD, 6:37) – A quick peek behind the scenes on the film. Not too much here, but everyone had a good time. That’s what counts.

A Haunted Location (HD, 6:13) – The closed mental institution has some ghosts. Big Show claims he doesn’t believe in them.

A Big Transformation (HD, 6:20) – A look at The Big Show. Everything you need to know in six short minutes.

Summary

As silly and stupid as this movie is, I enjoyed it more than I thought I was going to. The Blu-ray looks and sounds great. The acting is cheesy enough where you can sit around with your friends and chuckle throughout. And while the film may take a little while to get going, it makes up for it with a fantastic finale. If you find this in the bargain bin, feel comfortable knowing you can purchase it and not feel guilty later.  You may just watch it more than once.